VISION KERIKERI CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - MAY 2008

I am grateful yet again for the support of the committee who again unselfishly gave their time and energy and I might add during all the nearly 4 years since we were formed in September 2004. Thank you too to our members unwavering support - you are essential to our existence.

This year our most important achievement, after campaigning since 2004, was the publication of the Structure Plan by council in September 2007. It was not universally welcomed but after 4 days of public hearings in which many who had not participated had their say, the plan after modification, was published. This was a triumph of improved process and democracy and public participation instead of Council quietly forming policy in smoke filled rooms with little public participation or awareness. However we are concerned about an apparent lack of impetus in the council’s Annual Plan to press ahead with further detailed work, so that the Structure Plan can become a plan change to the District Plan as soon as possible. Apparently only a section 32 economic analysis will be completed by December 2008 some 15 months after the report’s publication.  Our Annual plan submission urged greater momentum. In April only 7 houses and 3 sections were sold here. We have a property down turn so now is the time for action. We also supported among other things upgrading

Waipapa Road
with footpath and cycle paths which will assist in reducing miles driven and carbon emissions, and the KK CBD western bypass.

At present our growth is governed wholly by the District Plan which is effects based and gives council’s planners little ability to manage inappropriate growth since there are few rules to measure effects by. In effect it passes risk onto the community. Pokeno, a small town of 1500 people south of the Bombay Hills, recognizing that it will grow by 6000 people in the next 15 or 20 years, has started a structure or strategic plan in advance of this growth. Kerikeri is growing in an ad hoc manner a Structure Plan having failed in 2000 for reasons which I don’t think we need to labour tonight. The District Plan was largely driven by self interested land owners and some councilors but this will not be sustainable and we are strong advocates of passing more control to Council, as representatives of the whole community, not just a narrow interest group.

At this point I wish to pay tribute to the foresight of the citizens of The Society for the Preservation of The Stone Store Area (SPOKSA) who 40 years ago opposed the subdivision at the Stone Store Basin area. As Nancy Pickmere records, not all Kerikeri residents then were in sympathy with the Society’s aims. Many business people believed the subdivision would be beneficial. This is a typical business reaction. If short term views had prevailed the most important heritage area in N.Z, treasured by both Maori and pakeha, would have been lost forever.

Turning now to how we define Kerikeri - what is it that we like and should strive to retain. This is not easy. Firstly one might select the people - individualistic and opinionated often passionate - not at all like a small provincial .N. Z. town with possibly a stifling uniformity of views. But I would like to propose that it is our trees and our rivers and streams - Kerikeri and Waipapa rivers and Puketotara and Wairoa streams - which form our natural environment and contribute strongly to our uniqueness.

After long Maori habitation and cultivation early Kerikeri and the Bay of Islands to Waimate was devoid of indigenous forest and the missionaries had to get trees for construction from Karekare inlet and Kawakawa miles away and with great difficulty.  At the time of Alderton’s “new Kerikeri” in 1927 the barren, undulating and wind swept landscape was quite unsuitable for citrus planting. 80 years ago the hard working “China Hands” took the first steps which created our green and attractive environment.  By 1929 160000 eucalyptus and Redwoods had been planted as well as 13000 citrus trees. Wind breaks and in time fine specimen trees spread across the countryside.  The ambience started by these pioneers, in a largely unplanned way, cumulatively created our visual and environmental heritage. But in an unplanned and cumulative way, through growth and an inadequate district Plan, this heritage now seems threatened and that I suggest needs public attention.

Kerikeri Road
is still a treasure but when Bob Molloy came here 25 years ago
Kerikeri Road
was lined with red flowering gums, an incredible sight in bloom. Road works soon put paid to that. The verges lay vacant until some 14 years ago when the late Morrie Kempthorn (founder of Redwood Nurseries) and Bob Molloy, at their expense, replanted both sides from SH10 to the roundabout with flowering trees at 50 metre intervals, chosen to given colour at all times of the year. They ranged from Kowhai for Spring, Jacaranda and Illiwarra  for summer, Liquid Amber for Autumn to Red Flowering gum and flame trees for Winter. Today you will still find the odd Liquid Amber and there is a solitary Illiwarra Flame tree sitting neglected in an old car tyre just outside the SPCA shop. Council and Top Energy were not brought on board so that over the years the trees fell victim to the mower and the power board chainsaw. Wind breaks and specimen trees have been vanishing throughout our area.

Today we seem poorly prepared to manage this visual, historic and cultural heritage. The permissive basis of the District Plan has been exposed as growth driven largely by ad hoc initiatives by developers. The effects on

Kerikeri Road
are obvious but with weak rules the effects, cannot be controlled. As I said last year doubtless effects based planning has served some developers well but Council’s are elected to represent the interests of the whole community. Along SH10 and
KK Road
we now have a dispersal of activities from the commercial & industrial zones into the Rural Production Zone and Rural Living Zones. We have Highway Robbery, tyre and three car yards and Tow Team industrial welders on Kerikeri roundabout. Surely we can do better than see its ambience succumb by default.

