Author: Mike Swain

Community Forum Meeting June 2013: Minutes

MINUTES OF COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT PUHOI SPORTS CLUB

24th June 2013 at 7.45pm.
CHAIR – HANS EVERTS

PRESENT: R Green, B & S Titford, G Sorensen, B & B Marcroft, P Straka, J Williams,
H Everts, S Tisdall, R Cunliffe, G Murphy, M Swain, J Neel, T Koops, R Hern, J Dahl,
P Manton, M Drury, P Beecroft, A Cranna-Powell.

APOLOGIES: J Turner, D Hay

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING: Minutes were confirmed. (S Tisdall, R Green)

MATTERS ARISING:
Website: Mike Swain reported 278 [Errata: over 4000 -Mike] visits in May. The website will be linked to Facebook. Any further groups who wish to be included should send an email to Mike for their inclusion.

Traffic Safety: Julie Woods looked at the recently-completed traffic marking. She advised that the police should be the first port of call re speeding and safety-related matters within the village.

Hanging wire: The one at the end of Krippner Road was revealed to be a Telecom wire that has now been tightened and repaired.

CORRESPONDENCE IN/OUT: as circulated by email.

TREASURERS REPORT: Tabled as per AGM

GROUP REPORTS:
H Everts asked for each Group representative to share with the Committee one initiative of the Group during the coming year that they would like the Forum to know about, plus one initiative that they (the Group) would like the Forum to undertake. This will help the Forum to shape the Agenda for the next 12 months.

a) Local Board: no report
b) Historical Society: S Tisdall reported that they had been working very hard on getting the Museum ready for an influx of visitors this weekend for the 150th celebrations, as well as getting information up to date in the records room. There will be a sales area in the playgroup room, accessed through the Museum this weekend (no eftpos). The museum will be open 6am on Friday morning to accommodate the Breakast Show. If you need to get warm I will be making tea/coffee plus a biscuit at $1 a cup towards the building fund. We are running two raffles – funds to go towards the new Museum. Drawn 30/6/13 at the end of the afternoon. Any help with this venture would be appreciated. We are still looking for a suitable site within the village. On Sunday after Mass at 9.30am the old school bell, which has recently been returned to Puhoi, will be rung by a descendant (Kelvin Schedewy). Everyone is welcome to gather around to acknowledge the settlers and to unveil the new plaque’s honouring Maori, Capt Krippner’s input, and the families who first came. Prayers and a wreath will be laid, then another descendant (Margaret Hosting nee Bayer) will place the time capsule, for future generations to open, providing a window on the past. The capsule will contain a number of things pertinent to the current celebrations and put next to the 1988 capsule. Initiative – looking to the Forum for ongoing support in finding the Museum a new home.
c) Memorial Park: see General Business
d) Community Hall: The working bee was attended by committee members. The roof will need repair this year. The usual fundraising events are scheduled, e.g. concert.
e) Sports Club: Simon is standing down as President but remaining as coach.
f) Rural Fire Force: Numbers are down to 11. There will be fundraising for the new Fire Station. No initiative is presented at this stage as the building is initiative in itself.
g) Community Response/neighbourhood watch: no report.
h) Puhoi horse riding group: see General Business
i) Library: Lynette Anderson will be the contact representative, although this will be a rotating role. The centenary of the building is coming up in August 2013. A photographic display is planned. A wine and cheese evening will be for invited guests only with regard to the size of the library. The committee wants to commemorate the supporters of the library by the placing of a memorial seat outside the library, the difficulty being that this would have to be placed within the 10 meter boundary. The initiative requested would be support from the Forum for the placement of the seat on the river bank.
j) Church & Cemetery: Refurbishments are now completed and ready for the 150th celebrations. There is a funeral on Friday which may pose traffic issues to coincide with the village celebrations. No initiative as such to report.
k) Farmers Market: Would like to have the market well supported each month. An initiative would be the “Local Nationalities” event recently held so successfully to become an annual event.
l) Waiwera Valley Assoc: Rock and Roll dance 14th or 21st of September. Open to all. This will put on the website. H Everts welcomed the WVA to the Forum.
m) Business group: Sue Tisdall reported that the Matakana Coast & Country initiative over the past six months has seen a lot of work in the background. A lot of time and effort is going into the building of a comprehensive website that will take people into the areas they want to visit and take a close look, yet still be able to look around the whole area of Waiwera to Te Hana. They are working on branding for the region to keep it uniform and focusing on the five senses … See …Smell…Taste…Hear…Touch. What to do, what to see, visit, how the look and feel etc. So it is quite involved to make it work for the whole region. In mid July she hopes to get together interested business people, big and small, in the Puhoi/Waiwera area for a networking opportunity and also to introduce them to the work the executive committee has been doing.
n) Structure Plan: Matters are in abeyance until the Draft Auckland Plan returns for formal consideration in September.
o) Landcare: Planting Day was well attended. The exercise was a good one and Peter Straka’s tractor was very much appreciated. The Bio security people are being kept informed.
p) Advisory Board: The next meeting will be held in August.
q) Logging on Krippner Rd: All is Quiet on the Western Front.
r) 150th Celebrations committee: Judith has been very helpful in keeping us all informed. The Disco has until 6pm 25/6/13 to muster the numbers, otherwise this event will be cancelled. Hans put the following motion: “The Puhoi Community Forum expresses its gratitude to those whose dedicated work over many months has made the Sesquicentennial Celebrations possible. We wish the Planning Committee and all participating organisations and individuals (both Bohemian descendants and others) a very satisfying and successful weekend of celebration”. Seconded: S Tisdall, passed.
s) Motorway Access: John Simons reported a reference item in NZ Herald June 20 2013 concerning the effects of earthworks on Puhoi scenic reserve presented by Auckland Council. This report appears to be based on wrong information. This matter is ongoing and he will report on any developments.

