Author: grant corbishley

November 20, 2022

Playground Design Party

Sunday 11 December, 12 – 3 pm

This is a reminder that the last Houghton Valley Progressive Association meeting for the year is coming up this Sunday. It will be a picnic and playground design discussion at the playground near Hungerford Road.

Playgrounds are renewed every 15 years or so, so here is your chance to make a contribution to a playground design that will influence another generation of children growing up in and visiting the valley.

The submissions for the WCC designs for a new playground didn’t indicate a clear preference for either of the two proposals, and in fact a reasonable proportion didn’t indicate a preference at all. WCC is prepared to commission another design based on a clear consensus from the community that we would like a design that has more of a local identity. The discussion will be centred firstly on whether we do want another design, and secondly to think about what site specific elements we would like to base the new playground experience on. The idea is to come up with a locally appropriate theme rather than discuss the specifics of playground equipment – that will come later.

The programme for the event is:

• 12.00 pm – gather together, mihi whakatau and discussion introduction
• 12.45 pm – picnic lunch and discussion
• 2.00 pm – socialise and play

For the lunch we will provide some bread rolls, relishes and a foraged salad. Please bring some other picnic food to share, your own drinks, cups, plates, utensils, picnic blanket, sun cream etc. Bring whatever you would like in the way of balls or frisbees for afterwards.

Do let us know if you are coming so that we can gauge numbers. RSVP to the email below or on the event on our local Facebook Group. It’s okay if you can only make part of the time, we’d still love to see you and hear your ideas. If you can’t make it at all, please ask for an e-copy via the email address above. You can either email your suggestions or put a printed copy in the Community Hall letterbox at 80 Houghton Bay Road.

If the weather is unmanageable, we will hold the event at the Houghton Valley Hall, at 80 Houghton Bay Road.

(160 recipients, 101 opens)

November 20, 2022

And there’s more … just because Christmas is coming doesn’t mean we need to close up the community shop yet!!

The photo above was taken by local Dave McArthur, capturing one of those lovely moments that nature is always slipping in for us here in Houghton Valley. If you have photos you would like to share, please send them to us at the email at the bottom of the newsletter.

Houghton Valley School Fair 

Sunday 27 November, 10 am – 2 pm

The Houghton Valley School fair is back! As always it will be a fabulous day out for the whole family with all the old favourites such as pony rides, horizontal bungy, bouncy castle, pre loved clothes, toys, books, raffles, crafts, plants, crafts and other games and activities. And all complemented by live music, delicious food and Havana coffee. Please support Zero Waste by bringing your own bags, keep cup, plate, etc.

If you are bringing plants for the fair, now is the time to make sure they are looking good – in pots the right size, well rooted, trimmed to look good, and any weeds removed. Plants can be delivered to the plant stall any time between 9 and 10 am.

Playground Design Party

Sunday 11 December, 12  – 3 pm

The last Houghton Valley Progressive Association meeting for the year will be a meeting with a difference. It will be a picnic and playground design discussion at the playground near Hungerford Road.

The submissions for the WCC designs for a new playground didn’t indicate a clear preference for either of the two proposals, and in fact a reasonable proportion didn’t indicate a preference at all. So there is a general feeling that we need to get together and talk about what is important to us for a new playground. WCC is prepared to commission another design based on a clear consensus on what we would like instead, but this will delay the upgrade to some extent.

The programme for the event Is:

• 12.00 pm – gather together and mihi whakatau
• 12.30 pm – picnic lunch
• 1.00 pm – facilitated discussion
• 2.00 pm – socialise and play

We will send out more details closer to the time but in the meantime save the date! We will also create a Facebook Event on our local Facebook Group. If you can’t make it, we will be making the discussion handout available for you to fill in with your own whanau discussion ideas.

Summer on Te Raekaihau

What happens to tree planters in the summer? Well, they keep themselves busy weeding, which may not seem such a fun task as planting trees, but in terms of forest restoration it is an extremely important task. (And actually it’s just as much fun!) Many of our weeds have the potential to degrade, if not destroy, all our efforts to produce a thriving native forest cover. One bonus of the extensive karo cover on Te Raekaihau (which some purists deem weed-like interlopers of the native kind) is that it keeps out many of the more troublesome weeds. So while there is not a huge weed problem as yet, there are enough pockets that could become problematic if left to themselves.