Meanwhile after 150 years our native trees have returned. An early painting of Rainbow Falls shows an absence of trees but now mature Totara, Puriri and a few Kauri now line the Rainbow Falls track. But otherwise our rivers and streams are largely neglected and have little in the way of track access.  Along the Wairoa Stream, the track used by the troops in 1845 as they marched from the Inlet to the battle of Okaihau, and also used by early citrus workers, is still partly visible and there are some fine native trees and a waterfall.  Walking is the most popular community activity but no Kerikeri tracks are programmed in the Annual Plan. The track management strategy has existed since January 2005 without any tangible progress. All track money has been shifted out of this year’s programme and Wairoa stream deferred 7 years to 2015 for unknown reasons. 

This year we will:

We will, as ever, seek to educate and encourage thinking about a vision for our future.

Rod Brown, Chairperson,  27th May 2008

Definition roles and responsibilities of the FNDC - Eastern Community Board

( as borrowed from the FNDC website)

The role of the Community Boards is to:

In addition Community Boards have a range of powers for which they are responsible under delegation from Council.

Council Delegations to Community Boards

Terms of Reference

  1. Conduct consultation with its community on local service issues and agree recommendations to Committees on related asset development priorities/issues and the expenditure of Amenity Development Funds and Reserve Contributions
  2. Consult, develop and make recommendations on local and community development opportunities and proposals to relevant Committee of Council
  3. Arrange a community forum as part of Board meetings and report on these through the Community Report
  4. Monitor and develop recommendations to the appropriate Council Committee on the implementation of Recreation and Sport Policy
  5. Develop a register of significant trees
  6. Prepare an Annual Plan/LTCCP report for consideration by Committees prior to the adoption of the draft plan
  7. Power to recommend to Council the appointment of a Board member to be a member of the Community Development and Regulatory Services Committees, and power to recommend to Council the appointment of a Board member to be a member of the Transport Drainage & Utilities Committees, provided that one of the two members recommended is the Board chairperson

Delegations

  1. The power to appoint management committees for local reserves, cemeteries and community centres as set out in section 54(2) of the Local Government Act 2002
  2. The power to allocate the following funds in line with Council policy
    1. Amenity Funds
    2. Community Sport Fund
    3. Arts and Culture Funding
    4. Creative Communities Funding
  3. The power to prepare and review reserve management plans in accordance with Section 41 of the Reserves Act 1977 within budget parameter and in a manner consistent with Council policy
  4. The power to prepare and review cemetery concept plans in accordance with Section 8 of the Burial and Cremation Act 1962 within budget parameters and in a manner consistent with Council Policy
  5. The power to close collector and local roads or part thereof (as defined in the Far North District Annual Plan) but not strategic or arterial roads, periods of up to 12 hours for the purposes of holding an exhibition, fair, show, market, concert, film-making, race or any other sporting event or public function. Far North District Council shall give public notice of its intention to consider closing any road or any part of the road for such purposes (as set out in Section 319(h) and Schedule 10 of the Local Government Act 1974
  6. The power to name previously unnamed local roads and reserves and to recommend to the Transport, Drainage and Utilities Committee name changes of previously named roads and reserves (refer to Sections 319(j) and 319A of the Local Government Act 1974)
  7. The power to pass resolutions prohibiting the use of skateboards in specified locations within their communities (in accordance with the Council's Skating Bylaw 1998)
  8. The power to consider and make final decisions with regard to waivers non-complying signs, in accordance with Council's Bylaw Chapter 8 "Control of Advertising Signs" and Council Policy 3115 "Appeals and Waivers Policy for Advertising Signs"
  9. The power in relation to Al Fresco Dining License applications, to exercise discretionary authority to approve licences where applications do not meet the criteria set out in Council's Al Fresco Dining Policy and powers to ratify staff decisions to decline applications

Urban Design Protocol

http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/urban/

The New Zealand Urban Design Protocol is a significant policy document that sets out an agreed vision and a set of principles to further urban design in New Zealand. It is the first step in a major government-led programme of action to increase the quality of urban design and our built environment in a sustainable manner.

The wider programme, outlined in the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol will contribute to a significant difference in planning processes and systems, from regulatory systems to strategic development and to how quality urban design issues are factored into all planning-related decision making processes for the built environment.

The New Zealand Planning Institute particularly welcomes the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol , as it is a significant step for the planning profession. It facilitates the axiom that good planning is good urban design and provides an additional mechanism for planning to maintain its central place in the proactive design and management of our town and city systems. The Institute is proud to be a signatory to the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol and pleased to be able to make this award to the Ministry for the Environment.”