Cam Butler and Richard Mansell have been voted in as chairs of the Ōtaki and Waikanae community boards respectively.

Neither had unanimous board votes. In Cam’s case former councillor Jackie Elliott voted against and new Ōtaki Ward councillor Shelly Warwick abstained. At Waikanae, Michelle Lewis and Tonchi Begovich abstained. The Waikanae Ward now incorporates a majority of the residents of Te Horo, previously in the Ōtaki Ward.

Simon Black was voted in as deputy chair at the first meeing of the triennium in Ōtaki on December 6, and Michael Moore as deputy for Waikanae at their first meeting on November 22.

The formality of remuneration for board members –set by the Remuneration Authority – was agreed, with the Ōtaki chair receiving $14,963 ($16,802 for Waikanae chair) and ordinary members $7481 ($8401 for Waikanae board members).

At Ōtaki, most of the public speaking time was taken up with funding applications. That was mostly straight-forward, although a recess in proceedings allowed a conference call to clarify a request from Youth Nation about how the funds would be used, and its links to Destiny Church.

Jackie Elliott also questioned Chris Papps about Chris presenting an application on behalf of Ōtaki Junior Golf to fund a golf programme for youngsters, saying it was inappropriate for a board member after Chris has already declared a conflict of interest.

The board usually allocates up to $500 per application. Ultimately, all the funding requests were approved. They went to:

•  Ōtaki Community Patrol – $500 to assist with vehicle running costs.

•  Ōtaki Toy Library – $500 to assist with costs of Ceire Hopley attending the Toy Library Conference in Melbourne in March 2023.

•  Kāpiti Coast Harness Racing Club – $500 to help with the costs of children’s entertainment at its January 4 race meeting at Ōtaki-Māori Racing Club.

•  Kokoro Frost of the Ōtaki Titans Swimming Club – $500 to assist with the costs of attending the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne this month.

•  Youth Nation – $500 to assist with the costs of hiring the Gertrude Atmore Lounge for youth meetings.

•  Ōtaki Canoe Club – $500 to assist with the costs of hiring the Ōtaki Pool.

•  Ōtaki Junior Golf – $500 to support a junior programme at Ōtaki Golf Club.

In public speaking time, expressway Community Liaison Group chair Max Lutz said the construction team hoped to have the road opened by Christmas, but timing would depend on weather, staff availability with Covid and other factors.

Kāpiti Cycling Action spoke about their group, providing information they felt would help promote cycling post-expressway. They said Ōtaki’s largely flat terrain made it ideal for  cycling, but there were challenges.

“Motorists will drive to Ōtaki to bike on the new [shared] path and there is a need for suitable parking and facilities for them,” they said. 

Steve Lang sought support from the board to progress a Greater Wellington Regional Council project to build three stopbanks near the Ōtaki River mouth to stop tidal inundation. Flooding not only affected houses, but also risked exposing an old rubbish tip site.

At Waikanae, none of the funding applications were relevant to Te Horo (therefore outside the catchment of Ōtaki Today).

However, public speaking time had several speakers seeking action on issues relevant to the Te Horo area.

The Finish Our Roads group, which has been lobbying for an expressway interchange at Peka Peka, sought community board support to ensure land was kept available for a future interchange and not disposed of after the expressway opened.

The speed of vehicles entering Te Horo Beach and along Dixie and Rodney streets concerned two sets of speakers. They suggested speed humps as the remedy.

Sue Chetwin, a former Consumer NZ chief executive and former Sunday Star Times editor, spoke by phone to the board about the precarious ecological state of Mangaone Lagoon. It was being threatened by vehicles being driven onto the area.

She was seeking restrictions on vehicle access to the lagoon, which attracts many rare and endangered nesting birds.

Drew Mackenzie and Ant Ryan invited the board to visit Makahuri (the old Marycrest) in the new year.

The next Ōtaki Community Board meeting is in the Gertrude Atmore Lounge on March 7. Waikanae has its next meeting at the Waikanae Community Centre on February 28.