Te Ohu o Te Raekaihau has been busy with monthly weeding sessions, and have so far been tackling the Cape Ivy at the entrance to Te Awa Awa track, and pockets of Old Man’s Beard. Tradescantia will also be tackled once it gets drier.

If you would like to get involved, sign up for their Newsletter, or join their Facebook Group.

Update on the hall

Thanks to a wonderful response to our last newsletter our Givealittle Campaign to raise funds for re-roofing part of our hall is just over $1,000 shy of our target. So one final push will get us there. Thank you so much everyone!

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November 2, 2022

Here is what has been going on and is about to happen in our great little community. We hope you have some time to take part, otherwise you can just appreciate it all from the sidelines.

Our Seeds-to-Feeds Wild Spring Lunch

On Sunday October 16 we celebrated the start of the Seeds-to-Feeds local food festival with a lunch in the community hall.

There were over 30 people there (including volunteers) and we feasted on vegetable soup, locally foraged wild green salad, spiced rice, fresh bread, and a selection of relishes, spreads and infused oils.

It was a lovely, relaxed occasion and it was great to be able finally to all sit down together and actually use the eclectic collection of hall plates and cutlery. It also reminded us how special our hall is. We raised nearly $300 for the hall roof repairs.

Ngā mihi nui to the volunteers and Seeds-to-Feeds staff for their great mahi!

Koha Coffee

Sunday 6 November, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

We are having another Koha Coffee in the hall, which is featuring a seed and seedling swap, with help from the Seeds-to-Feeds team.

Seed and seedling swaps are a great opportunity for gardeners of all skill levels to collaborate and share what they might have an abundance of. You can save money on buying new seedlings, learn from others, and you might end up with some new vegetable varieties in your māra. If you have some extra seeds or seedlings or even some garden produce, bring them/it along to share.

Otherwise just join us for a chat and a slice of cake. We would love to see you!

Haewai History Hikoi

In the first week of term – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – three groups of 60 children from Houghton Valley School walked along View Road, over Te Raekaihau along the Te Ranga a Hiwi track, down to the coast and back up the valley. The walk was led by Dr Grant Corbishley, who has researched much of the history of the area. He told many stories about the valley and what has happened here since the 1500s.

There was a mixture of weather to be braved: fitting 60 tamariki at once into the Alice Krebs lodge for respite from the rain on the first day was no mean feat. And seeing the actual concrete wall from an old photo hidden in the trees caused some excited speculation!

Playground proposal update

Quite a few people ended up submitting their thoughts on the two proposals for the replacement of the playground near Hungerford Road. We don’t have a full report from WCC but the playground contact, Matthew Beres, has made a few comments regarding some of the concerns raised:

• The play area was last renewed in 2004-05, and by the time they get to the construction phase the site will be close to 19 years old. The surfacing is nearing the end of its life and there are a few low/medium risk instances of non-compliance with current standards;
• They are currently looking into less use of plastic, as well as the overall colour scheme;
• Public toilets are not funded out of the play spaces budget, but WCC is planning to undertake a review of public toilets as part of their planning work for the future provision of community facilities in the city.

A couple of locals are meeting Matthew this Friday at 10am at the playground to discuss the concept designs further, considering the area and the submissions from locals. Opinion is pretty evenly spread between the two proposals, which probably means we need to pick the best of both to get something really appropriate. You are welcome to join if you wish.

Update on the hall

Our Givealittle Campaign to raise funds for re-roofing part of our hall is going well. It is wonderful to see how much the hall is appreciated.  Houghton Valley School even had their own fundraiser, raising $250. Thank you everyone! The campaign is halfway through now, it ends on 29 November. So if you were still planning to make a contribution please don’t leave it too much longer …

Houghton Valley Progressive Association News

Our schedule for the next few meetings is:

• Sunday December 11, 2022, 3pm
• Sunday February 12, 2023, 3pm
• Sunday May 14, 2023, 3pm (AGM)

The meetings are to present and discuss current community issues, projects and events. More information for each meeting will be sent out nearer the time. Anyone is welcome to attend, but only members are able to vote.

