MRRAI July 2025 Newsletter

Matarangi Ratepayers and Residents Association (Inc.)July 2025  Newsletter

We have a new logo and revamped website, thanks to Kathryn Key for our Logo and Clickly for our website. ourmatarangi.com.

Issues your committee is working on:

DUNE REWILDING

We have endangered native skinks and lizards in our Dunes; The Wildlife Act regulations take precedence over what TCDC can now do in the Dune area.  As a result of erosion from the sea, TCDC have marked off an area of the esplanade reserve at the top of the Dunes between Sands Cr and the golf course to regenerate native plants to encourage the skinks and lizards to move back from the foredunes.  Planting will continue in the foredune areas.

2025 – 2026 WATER RATES

On June 24 Council struck rates for 2025-26. This included the rate for water supplied to Matarangi and is $286 more, per connection, than the current year and is more than forecast in the (Long Term Plan) LTP.

MRRAI submitted in the LTP that the methodology used was penalising non-metered areas and transferred cost to those areas to the benefit of metered areas. We never received a reply or acknowledgement. Fast forward to this year.

Prior to the rates being struck, MRRAI documented in detail, evidence showing that there have years where commonsense has been used to avoid this and advocated for change. Despite our elected councillors raising this and support from Whangamata, over 9000 ratepayers are being overcharged.

Council has indicated that a paper on this may be requested from staff. There is however no commitment to resolving the situation which has cost Matarangi residents collectively, over this year and the forthcoming year about $500 per ratepayer, or $750,000 (in total) extra. For those on fixed or low incomes these are significant amounts.

The solution is blindingly obvious and not difficult to achieve or understand. Install meters or revert to previous methods that, although imperfect, were much more equitable.

One would think that Council would embrace the need to investigate and address the issue which impacts all Ratepayers.

STORMWATER

We are working with TCDC on improvements to our stormwater system.  A long, slow process.

BLUFF ROAD CONNECTIVITY PROJECT

This project is aimed at establishing the feasibility of the construction of a suspension bridge across the cove where the track is currently closed (although still being used).

Spanning between the two headlands of the cove, the proposed bridge avoids the large and dangerous rockfall slip and restores safe cycling and pedestrian connectivity between the Matarangi and the Kūaotunu communities.

 MRRAI, KRRA and our specialist suspension bridge consultant, DCStructures Studio along with TCDC are well underway with a feasibility study on this potential project. We have been consulting and receiving input from local iwi during the preliminary stages and have recently met with Iwi on the progress of the study. The scoping of the Resource Consenting process to inform the Feasibility Study is also underway.  We envisage the draft of the Feasibility Study to be due in July.

 We also need to undertake some geotechnical engineering investigations for the suspension bridge anchorages at each of the abutments to better inform the viability or otherwise. Additionally, there is also an updated assessment underway of the risks and stability of slips from Rings Beach to Matarangi scoped for a walking and cycling track.

We envisage substantial progress on each of these engineering investigations by mid-August.

 Considerable community consultation will commence subsequent to this initial feasibility work. Should the project proceed, it will need to be community funded and we are committed to open and robust communications should we proceed further as we will need strong community support.

MATARANGI WETLANDS

This has been resolved and the Court order received.  It can be viewed on our website.  Project Kiwi are working on how best to use the funds they were given to improve native flora and fauna in the Whangapoua catchment area.  Beaches Ltd are being monitored to ensure they adhere to their remediation plan for the cleared land.

ROCKY COASTLINE PREDATION

Clr Deli Connell of TCDC is working with the Hauraki Gulf Forum re concerns about coordinated groups coming into our areas and taking all species such as periwinkles and limpets from rock pools and leaving them barren. If you see this occurring please contact Deli Connell directly.

General Business:

ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

We invite members who would like to join our committee to contact us. It is not onerous and is very important that we continue to have a group to benefit our wonderful community.  Please contact our Chair, Mark Bedford markebedford@xtra.co.nz if you or someone you know would be interested

AGM 2026

Next year we will revert back to holding our AGM on Auckland Anniversary Weekend, Sunday, January 25^th.  We hope you can all make this date. 

Matarangi Ratepayers Association Incorporated

Chairman: Mark Bedford     Deputy Chair:  John Hackett

Secretary: Keryn Grey                 Treasurer, Jennifer Carran  

Committee: Hugh Chapman, Bronwyn Dorrian, Tadek Gawor, Peter Hazel, Grant Short