April 2023

THE C O ATESVILL E C H R O N I CL E

New Bus Stops to be Redesigned

Auckland Transport Media Release to Coatesville Chronicle, 27 March 2023 Community collaboration informs new design for Coatesville-Riverhead Highway bus stops

Auckland Transport’s Design Review Panel has recommended a revised design solution for the two bus stops on the CoatesvilleRiverhead Highway just west of the Coatesville township.

The ‘in-line’ (on-road) bus stops were installed at the request of the Rodney Local Board to service the popular 126 bus service between Westgate and Albany, however poor driver behaviour and community safety concerns mean the current design will be reviewed.

Louise Johnston from the Rodney Local Board says while the on-road bus stops meet all design and safety standards, speeding drivers and dangerous overtaking manoeuvres have been observed by those who live and travel in the area.

“This is a good example of where bus stops that work in an urban setting did not work on a rural busy road. The local community

were rightfully concerned about the safety and driver behaviour.”

“I would like to thank members of the local Coatesville community, representative MPs, and Auckland Transport for coming together to discuss the issue and coming up with a solution,” she said. ”We’ve not only achieved a good collaborative result we have also established a regular forum to talk about all things transport for the benefit of our local community. Thank you to everybody that raised this issue and AT for addressing their concerns.”

AT’s Design Review Panel has recommended that the two bus stops be either fully or partially indented,

ANZAC Day Service

The Coatesville Residents and Ratepayers invite everyone to attend the ANZAC Day commemorative service at the Settlers Hall on Tuesday, 25 April. The service starts promptly at 7am so come a little earlier to get a good spot. As always, poppies will be available. Please bring along a gold coin for the RSA collection. A morning tea will follow the service where everyone is welcome to stay for refreshments and a catch up.

noting that the latter will require a review of the double yellow line markings on the Coatesville-Riverhead Highway. The new design is expected in May and a new bus stop standard suitable to the rural environment will be recommended for future designs.

Meanwhile both Mike Rowe from the Coatesville Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Hon Mark Mitchell have both acknowledged all those involved in establishing a community transport forum for Coastesville.

CRRA’s Mike Rowe has thanked MP Mark Mitchell for his initiative to have regular meetings with Auckland Transport, the CRRA and the local community, for a very pleasing result, also acknowledging the support of MP Chris Penk and Auckland councillor Greg Sayers.

“It’s good to have a transport forum that reflects the boundary changes and new electorate of Whangaparaoa”, said Mark Mitchell. “This is a great early win and I want to acknowledge and thank the team from AT for listening and responding so quickly to community feedback.”

Auckland Transport

A driver crossing the double yellow lines to pass the 126 bus, June 2022

Easter is a lovely time of year. The four-day break marks the end of term one for schools and the mid semester break for universities. It's easy to get together with your special people without the amped up energy of Christmas. And autumn gives everything a golden glow as leaves change colour.

This year it's looking like a mixed bag weatherwise, but a change in the weather means cooler nights and warmer jumpers, open fires and comfort food. Not all bad, although heavy rain feels more concerning than it used to.

All over Coatesville Auckland Council contractors are busy clearing debris from our streams while Auckland Transport fixes the slip on the highway. It's already week three of that 12-week project.

We'll be seeing more of AT's workforce in the coming months with the bus stop redesign likely to go ahead after May. AT will also start work on the car parking at the bottom of Glenmore Road and the pedestrian crossing over the CoatesvilleRiverhead Highway outside the Coatesville Store. On page 8 Louise Johnston discusses these projects and how they'll be funded as well as other issues of concern to locals.

The initial design and location of the 'gold-plated bus stops' ($420K) were hot topics at the start of 2022. But they'll almost be platinum plated by the time the redesign is finished. Still, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Driver behaviour is hard to predict and improving road safety is always worth the expense.