We would love more of you to show your support for the organisation by becoming members. With a bigger membership we will have more weight with the Council over local issues and with regard to applying for funds to keep our hall in good repair.

The membership is $10, for the year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. If you would like to join, please email the email below and we will send you the online payment details.

(157 recipients, 108 opens)

October 9, 2022

As we mentioned in the newsletter last week, our community hall has had its roof damaged, and due to the presence of asbestos embedded in the old malthoid roofing membrane, removing the material and re-roofing to current building standards is expensive to fix. So we would love it if you could show your appreciation for our 90+ year old community owned asset by helping us raise funds to bring the roof back to standard. We have three ways in which you could help …

Donate through our Givealittle campaign

So far we have incurred costs of $16,000 on urgent works to clean up the grounds and cover the torn edge with a tarpaulin to make the area safe for hall and Playcentre users. We need to pay for removal of the hazardous substance and putting on a new roof membrane and fix the leak damage caused by this event. The Wellington City Council Emergency Welfare fund is helping us, but we need to raise another $15,000 to cover all the potential expenses.

Our Givealittle Campaign is all ready to go. You can make a donation and check the progress. A huge thank you to those who have already donated!

Sign up for our Seeds-to-Feeds Wild Spring Lunch

Koha Lunch Sunday October 16, 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm 

The Seeds-to-Feeds local food festival is starting up again, and we would like to celebrate the fresh kai that is already springing up wild in our gardens and on the hillsides. So, we are having a Seeds-to-Feeds meal at the beginning of the festival season as well as one in March!

Come and enjoy a delicious vegan meal, including wild greens soup, local bread (gluten free available), homemade preserves, infused oils and of course our signature foraged salad. The Koha lunch will be held at our community hall. We are looking forward to having everyone to sit down to a meal together after 3 years of various take-out options. The recommended Koha is $15. The first $5 will go to the wonderful work that the Seeds-to-Feeds team are doing. The $10 plus any more you wish to donate on top of that will go towards our roof repairs. Limited to 33 tickets, so book your place now!

Join the Houghton Valley Progressive Association

The Houghton Valley Progressive Association is your local Residents’ Association. By supporting us as a member, we are able to support the local community in many ways, including:

• Providing updates of what has been happening in and around the community and notifications of wider community issues;
• Keeping the community owned hall maintained and fit for use by the community and recreational groups, including the InStep Dance Studio;
• Facilitating the organisation and hosting of community events;
• Supporting local projects;
• Giving you the right to have your say and vote on community issues at General Meetings and for committee members at Annual General Meetings.

The membership is $10, for the year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. You can also add a donation on top of that towards the roof repairs. If you would like to join, please email at the address below and we will send you the online payment details.

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October 3, 2022

Kia ora koutou,

We are bringing back the newsletter on a when-needed basis, and right now there is definitely a need, so much is happening! So please read on …

Seeds-to-Feeds Wild Spring Lunch

Koha Lunch Sunday October 16t, 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm 

The Seeds-to-Feeds local food festival is starting up again, and locals are keen to participate once again. Houghton Valley offers some great foraging and we would like to celebrate the fresh kai that is already springing up wild in our gardens and on the hillsides. So, we are having a Seeds-to-Feeds meal at the beginning of the festival season as well as one in March!

Come and enjoy a delicious vegan meal, including wild greens soup, local bread (gluten free available), homemade preserves, infused oils and of course our signature foraged salad. The Koha lunch will be held at our community hall. We are looking forward to having everyone to sit down to a meal together after 3 years of various take-out options. Limited to 33 tickets, so book your place now!

Foraging Walk on Sunday October 9, 10 am – 1 pm

There is also a foraging walk happening the week before the lunch, where you can learn about what wild weeds are edible, and help gather native spinach for the wild greens soup. There are only a few spots left, if you are interested be in quick to book your place!

