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MRAI Annual Meeting Minutes 2021

Brian Michie


Matarangi Ratepayers Association (Inc)


Annual Meeting of Members 8:30 am Monday 1 February 2021 At the Dunes Golf Clubhouse




Minutes:


1. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed Murray McLean, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Mercury Bay, Tony Fox, Councillor for Mercury Bay, Alan Tiplady, TCDC District Manager North, Rekha Giri-Percival, Mercury Bay Community Board Chair, Jeremy Lomas, Mercury Bay Community Board, Deli Connell, Mercury Bay Community Board and MRAI members.



2. Apologies were received from Dave & Kitty MacDonald, Hugh Chapman, Mary & Teresa Kedzlie, Liam Kedzlie, Rod Cameron, Ross and Dee Mear, Kath Des Forges, Karen McNeill, Andrew McGuire.



3. The minutes of the Annual Meeting held 27 January 2020 were confirmed as a true and correct record.



4. The Chairman, Mark Bedford recorded his annual report, taken as read (copy attached).



5. Deputy Chairman, Harry Karl recorded the Treasurers annual report, taken as read (copy attached).


There was a question about Question about “Note 2” from the floor. Alan Cunningham confirmed this applies to Reserves Management Group funds.


The Chairman, Mark Bedford recorded a vote of thanks to Alan Cunningham for his services as honorary Auditor.



6. The Chairman, Mark Bedford recorded the Report of the Reserves Management Group, taken as read (copy attached).



7. The Chairman, Mark Bedford introduced Matarangi Community Trust Chair, Alastair MacCormick to give an update on the status of the Matarangi Community Trust and Matarangi Land Holding Ltd.


Matarangi Community Trust Chair, Alastair MacCormick gave the following updates:

  • Matarangi Community Trust Formal report is not due till 30 June – this will be a public report made available on Department of Internal Affairs website when it is published.

  • A significant amount of work alongside TCDC has occurred to have the Golf Course designated as Open Space in perpetuity.

  • Thank you to all local TCDC representatives for their assistance and support in the ongoing Open Space process.

  • Thank you to all the Matarangi Community Trust Trustees for their work.

  • Special thank you to Allan Dickinson who has worked tirelessly to improve all the facilities in the Community Centre, Bowling Green, Golf Course and surrounds.

  • Options to support Open Space will be included in TCDCs Long Term Plan, which will be open for public consultation in March.


8. Invited speaker Murray McLean, Deputy Mayor acknowledged that there is an outstanding issue with open space in Matarangi. He is determined that it will be resolved in the upcoming 18 months.



9. General Business and Open Forum


Question: Is the targeted rate agreed or not agreed with TCDC?


The Chairman, Mark Bedford referred to the last meeting confirming the targeted

rate was unanimously agreed. The targeted rate must be in the TCDC Long Term

Plan to be implemented.


Alan Tiplady from TCDC confirmed it has to be implemented via the councils Long

Term Plan. The Long Term Plan process is reviewed every 3 years. The

consultation for the next Long Term Plan starts at the beginning of March 2021 and

will close in April.


Options that TCDC are considering on open space will be detailed in the Long

Term Plan. Alan mentioned the amount of $100 to $150 per annum per property,

however this is not yet confirmed so is subject to change. If implemented, the

targeted rate would not come into effect until 22/23 financial year.



Question: Will MRAI be notified of consent conditions for the new subdivision?


Alastair MacCormick, MCT Chair confirmed that:


The developer, Beaches applied for 224 lots in late 2018. MRAI has done a

significant amount of work negotiating on how the subdivision will be

implemented vs the Structure Plan, ensuring connecting pathways and a reserve

by the harbour are included, and taking all forms of water into consideration.


Just prior to Christmas 2020, planners at TCDC issued a ruling that the subdivision

will be non-notified. No public consultation will be required and that includes

consultation with MRAI.


Water has not been dealt with sufficiently. The current Structure Plan allows for 2

cubic meters per lot per day. Council planners have recently advised that their

interpretation is that only properties to the south of Matarangi Drive

have the 2 cubic meter allowance. It is MRAIs view that 2 cubic meters per lot per

day should be applied to all Matarangi properties, as that is what the

Structure Plans reads as now.