If you're on the road this Easter,

take care and take your time. Road conditions have changed all over the North Island in recent months and we need to expect the unexpected.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Easter,

Diary Dates

∞ 6 April, Thursday, Term one ends at Coatesville School.

∞ 7 April, Good Friday

∞ 9 April, Easter Sunday

∞ 10 April, Easter Monday

∞ 25 April, Tuesday, ANZAC Day. The CRRA invites the community to attend the dawn service which starts at 7am. All welcome, refreshments to follow.

∞ 22 April, Saturday, Earth Day

∞ 26 April, Wednesday, Term 2 starts at Coatesville School.

∞ 7 May, Sunday, Coatesville Market 10am-2pm

∞ 14 May, Sunday, Mother's Day.

AT's Highway Repair Progress Update

Repair works are now well underway along CoatesvilleRiverhead Highway with our Downer team busy working on clearing the slip and piling preparations.

As of Monday, 3 April 2023, the night time road closure will no longer be in effect. Temporary traffic lights will still be in place. Piling works will also commence for the new retaining wall, which will take approximately two months to build.

On completion of the retaining wall, we will backfill the area and construction of the pavement will take place.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this process.

We encourage everyone to please be kind to the workers and follow traffic instructions and signage, so we all get home safe.

Auckland Transport

Jenny Beguely Retires

Jenny has shown extraordinary commitment to Coatesville School a huge presence in the school office for over 27 years! During that time Jenny has literally supported thousands of students, staff members and parents. Her amazing knowledge of the school, her dedication to provide information and advice to so many who enter our school office space for so many different reasons, and her passion for sport (especially football) and good food, have always been very evident.

Jenny has made a tremendous and unique contribution to our school. We share our immense gratitude and wish her a wonderful 'post-Coatesville School' life!

Playcentre News

What a difference a year makes! This time last year we had only five active members in the fallout of Covid-19. Now we are ending the term with 16 families and several visitor bookings! Our new members are reinvigorating our centre and we’re having so much fun getting to know each other while playing alongside our children.

We’ve also got 15 lovely new mums who come to our centre for Space with their babies on Thursdays, and we’ve been enjoying making connections with local families who casually attend our Messy Play Friday sessions. This term has seen us reopen our playground after replacing the edging, and we’ve started taking party bookings again.

We were lucky to only be minimally affected by all the rain this summer, and the plus side has been that our brimming water tank has provided unending water play. We rounded out the term with a trip to Good Planet for ice creams and bouncy castles.

Term two is our most fun season at Playcentre as we gear up for our

biggest family celebration, Matariki. We’ll be doing fire cooking in the sandpit, learning waiata, retelling Māori myths, and learning about the stars of the Pleiades cluster.

We love having visitors so please contact us via Facebook or email (coatesville@playcentre.org.nz) if you’d like to join us Monday to Wednesday, or drop in on a Friday morning to our casual session.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sarah Craig

Council Cleans Up

Hardfell Arborists have completed a difficult operation removing large trees from a 550-metre stretch of the Rangitopuni Stream.

They were well equipped and very skillful. Landowners affected appreciate Council's assistance and are very pleased to have had the work done in such a timely manner.

Thanks to Louise Johnston, Mark Thomson, Shaun Hardman and his team (Hardfell Arborists).

Owen Aspden

Nga mihi nui, Richard Johnson Coatesville School Principal

Jenny with four of her grandchildren

Hardfell's team hard at work

Garden Club En Route!

coverings with a majestic driftwood moa completed by a nest of eggs and footprints cast in solidified mud. The productive vegetable gardens were built up in a koru shape in a sunny aspect.

Omaio showed us the value and beauty of New Zealand natives thoughtfully presented to suit the site. A great experience and a welcome shady spot to start our day.

At last we had a fine day to go to the Matakana area – it was the third time the Coatesville Country Garden Club had tried to go north. Off we set for Omaio, the headland garden owned by renown gardener Liz Morrow and her family.

