PRA email newsletter September 2022

District Plan Variation:
Have your say on Housing Intensification

We’re already receiving feedback on council’s District Plan Variation on Housing Intensification. It’s great to see our community getting involved with this significant issue.

The District Plan is a complex document so we’re including this snip of Plimmerton/Camborne to show the boundaries of the proposed zones. The high density residential zone in which buildings up to six storeys high will be permitted is shown in orange and the medium density residential zone is shown in brown.

You can also check out your own property by following this link:
https://eplan.poriruacity.govt.nz/districtplan/property/0/0/141?_fp=true

We do expect there will be a wide range of views within the community on the pros and cons of increased housing density in our area.
 

We encourage you to check out the information available and make your own formal submission to PCC by Monday 12 September. Please copy us on your submission so we can gauge the feeling of the community to inform our own contribution.

We’re very keen to hear your views so please let us know what you think about what’s proposed by emailing plimmertonra@gmail.com

Click here to view our previous newsletter for more information + submission instructions

Meet the candidates
Sunday 25 September, 7pm, Ngāti Toa Domain Hall

Meet the people who have put their hands up to stand in our local body elections this year. These will include Mayoral, Parirua Māori Ward and Greater Wellington Regional Council candidates.

At this critical time, we need strong representation by people who know how to get things done and have a sound grasp of the issues confronting us and who can intelligently assess solutions.

You are invited to meet the candidates and ask them questions about the health of our harbour and inlet, building intensification, safe reliable roads, the state of our waterways, storm water and drainage and sewerage systems and so on. These are the key responsibilities of local government and aspiring candidates should be au fait with the details and ready to talk about their policies.

For information on all candidate meetings, go to:
https://poriruacity.govt.nz/your-council/mayor-councillors/elections/2022-local-government-elections/meet-the-candidates/

All standing candidates have been asked to answer these three critical questions: 

1. What are the challenges facing the harbour and its catchments?
2. What are your priorities for protecting and enhancing the quality of the harbour and its catchments, particularly its streams, wetlands, and contributing water courses?
What will you do about these challenges and priorities if you’re elected?

Candidate responses are published daily on Tauposwamp.org

Dave Lowe great hit at PRA AGM

A Wellington southerly blast did not stop a good crowd who were engaged and engrossed by our AGM guest speaker. Internationally respected atmospheric scientist Dave Lowe (who has won vast accolades for his work over 50 years on climate change, including a Nobel Peace Prize for contributions to scientific understanding) led a discussion on the impacts we are facing from human activity-induced climate change. And, in particular how seaside communities like ours, subject to rising sea levels and weather events, can develop resilience.

We thank Dave for his great session and encourage everyone to read his recent Ockham Book Award-winning publication The Alarmist. To have such an internationally respected figure speaking to us on such a pertinent topic was a privilege.

To everyone in Plimmerton Camborne who missed this event you can experience Dave’s livestreamed presentation on our Facebook page.

Community Shed moved and getting ready for action

Our Community Menzshed has been moved (with the archery buildings) to allow KiwiRail to create a new spacious and safe entrance to the rail underpass. The shed team will be back up and running soon. We all know that they have done an amazing job helping other environmental and community groups here with nesting boxes for Friends of Mana Island, pest traps for all the local Pest Free groups, and building work for lots of other volunteer organisations. Their bird feeders, weta hotels and garden accessories and equipment fly out the door. Please give your support to this talented and industrious team when they reopen for action in a few weeks.

If you have time to spare and skills to share you might want to join the team yourself.

When the shed reopens it will be as an incorporated society and registered charity. Congratulations to the Menzshed team who have worked so hard to make this happen!

And if you can help to put a new roof on the shed with materials, skills, sponsorship, or in any other way, please contact us ASAP plimmertonra@gmail.com

Emergency hub open day … diary this!
Saturday 19 November with Plimmerton School Gala

Come to Plimmerton School Gala and find out how our emergency hub operates in any sort of disaster. It is a community hub so whoever is left standing should know how to open it and set it up. There are trained people in our community but we can organise training for more people if there’s interest in taking emergency preparedness to the next level. Learn how to work the radios, direct local response and liaise with first responder professionals.

In addition to strong street groups, having a resilient and focussed team managing the emergency hub is key to our coming out of emergency events successfully.

Recent weather events should spur us on to get our personal emergency plans in place, work to help make our street groups strong and share in developing a resilient emergency hub.

PRA exec committee back in the hot seat

With a busy schedule of projects, liaison with KiwiRail, Waka Kotahi, local and regional councils and lots of other agencies and organisations, submissions to be prepared on intensification, consultation over roading and traffic safety all on the boil … the hardy souls on the PRA have put their hands up to serve for another year.

Chair is David Verrinder, treasurer Don Gray, meeting secretary Robin Jones and Dave Anderson, Carolyn Williams, John Meeuwsen, Warrick Procter, Robynne McIntyre and supported by a comms team of Sam Duff, Allan Dodson and Violet Rowe, plus other teams working on projects, like heritage and planting.

Our Big Spring Clean will happen in November and all groups of young and old keen to participate can contact us now! plimmertonra@gmail.com

Police ask for witnesses … can you help?

On Saturday night 13 August at 10pm the driver of a white van crashed into the safety fence outside Topor Restaurant. The driver did not get out of the van but backed out and sped off. Police are asking anyone who witnessed this event to come forward. Police have a description and number.

The fence was designed and fabricated when PRA worked with Porirua City Council and was one of the first village projects which included widening and paving around the area to create café corner, the safety fence designed by landscape architect Linda Kerkmeester, and the boardwalk along Beach Road.

Businesses need the barrier there and will be impacted when it has to be removed for repair. In our opinion the offender should have to pay for the safety fence to be repaired and reinstalled.

If any suitably qualified residents can offer assistance with repair work on the fence, or anyone wishes to support the remediation with a donation, please contact plimmertonra@gmail.com

Thanks to Euon and Jenny

We offer our congratulations to Euon Murrell and Jenny Brash who are both retiring from long, successful careers in local government. We thank them for their tireless efforts on behalf of our community and wish them well for whatever lies ahead.

Piano teacher in Plimmerton

Do you have a musical child?
After-school piano lessons for beginners (aged 7-8).
Space on Wednesdays available.
Close to both primary schools and public transport.
Call Maria: 027 213 6394

Support your community – it’s the best