Watercare have a national standard of 1.5 cubic meters per day per lot.


An upgrade to water facilities in Matarangi has a broad cost of 10 million dollars.

Beaches says that an upgrade is not needed, given current consumption patterns.

TCDC has said the existing supply is adequate.


Water is a complicated issue, made worse by conflicting data.



Question: Resource consent says all lots are allowed 2 cubic metres per day.

Someone has to pay for water supply for the new subdivision, who will this be?


Grant Short, MRAI Committee Member said that the rates we pay are averaged

across the whole TCDC region. 2 cubic metres per lot per day is only allocated for

during the peak period from late December until Waitangi day.


Chairman Mark Bedford confirmed that MRAI have spent considerable time and

resources trying to ensure security of supply and adequacy of supply. The TCDC

need to listen to suggestions with open minds for the future.



Question: What suggestions have come from the TCDC regarding water in the new subdivision?


Chairman Mark Bedford confirmed that representatives of MRAI, Matarangi Community Trust and Matarangi Land Holding Ltd have been working hard on the supply of water and gaining an understanding if it will be adequate to cope with 224 new sections. The belief is that rainwater should be collected on every lot. The Waikato Regional Council is the entity that enforces water at 2 cubic meters a day.


Alan Tiplady from TCDC said there will be requirements for onsite storage of water, every lot should have a 5000 litre tank installed in addition to soak pits. That is being proposed in the subdivision plan.



Question: Is water quality in the harbour being monitored by Waikato Regional Council? If water quality is not being monitored, what is going to be done about it?


Chair Mark Bedford confirmed that 11 – 17 million is to be spent on upgrading the wastewater plant. Consent has been lodged for discharging water into the harbour.


MRAI to follow up with Waikato Regional Council to understand what is being monitored, if it’s not being monitored, why not.



Question: Are tanks / on site storage the only thing that TCDC will be doing to help with water supply?


Alan Tiplady from TCDC said tanks are it.



Question: From Chair Mark Bedford to the floor, does the meeting support the targeted rate at a principal level?


Members asked what the exact details of the targeted rate are.


Chair Mark Bedford advised that the detail will be in the Long Term Plan and the intention is that the community will own the open space, this includes the community centre, bowling green, golf course and any surrounding green space.


Chair Mark Bedford again asked the floor does the meeting support the targeted rate at a principle level?

Agreed unanimously.


Chair Mark Bedford indicated we need unanimous support across wider Matarangi, we must get as many submissions as possible to the Long Term Plan in support of the targeted rate.



Question: What’s happening with the Refuse Station and potential closure?


Chair Mark Bedford said the recent TCDC surveys were poorly worded and don’t mean the Refuse Station will be closed.


Allan Tiplady said we won’t see any major changes regarding the Refuse Station at this stage, however we need to contribute to the Long Term Plan in regards to this to ensure it remains.



Question: What is being done about Canadian Geese?


Allan Dickinson confirmed that a government approved pest controller has been contracted by golf club to eradicate the geese in a manner that is acceptable to police.



Question: If we get a high enough percentage of Long Term Plan submissions from the community, then will our view be automatically supported by council?


Murray Mclean Deputy Mayor confirmed that’s not how it works. Councillors can make a decision independent of this information.


Chairman Mark Bedford said we will do everything we can to get it through.


Alastair MacCormick, MCT Chair highlighted that it is so important to make submissions to the Long Term Plan as individuals.



MRAI Committee

The following nominations were received in writing for the MRAI Committee: Mark Bedford, Harry Karl, David Macdonald, Grant Short, Kieran Mullins, Vaughan Podbielski, John Hackett, Hugh Chapman.


No election was required, and all persons nominated were confirmed as members of the Committee.


Honorary Auditor

Alan Cunningham was thanked by the Chairman for his current service. Alan Cunningham had indicated that he is be prepared to continue the role of Honorary Auditor. Agreed that he is reappointed.