After buying the property as a holiday home site and a log cabin

being built, the family enjoyed the aspect and potential of the area. It was decided that a shift from suburbia should be permanent but this involved a rethink about the type of garden to be established too. The family felt NZ natives planted en masse would be best suited to the undulating hilltop with a coastal aspect.

Now winding mulch pathways lead you through the maturing bush with surprising glimpses of the sea (Kawau Bay): old mature trees (kauri and totara); lush forest floor

Onwards to the Omaha Golf Club where we had pre-ordered our lunch. It was lovely under umbrellas outside on the terrace and the lunch was tasty too. We then called in to Matakana Palms to view the home of the owner set among a variety of palms and tropical plants. A large apron of lawn led to a picturesque lake, fringed by palms of course, and a bridged island. The cool retreat could have been located anywhere in the world. Thank you Tony and Christine Peek for organising a memorable trip north finally achieved! In the other weeks of March, the club has had a coffee catchup, Blokes Shed visit to the Aviation Hall at Motat (where volunteers provided personal information and extensive history about the exhibits), and a very successful trip to Kawau to look after the Mansion House gardens. Now our own gardens will be attended to as autumn has arrived.

By Jenny Hunter

Garden Club blokes visit Motat's Aviation Hall.

The view of Kawau Bay from Omaio

CRRA Seeks Volunteers For Community Call Group

During the last two major weather events it was reported that a number of residents have been left isolated because of poor internet access, loss of power, property flooding, and impassable roads.

The CRRA have discussed setting up a Community Call Group who in times of an emergency act as ‘Local Coordinators’. It is proposed that these Coordinators, in times of emergency, will check on, or arrange for others in their immediate vicinity to check on the welfare of residents and assist with the reporting of any local terrain damage that needs clearing, repairing, or reporting to Civil Defence. Ensuring that the welfare of residents and their safety is addressed.

The CRRA are looking for local people who in times of any future emergencies would be prepared to assist in coordinating a local neighbourhood plan to ensure that no one is left isolated and any major issues that have occurred are addressed by the responsible authority.

The CRRA look forward to your comments, including names of volunteers who may be prepared to assist in future emergencies. Please contact either Val Gardner, 021 415 912, Lynn Chatfield 09 415 6207, or Bruce Cowan 027 235 2041.

CRRA

Helpful Hints from the CRRA

Civil Defence

Daylight Saving ends 2 April. Time to check your smoke alarm batteries.

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Coatesville Motors

Full mechanical Repairs for Petrol and Diesel Vehicles Coatesville Riverhead

Pony Club Season Coming To an End

Show Hunter. This is a very popular event and for the third year in a row our riders took out first place – well done everyone!

Well, with the end of daylight savings, the Pony Club is wrapping up its season. It’s been a bag of mixed emotions this year, from a season that started off very slowly... and wet…to now finally having our grounds in amazing condition with sunshine just as we’re wrapping everything up and closing the gates!

The Pony Club wants to say a big thank you to everyone in the community who has supported the endeavour to save the grounds by keeping to the permitted areas and respecting the numerous grounds open/ground closed changes! By doing this it means that the Club has been in a prime position to open with sunshine, and has been able to create riding spaces and events not only for its members, but also for the local and wider riding community. A big change this year has been the appointment of Rebecca Verhoeven as grounds manager on the committee. You will see Rebecca and her son Matt at the club most days and she has managed to keep a keen eye over every inch and detail on the grounds, including the Vector works, to make sure the riding conditions are safe and enjoyable for everyone.

In March the Club ran a taste of HOY (Horse of the Year) event, as a fundraiser for the Equestrian Sports NZ (ESNZ) relief fund for Hawkes Bay. Horse of the Year is normally held in the beautiful polo showgrounds of

Hastings and marks the finale of the horse calendar. After two years of Covid cancellations, everyone was hoping to enjoy the amazing event in 2023, but sadly Cyclone Gabrielle had different ideas. Everyone in the equestrian community was shocked by the images and terrible stories of loss, and the Club wanted to see what it could do to help. The CVPC taste of Hoy event was quite a show and attracted riders young and old from all over and managed to raise $670 for the ESNZ relief fund and in discussions with them they will donate these funds to a local Pony Club in the Hawkes Bay.