GENERAL BUSINESS:
Memorial Park and horse riding: For a background report, see email from Hans, dated 21.6.13. During discussion, the following points were raised:
We need to accommodate a range of Park users.
R. Green urged the Forum not to be too bound by formal rules in developing Park use. P Manton urged at the same time that previous uses of the Park should not be lost by the lack of a formal agreement, especially since it is getting more difficult to ride on the road verge, which has led to the need for a designated riding area.
The current lease is between the Forum and Council, and between the Forum and the sublessee.
R Hern acknowledged that R Tolhopf has rior rights as the sublessee, but thought that he would be flexible in accommodating horse riders.
The Management Plan, as a Council documents, outlines the specific structure concerning the multiple uses of the River Park. H Everts will circulate the Management Plan and a copy of the current leases.
Further discussion needs to take place on how this all fits together.
It is particularly important that we are seen to be using the Park – a “use it or lose it”.

Yards: The weather has delayed the building of the yards. The estimated cost is $3461+GST. There is no facility at present for the loading of cattle. 18 month old cattle have time constraints to be off the land.

Tracks and Trails: see email noted above.

Judith Williams promoted her book and invited all to the launch this weekend.

Footpath between bridge and library: John Simons noted that there is a drain that runs under the road that picks up water from the creek on the boundary between the Puhoi Store and Peter Straka which discharges into Puhoi River, just beyond the library. Some 15 years ago the contours and the subsidence similar to the present situation was reported to council (RDC).
At that time rocks were placed next to the outfall, and earth fill used to level off the grassed area. The inlet pipe is partially blocked and surface water may well be percolating alongside the pipe to the river and contributing to collapse of the river bank and the resulting subsidence. Note fibre optic cable manhole placed so as to avoid this subsidence.

MEETING CLOSED: 9PM

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday July 30th.
CHAIRMAN: Derek Hay

Puhoi Rural Force Force May Report

28/05/2013 Report for the Forum.

 firebrigade-large

The brigade has been quiet of late with just medicals being our mainstay. It always amazes me just how often there is not an ambulance readily available from Warkworth or Silverdale and we get responded whilst one is sent up from town or Wellsford. That said it is something we do willingly for the community and are lucky to have 4 St John Ambulance personnel in our brigade to help perform these duties.

Members of the Puhoi Brigade spent many hours at the 3 big fires the region had this year- Gt Barrier, Tapora and Matakana, and gained some fantastic fire ground knowledge and skills during this time. All reports from the fire ground bosses were that our members were a credit to the brigade. Well done!