MRAI Fees

MRAI Membership fees are confirmed unchanged at $50.



Meeting closed: 9:43am

Approximate attendance: 150




REPORTS FOR ITEMS 4, 5 AND 6 ARE APPENDED

 

Item 4 Chairman’s Report


Kia ora koutou,


Let me extend a warm welcome to all of our members and thank for your continued support. Currently our membership sits at 340 which is extremely encouraging. Notwithstanding this, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had even more members. The work we do benefits all ratepayers and also other members of this fantastic community. Currently there are over 1500 rated properties in Matarangi which of course is about to increase substantially as the final piece of land available for development is soon to receive a resource consent. MRAI has and will continue to work closely with TCDC and Beaches Ltd to address issues of mutual interest with this development.


I would like to now thank a few people who have contributed so much both to MRAI and the Matarangi community.


Ian Patrick

Ian has been involved with MRAI ever since I have been a member of this community (30 odd years). His contribution has been immense and on behalf of us all, thank you sincerely. We wish you well in your new community of Omokoroa.


Hilary Falconer

Hilary has also relocated to Omokoroa and I would also like to thank Hilary for her contribution and wish her well.


Alastair MacCormick

Alastair (now Chair of Matarangi Community Trust) needs no introduction, but he certainly deserves a huge vote of thanks for his stewardship of MRAI over many years which was pivotal in the eventual resolution of the issues around the Golf Course. Alastair continues to work with us and others on the unresolved open space issues which I will allude to later in this report. Personally, Alastair has been a huge support to me as the incoming MRAI Chair. Thank you, Alastair.


Our continued positive relationship with TCDC also needs special mention. TCDC is an organisation that we need to work with closely as our Local Authority. Today, I welcome Allan Tiplady representing TCDC as our guest today. We don’t always agree with TCDC, but we have and will maintain a close and positive working relationship for the benefit of our community. I am confident, that as in the past, our views will always be valued and respected.


MAJOR ISSUES/INITIATIVES FOR 2020


Open Space

Since the purchase of the Golf Course by Matarangi Land Holdings Ltd (MLHL), and of course the absolute transformation of both the Golf Course and the community support that has followed, a tripartite group (MRAI, MLHL, and Matarangi Community Trust) have engaged in ongoing discussions at a senior level with TCDC to resolve outstanding issue with the future of open space in Matarangi, which also includes the land occupied by the Golf Course. These issues are complex, but it would be fair to say that the high-level goals are shared by all i.e. All open Space is zoned as such and protected in perpetuity, a functional and robust Matarangi Community Trust, satisfactory oversight of a community centre and potentially a golf course with appropriate long-term leases, agreements and management structures to ensure operational functionality that will contribute to our vibrant community for a very long time to come. Progress on these discussions is being made and there is a substantial amount of good will amongst all of the parties for an agreed resolution.


At this point, I would like to seek confirmation of the unanimous agreement from you all at last year’s AGM, for the introduction of a targeted rate for Matarangi to assist if in fact it is required.

MRAI will keep our members fully informed on progress of these important discussions,


Reserve Management Group

This is an informal group under our umbrella, that works closely with TCDC on the management of our reserves. I would like to thank Harry and Sue Karl and David Macdonald in particular for their contributions. It is important to note that this group has no policy making mandate, that is the domain of TCDC.


Beaches Ltd Subdivisions

As alluded to earlier, TCDC has decided that the Resource Consent for the final tranche of 224 sections for development will be approved as a non-notified consent. However, the conditions of the consent have not, at the time of writing this report, been finalised. MRAI will continue to work closely with Beaches Ltd and TCDC to ensure all issues including appropriate infrastructure are adequate. This is particularly important during the peak summer period. It is expected the full development of the remaining 292 lots will be rolled out over several years. At the conclusion of this development, the total number of lots in Matarangi will be approximately 1800. We have recently sought and obtained from TCDC an assurance that potable water from our municipal supply will not be used to reduce dust issues during the construction period.