At the taste of HOY event the Club also hosted the interclub Show Hunter competition where pony clubs from all over Waitemata and Rodney compete in the discipline of

In April the NZ Pony Club Eventing Championships will be held in Taupo – this is a prestigious event, and the places are hotly contested as only a handful of riders are selected across the whole of the Waitemata Rodney Area. This year two Coatesville pony club riders have been selected – Mia Cadwallader and Phoebe Webster. Both girls have been training diligently all year and everyone in Coatesville is super proud to have two riders from the club represented – we wish them the best of luck and know they’ll do an awesome job!

The end of the season is all about certificates and this year the riders have been hard at work preparing for their exams. The junior riders have been sitting exams in March and the Seniors will be sitting them after the April School holidays.

April 5th and 6th will be the last rallies of the season, and are a celebration of the year with fun and games; chocolate-themed of course, and then things will become calm on the grounds. The Club’s AGM and Prizegiving will be held in May.

The Club will be opening its registrations for the next season in August and looks forward to welcoming back all its members as well as any new riders who join the Club.

Zoe Chamel

Waitemata Show Hunter team winners

Phoebe Webster

Mia Cadwallader

First Term Update from Scouts

By Phil Smith

ike previous years, 2023 began again with more disruptions for Coatesville Scout Group, with the cancellation of the Founders Day Raft Race and other beach activities. This year’s cancellation was due to storm damage that caused wastewater contamination and made it unsafe for us to be on the beach. The three weeks of raft building practice was once again not put to the challenge.

Luckily, we have all survived the extreme weather events and the Keas, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers have been enjoying the summer term's activities. Everyone has had at least one session in the pool and a great evening was had at the Paremoremo Creek waterhole with many enjoying this for the first time (photos right).

In mid-March, a group of two venturers and four scouts spent a weekend camping at Wenderholm. We left the hall at 5.30pm on Friday and picked up fish and chips for dinner before setting up camp.

On Saturday morning the scouts built a gateway and flagpole and had some kayaking practice in the estuary and among the mangroves and in the afternoon, they went on a 2-hour orienteering challenge.

The highlight of the camp was on Sunday with everyone kayaking from Puhoi down the Puhoi River and back to camp. We unloaded kayaks at Puhoi and set off at 11.30 am just as the tide was turning, making the trip back to camp on the outgoing tide. The first part of the trip, where the river is quite narrow, showed lots of signs of previous storm damage with debris and unusual items in strange places, including two large metal soccer nets about 800m away from the park they would have been on. One would have gone even further had it not ended up bent around a large tree.

We stopped just over halfway down river for a snack and a few “bombs” into the water from an old wharf, below the northern end of the motorway tunnel. A very refreshing break before continuing on our way. As the river opened out into the upper estuary we caught a bit of wind so stuck to the right-hand side and were soon back at camp. The trip had taken just on two hours and left enough time for lunch before breaking camp and heading back to Coatesville.

So far this term we have invested one new Scout and five new Keas and one new Kea Leader with several new Cubs still to be invested. In March, the Scout Group was finally back in action again parking cars for the Coatesville Market for a Gold Coin Donation. This is our primary fundraising source and we have been unable to do this for so long due to bad weather and Covid before that. The washout to the reserve driveway causeway has meant we had to adapt our parking plan to accommodate other areas and we thank the Pony Club for their cooperation and helping this to work as well as it did. Coming up soon the Venturers are heading to Tiritiri Matangi for a day hike. Early next term it will be ANZAC Day, where we hope for a large group turnout and mid next term our Keas will hold their first sleepover. We still have places for Scouts, (boys or girls) aged 10 ½ to 14 years, so if you fancy some great outdoor fun and awesome camps, please contact Phil coatesville@group. scouts.nz

We are also always looking for parents and adults keen to help out as leaders too so please get in touch if you wish to volunteer your time.