Obviously the Fire Season is now well and truly over. As we are all now part of the large Auckland Fire District we in Rodney had to wait for other areas of Auckland to get rain so the whole area could be changed to an open season- which is why it took so long even though Puhoi was very damp indeed.

Please remember that even though it is an open season for fires there is a provision in the clean air act regarding smoke and if we are called out to a fire that has a smoke nuisance element to it we have to extinguish it. Oh and don’t put your hot ashes in a plastic bucket either, especially on a wooden deck!!!

Unfortunately age gets the better of some things and our tanker has succumbed to old age and wear and tear. The engine has given up. The Council in its wisdom has deemed that Puhoi shall no longer have a tanker much to the brigade’s disappointment and will not be repairing it. However the Brigade will be getting a newer ute to replace our own one and it with have some special fire fighting apparatus on it- a first in NZ apparently- so we are looking forward to this and what it can do.

Of most importance is the issuing of the Resource Consent to allow us to build our Fire Station at 52 Ahuroa Rd.

Although the process was lengthy and sometimes moving at a glacial pace I am comfortable that it was fair process and allowed the affected parties to share their concerns and have them considered. The hearing was before two commissioners who had visited the site and were fully aware of Puhoi’s uniqueness. All parties acted with integrity and I thank them for that. The consent has come with some restrictions which we have fully agreed with in the interests of preserving the neighbours privacy. In fact the brigade requested of the commissioners that some usage was removed from the application as we could see that it was infringing on the neighbours rights and we felt it important to prioritise that.

So now that we have the resource consent we need to get some plans drawn up and approved then off to the funders for some money we go. Our best gestimate at this stage is we will need to raise another $300,000 to complete the station, which will probably be about $600,000 in total. Obviously these figures will be able to be verified once plans,etc have been agreed and finalised. We are now requesting letters of interest from contractors or professionals that can help us in the design, plan, build of the Station.

The Brigade will have a display at the June Farmers Market for people to come and view a mock up of a draft design of the station to get feedback and ideas from the community, that we can incorporate in the final design. We are hoping to get some tangible progress by the end of the year.

The brigade is also looking for new volunteers ( or even some of the oldtimers to come back! ) so please contact myself or Rob Beardmore if you are interested. The main prerequisite is to live or work close enough to the station so you can respond within 4 minutes.

So, keep yourself safe, report any incidents to 111 and thanks for your support.

Russell Green

Chief Fire Officer

Puhoi.

021 655461

Historical Society AGM Report

At the Puhoi Historical Society AGM on May 14, Sue Tisdall was returned as president and Sheryll Titford and Jenny Schollum as secretary and treasurer, with Stephen Schedewy as a new addition to the committee. Many thanks to the society for all the hard and valuable work you always do – we note how it has stepped up vastly this sesquicentennial year.

As Hans Everts pointed out during the launch at the AGM of the publication Celebrating Puhoi, A Walking Guide to the Puhoi Historic Village and Its Bohemian Heritage, heritage was sacred and precious to the individual and the community, and it was timely to consider what our community would need in the next 10 to 20 years, and the Puhoi Historical Society’s place in this future. Hans especially mentioned the role of  Werner Fischer, who is now very ill, in the production of Celebrating Puhoi. The publication is on sale through the PHS for $10.

And at the same meeting Carole Hay and Priscilla Everts gave a foretaste of the art and photographic display being planned for the June 28-30 2013 in collaboration with the Puhoi Historical Society. The venture will see the Hall walls covered with historic photographs provided by the society, representing the Puhoi of the past, and that of the present represented by the two artists, who have combined their photographic, artistic and calligraphic talents for the anniversary

The meeting thanked them for their contribution in enhancing Puhoi’s sesquicentennial.