Our community hall needs your help!

Our lovely old community-owned hall in Houghton Valley has had a major setback. Thieves stole the copper spouting on the flat roof extension and tore the edge of the malthoid roofing membrane. Fragments were scattered around the grounds and the Playcentre next door. They were tested and there was asbestos embedded in the bitumen.

The Houghton Valley Progressive Association, who looks after the hall, had funds set aside for re-roofing this part of the hall, but urgent works to clean up the grounds and cover the torn edge with a tarpaulin to make the area safe for hall and Playcentre users has incurred costs of $16,000 already! Our insurance does not cover this, and the re-roofing still needs to be done. We need to pay for removal of the hazardous substance and putting on a new roof membrane and fix the leak damage caused by this event. The Wellington City Council Emergency Welfare fund is helping us, but we need to raise another $15,000 to cover all the potential expenses.

We are still negotiating some final hoops with our Givealittle Page, so we will send out another newsletter next week with the link for your donations.

Many thanks to the community members who have been helping with building advice and moral support, and one member who helped set up the Givealittle page from the other side of the world! Te Ohu o Te Raekaihau have kindly lent us their logo image for the Givealittle page, we will get onto our own when things have settled down a bit more.

Houghton Valley Progressive Association meeting

Sunday October 9, 3 – 4 pm

Houghton Valley Progressive Association is holding its first General Meeting for their new year. The meeting will be on Zoom to accommodate those community members who are still a little cautious. It’s a chance to meet the executive committee, now up to full strength again with all four offices filled.

We will be celebrating the community projects that are happening around the valley, with a few people speaking about their projects. And the Executive Committee will give an update on the hall re-roof mission.

We are using a free account so after 40 minutes you need to click on the link again to continue. See the attached agenda. This also includes the Zoom link.

Community Weeding Sessions

Te Ohu o Te Raekaihau has been busy this year with predator trapping and planting 2,000 plants on Te Raekaihau, the beautiful headland above Princess Bay. And now until May there will be community weeding days on the second Saturday of the month from 10 am – 12 pm. The next one is October 8. For more information on the sessions please sign up to their Newsletter or their Facebook Group.

Proposed playground upgrade

Wellington City Council has advised us that the playground near Hungerford Road is due for an upgrade and has already come up with two schemes that they would like feedback on. It is important that they get feedback from as many residents as possible. So please consider making a submission in the next couple of weeks.

Houghton Bay Playground proposals

As well as commenting on the actual schemes and their functionality, you might like to think about questioning the wider context, such as:

• How necessary is the upgrade?
• What happens to the waste?
• Do the proposed schemes fit in well with the natural surroundings?
• Have we had enough consultation to be able to share what works and what doesn’t?
• What opportunities are we missing?
• What would be your ideas for play in Houghton Valley for our 100 year vision?

Let WCC know your thoughts by emailing them by 5 pm 14 October 2022. See WCC page link for more information.

Plants for the school fair

The School Fair is coming up on November 27. Members of the community have traditionally helped with the plant stall, both on the day and with supplying plants. Now is a good time to plant some vegetable seeds and take herb cuttings. Just make sure they are in a warm place. Swan plants are always asked for, so that’s a good one to try.

If you are rescuing plants from the garden, make sure they have been put in pots well beforehand and are nicely weeded before bringing to the stall. We don’t need karo seedlings, there are plenty already in the valley! If you are divvying up pot plants, please make sure they are not plant pests like purple or variegated tradescantia and aluminium plant. If you want to know more about plant pests have a look at Plant me Instead.