The Three waters (Potable, Waste and Stormwater)

The current and future stormwater lakes play an important role in Matarangi especially as a potential resource for open space irrigation. You will all be aware of the issues in 2020 about water quality in the airfield lakes which was identified by MRAI. These lakes, that will eventually be vested into TCDC ownership, subsequent to the completion of the residential developments, are predominantly stormwater lakes. Unfortunately, previous publicity has given the impression that they were suitable for swimming in. Sadly, this is not the case, especially, in times of drought and with the high population of Canadian Geese adding to pollution. MRAI would suggest caution to all of those who choose to use these lakes recreationally. Notwithstanding that, we will continue working with TCDC and Beaches on the stormwater lake issues.


TCDC have recently applied for a resource consent for a future upgrade of the waste-water plant to increase both the capacity and the technology of wastewater treatment to meet future demand. MRAI had representatives over the past couple of years on the working group used to inform this work.


Supply of potable water will remain one of the most discussed and controversial issues in all communities but especially in seaside settlements that are highly populated over the summer period which is also renowned for its periods of droughts. This is especially dominant in the Coromandel where there are many individual communities that required their own separate water treatment plants, and several smaller communities that have no municipal supply and rely entirely on tank water.


Central Government have introduced legislation to reconfigure water management and the creation of separate water authorities to replace local authorities for the oversight of potable water. This will inevitably see the creation of national standards and guidelines that may mandate water metering, demand pricing and better water asset management programmes amongst other things. Potentially, this will remove any local agreements pertaining to supply volumes of water. It is interesting to note, that communities throughout New Zealand that have introduced water meters have seen savings for ratepayers of around 28% per annum due to better consumption habits.


Some of our other activities this year include:

Additional funding to get the security cameras on Matarangi Drive functional (several thousand dollars and thanks to John Hackett)

Contribution to Summer Programme advertising

Contributions to Ring Beach Wetlands Project

Donations to Matarangi Community Trust


My sincere thanks to all of my committee members, especially Grant Short, whose substantial work and analysis on water issues has been immensely valuable.


Matarangi is a vibrant and friendly community that is envied by many. MRAI, along with all of the other community organisations needs to continue to work closely together and MRAI will be doing just that.


Nga mihi

Mark Bedford

Chair MRAI



 

Item 5. Audited Financial Statements to 31 March 2020






 

Item 6 Reserves Management Group Report


The Reserves Management Group met three times with TCDC representatives during 2020. Given the Covid outbreak, our ability to work together as a team was hampered by lockdowns and social distancing. Despite this we were able to complete the following tasks:


Spit Planting

A hardy group of 23 individuals along with representatives from The Dunes Golf Club and TCDC met at the Golf Club on Friday 14 August to undertake a planting regime at The Spit.

Erosion at The Spit was becoming a major concern to all parties as high winds continued to erode the sand dunes and throw sand all over the 11th Tee, fairway and green.

Some 1200 plants were planted under TCDC supervision as a trial to stem the erosion and define the walking track around The Spit.


Village Green Planting

The Reserves Management Group, in conjunction with the senior pupils of Te Rerenga School planted a section of the dunes to the right of the walkway down to the beach. It was extremely pleasing to us to see the enthusiasm with which these pupils went about the tasks delegated to them and also to witness first hand, their ideals regarding conservation.


Tennis Courts

A group of volunteers lead by Chris Palmer cleaned up all the tennis courts including the courts beside the Shopping Centre which are privately owned.


Bluff Road Wilding Pines

TCDC in conjunction with Power Co and the Department of Conservation felled the remaining wilding pine trees that were threatening houses and the power lines at the Bluff end. The process took the contractors about a week to complete as every tree had to be held upright whilst being cut.


Other

It was disappointing to see that the shade sails at the Village Green were, once again, vandalized over the Christmas/ New Year period.


The Reserves Management Group received a donation of $5,000 from the Richardsons’ Library. The RMG plans to put this money into new playground equipment when the Village Green playground gets a makeover in the 2021/2022 financial year.


David Macdonald, Chairperson

Sue Karl, Secretary

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Matarangi Ratepayers And Residents Association Incorporated 

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