Art Meets History

At the Historical Society AGM Carole Hay and Priscilla Everts gave a foretaste of the art and photographic display being planned for the June 28-30 2013 in collaboration with the Puhoi Historical Society. The venture will see the Hall walls covered with historic photographs provided by the society, representing the Puhoi of the past, and that of the present represented by the two artists, who have combined their photographic, artistic and calligraphic talents for the anniversary. The sample of artistic styles, framing and combinations of media they showed was an exciting indication of the quality of the works to be displayed around the hall for the three-day anniversary, most of which are one-off, some of which will be for sale and some can be reprinted. Some of us were especially taken by a photographic view of our church surrounded painstakingly with the words and notation from the Egerlaender Volksingmesse -the Egerlaender Folk Mass – once performed there.  “A challenging collaboration between the skill of the photographer, artist and calligrapher by two assertive women, both full of ideas and the ability to work together,” was Priscilla and Carole’s description of their venture. The meeting thanked them for their contribution in enhancing Puhoi’s sesquicentennial.

Puhoi Community Forum Meeting Minutes April 2014

MINUTES FOR THE PUHOI COMMUNITY FORUM
PO Box 404199 PUHOI
COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT PUHOI SPORTS CLUB
Tuesday 29 April 7 PM
CHAIRMAN – H Everts

PRESENT: H Everts, G Sorensen, S Tisdall, B Marcroft, H Beech, P Manton, H Darnell, S Rofe, F Endemann, K Balmer, B Houlbrooke (RLB),  G Driver, J Simons, D Newcombe (Waipora),
A Prospese-Smith, T Schulz-Golland, B Schegula, L Smith, M Hayton, R Straka, S Hackett, S Buckley, M Bellham, T Koops, B Titford, G Donaldson, C Power, D Dodsworth

APOLOGIES:  R Green, D Hay, P Straka, D Hicks

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING:          Moved:  P Manton    2nd: S Tisdall
Minutes of Special Meeting held 10 April     Moved: T Koops    2nd: P Manton

MATTERS ARISING:     J Simons pointed out that the membership fee is as stated in Minutes of 25/3/2014 a membership fee and therefore not tax deductable.  Under the definition of the Charities Commission only a donation is tax deductable.

CORRESPONDENCE IN:  B Houlbrooke, (RLB) re grazing lease. (filed)

CORRESPONDENCE OUT: H Everts to B Houlbrooke (RLB) re grazing lease (filed)

TREASURERS REPORT:  received         Moved: H Everts    2nd: P Manton

GROUP REPORTS: taken as read (circulated)
GENERAL BUSINESS:

Te Araroa Walk Reaches Puhoi
H Everts welcomed Rob Wakelin to the meeting to speak to the PCF about the Te Araroa Walkway, which has now reached Puhoi.  The walk begins at Remiger road, with a swing bridge and winds through to the village via the Memorial Park and onward to Wenderholm via the river and travels on.  Rob spoke to the wonderful asset we have in our village, and encouraged all Puhoi residents to get involved with the walkway, inviting locals to “get to know the tourists”.  120 people have already walked through so far, and a number of people have walked the entire track, or are planning to do so, a journey which would take approximately five months, and taking in the entire length of NZ.

Puhoi Pioneers memorial Park Reserve Development Plan (RDP)
A document “Summary of Information on Proposed Puhoi Pioneers Memorial Park Reserve Development Plan” was available for circulation at the meeting.
H Everts welcomed Rodney and Shelly to the meeting.  This proposed plan will guide the development of the Puhoi Pioneers Memorial Park (PPMP).  It is envisaged that the RDP will exist beneath the RMP but adopt the objective and polices of the Reserve Management Plan.  Goals and usage of the Park in conjunction with the Te Araroa Walkway, together with the roles of the various stakeholders in the park were discussed. It is proposed that the three members of the Landcare group who are experienced in environmental management, environmental education, ecological assessment, reserve planning and recreational planning will drive the preparation of the document in close liaison with the Puhoi Community Forum, Council and the Local community.

Landcare’s role will be to undertake the following:

Consultation with the community
Consultation with the Council
Consultation with parties with interest in the Park i.e. the grazing sub-licensee, Puhoi Community Forum, Te Araroa Walkway Trust, etc.
Fieldwork (fence line mapping (current/future), walkway mapping (current/future), weed surveys, vegetation surveys, faunal surveys.
Plan writing.

MEETING CLOSED:      8.30 PM
NEXT MEETING:          27th May 2014
CHAIRMAN:         P Straka

Approved by:

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