(158 recipients, 100 opens)

 

July 20, 2022

Houghton Valley Progressive Association AGM

This Sunday July 24, 4 pm on Zoom

After a bit of a “heads down” year for our local Community Association, it is time to set the scene for the next year and beyond with our Annual General Meeting. The election of people for the Association roles is as usual a key part of the meeting. Here is some background to set the scene:

• The Houghton Valley Community was gifted the land and built the community hall nearly 100 years ago, and community members have been looking after the hall ever since. Rental income helps keep the hall maintained and provides funds for community projects.
• The Houghton Valley Progressive Association is an Incorporated Society. There are some big legislative changes coming up that will mean we have to revise and upgrade our current constitution. This is an ideal opportunity to assess where we are and what we want for our community over the next 100 years! Getting to know your neighbours, being involved with local activities and caring for the place you love to live in is becoming increasingly important, and the HPVA needs to provide a strong foundation for that.
• Currently there is a vacancy for Chairperson and Secretary. The Chairperson looks after relationships with outside groups as needed, and the Secretary attends to correspondence and minutes. Aside from the official roles, we welcome others to become part of a working group to plan the year to come.

If you are interested in a role, it would be great to have a discussion with you before the meeting. Please contact Ken. (Zoom details removed)

(153 recipients, 97 opens)

March 2, 2022

Seed-to-Feeds Community Dinner this Sunday

Sunday March 6, 4 – 6 pm at Houghton Valley School

The Haewai / Houghton Valley Seeds-to-Feeds Festival Community Dinner is happening again this year. We are hosting a COVID safe community meal that you can enjoy with us in the Houghton Valley School hall or wherever else you would like to eat.

This yummy dinner will be prepared by locals and the Seeds to Feeds team, and will include vegetables and wild plants harvested from local mārakai or foraged from our ngāhere.

The tickets are koha, whatever you can afford. There are only 60 meals available, so be in quickly! If you know anyone in our community who might be isolating, sick, or unable to join us for any reason we encourage you to collect a meal to take to them so that they still get to enjoy some delicious local kai. All funds raised will go towards school projects.

We will have limited spaces for indoor dining, or if the weather is fine you can collect your meal and gather with your family or friends to have a picnic on the school grounds. If the weather is not so good, we will serve from the school hall and you can scurry home and enjoy a Sunday dinner cooked by someone else.

We hope you can support this community venture and enjoy some great local food!

For more details (including menu) and to get your tickets go to: https://www.seedstofeeds.nz/new-events/haewai-into-the-wildness-pop-up-and-picnic (link not current)

(154 recipients, 96 opens)

February 2, 2022
(2/2/22 hee hee)

Concert at Houghton Valley Community Hall

Sunday February 13, 7 – 9 pm 

Janine Mitchell is a Houghton Valley resident and a Wellington South Coast gal. A folkie songster from “ back then”,  in recent times she has been getting into songwriting with her acoustic folk guitar. This has seen her compose her own original songs in a 60s – 70s folk style, as well as regenerating many of that era’s classics such as Joan Biaz, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkle.

Janine loves the platform made available through her songwriting to speak / korero a message that is close to her heart, singing about the environment, social issues and relationships – but mostly she just loves sharing music – food for the soul.

During 2021, two wonderful musicians  joined Janine to support in recording her first studio album of original songs, called “Etched in My Soul”. Janine has been thrilled to share her passion for folk music, with the fantastic lead guitar and vocals of Jack Binding, and the beautiful mandolin of Kevin Ikin.

The album, “Etched in My Soul” has just been released – you can hear a snippet through https://janinemitchell.hearnow.com with links to Bandcamp and Spotify. Also additional information is on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Janine-Mitchell-Music-100897535706400

With the initial goal of recording Janine’s original songs now complete, the three musicians are looking to a horizon brimming with possibilities and sharing with other musicians. They love playing together and are continuing to pursue their shared music, collaborating on writing new songs, and performing live together … including here in Houghton Valley.

New WREMO contact

Katie Sharp is the new Community Resilience Advisor for WREMO (Wellington Region Emergency Management Office) and is in charge of the areas of the Southern and Eastern Suburbs, which includes Houghton Bay. Living in rural Canterbury for most of her life, Katie has seen the power of connected communities, especially following the Christchurch Earthquake. This has grown into a passion for people and communities, so Katie will take every opportunity to connect with whānau, community groups and organisations around the South East. If you have a community group that may be interested in holding a preparedness workshop (for you, your household or your business) please do not hesitate to get in touch!

Katie may come to the next HVPA Zoom meeting, provisionally planned for February 13.

Koha Coffee

Koha Coffee is unlikely to happen this month as our host Andrew has broken his leg and is unable to be there, and we don’t have a substitute host. Best wishes for a sound recovery Andrew! Next month it is scheduled for Sunday 6 March, but that is also the date for our Seeds-to-Feeds meal, so there might be a bit of negotiating happening. Plans will be posted on our local Facebook Group.

Seeds-to-Feeds

Sunday March 6, 2 pm – 6 pm

We are still hoping to have our Seeds-to-Feeds afternoon meal on Sunday March 6. We are planning a relaxed family style event at the school, maybe a picnic in the grounds, maybe in the hall if the weather is not so good. The time is earlier than before so that you can bring your children and still have an early night.

Planning is still provisional due to the uncertainty around overall Covid case numbers. Although there is nothing to prevent us going ahead, it will depend on how comfortable people feel about it, and how many people might be needing to self-isolate. But be sure that the vegetables are growing well and the menu is delicious!

So please save the date and plan to support this event. This year we would like the funds raised to go to the school, as they didn’t have such a good opportunity last year to raise money through the usual school fair. We will have more details soon.

This newsletter

The way this year is heading for me has left me with a need to take a break from doing this Community Newsletter. If anyone else would like to have a go, I would be happy to show them the MailChimp ropes. Please contact me (Jenny) via the email address below. Otherwise perhaps we will need to wait until we have a community co-ordinator to take up this aspect of community co-ordination. In the meantime we have a thriving community Facebook Group that you can sign up to. That way everyone can post their own news at the appropriate time. I will do one more edition to promote the details of the Seeds-to-Feeds dinner in March.

(155 recipients, 100 opens)

December 21, 2021

Holiday time! Come to our local Christmas ice cream stall this Wednesday and Thursday evening

(156 recipients, 104 opens)

December 2, 2021

Last Koha Coffee for the year

Sunday December 5, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm

Koha Coffee this month is this Sunday at the Community Hall. Katy is hosting. Come along to chat and if you wish, bring food offerings to share. Being December, Koha Coffee will have a Christmas theme.

Community catch-up will include people from the Seeds-to-feeds fruit tree walking bee coming along after discovering and tending our local wild fruit trees. Sarah, the Seeds-to-Feeds coordinator for this year will also be bringing some seeds to share. And of course you can bring your own creative community ideas to share and discuss. Or just chat …

Please remember to scan in and wear masks when moving about.

Wild fruit tree walking bee

Sunday December 5, 9 am – 10.30 am 

Come on a tour of Houghton Valley’s wild fruit trees and help give a little back to them with a bit of weed clearing and seaweed mulching. We will start at the white gate on the Southern Walkway across the field just south of Houghton Valley School (see map) and finish at the Community Hall to join Koha Coffee.

Wear sturdy walking shoes, bring gardening gloves, a weeding tool and/or hedge clippers for clearing around thetrees. If you have any old newspapers, bring some too, to help keep the weeds around the trees under control. For record keeping purposes, please RSVP to hello@seedstofeeds.nz.

We have just collected some seaweed to help feed the fruit trees!

Art in the enchanted rain

Just before people were due to arrive at Te Kawakawa Commons for the Enchanted Art in a Garden exhibition it started drizzling. Despite the wet many people still came to enjoy the garden and take away some beautiful art work. A big thank you to you all!
Some of the artists were more prepared than others for the wet and looking after their work, others unfortunately had to pack up early.

However it is planned to run again next year in the sunshine!

Another valley resident

California quail are also resident in our valley, and you can hear them calling in the swampy areas near the Hungerford Road playground. The male’s distinctive 3-note call can be described as Chi-ca-go, but is more accurately rendered as “qua-quer-go”

California quail are not native, but were first released in 1862 as game birds. You can find out more information about them at nzbirds online This is where the photo comes from.

Male California quail call

(155 recipients, 101 opens)