Marja

Transport Projects Planned

By Local Board member Louise Johnston

ver the next couple of months, headlines will be dominated by budget cuts. There will be tough decisions for Auckland Council, Central Government, and businesses. The clean up for the storm damage for Auckland Transport, in Rodney alone is estimated to cost approximately $50 million and will be heavily subsidised by Waka Kotahi (i.e. Central Government).

There will need to be fundamental changes to how Council operates and what services it provides to Aucklanders.

The $150 annual Rodney Local Board transport targeted rate cannot be reallocated to help plug this budget short fall. This is ‘ring fenced’ funding and can only be used for transport projects within the subdivision that collected it. When the targeted rate was struck in 2018, it was for a period of 10 years, however with all the additional housing growth this may be paid off before the 10 years is up.

Following are details of our latest targeted rate projects for the Coatesville area.

Shown above is Auckland Transport's draft design for the new carparks and footpath along Glenmore Road and the design for the pedestrian crossing by the dairy is shown right. This crossing will be raised and will force vehicles to slow down. While we have the option to move the location of the pedestrian crossing, there is a requirement that it is raised. There has also been preliminary discussion about the possibility of lowering the speed limit through the Coatesville Village. Can you please get back to me by email with any comments about these designs by 20 April.

After much discussion with AT, the bus stops on Coatesville Riverhead Highway by Gold Flats and Lewis Lane are going to be redesigned.

This change will not be funded by the transport targeted rate. The new design will help develop a new rural design bus stop standard. Thank you to everybody that provided feedback and highlighted the safety issues around these bus stops.

Recently, a number of residents have contacted me regarding the overcrowding of the 126 bus service that travels from Westgate to Albany via Coatesville. AT are currently working with the operator to try and get a larger bus allocated to the 7:00am trip to Albany. AT are intending to increase the frequency of this service from hourly to halfhourly between Riverhead and Albany at peak times. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints this has had to be deferred. However, please continue to contact AT directly about this and I understand that a public meeting is being organised. We really need to push for these additional peak time buses because the traffic is only getting worse on the Albany hill.

Lastly, the Healthy Water department at Council have been surveying the Rangitopuni Stream and identifying storm debris for removal by specialist teams. To report storm debris in streams please call Council Call Centre 09 301 0101

Please get in contact with your questions and comments Louise. Johnston@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Above, 16 new carparks on Glenmore Road, below, the raised crossing outside the dairy.

Council to clear 'complex' slip

Aslip behind a property on Robinson Road has been assessed by Auckland Council's Healthy Waters experts and will be among the 15 most urgent floodrelated projects to be cleared.

Roughly 25 metres of the Councilcovenanted hillside came down in the Cyclone Gabrielle, sending a wall of vegetation and clay into Walsh Creek below. The creek is normally a trickle of water that feeds into the Rangitopuni Stream, but the slip dammed Walsh Creek causing water to build up behind it. Property owner Terrieann Dean alerted authorities after she became concerned the build up of water might cause the slip to give way, sending a flash flood down

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the Rangitopuni Stream.

However, in a stroke of good luck, fine weather since the flood has meant the site has remained fairly stable and the problem has not worsened dramatically.

Terrieann has liaised with the Council throughout. "Auckland Council's Healthy Waters team has included it among a group of 15 urgent projects because of the health and safety risk it poses," she says.

Although work is yet to start on clearing it, she says a Kumeubased contractor and Council HEB contractors have inspected the site and are now in discussion on how to approach what they consider a complex task.

CRAFTED LEGAL ADVICE FOR PEACE OF MIND.

Walsh Creek dammed by the slip Rangitopuni Stream beyond the slip

Slip site above Walsh Creek

Paella Recipe

If you're looking for a crowdpleasing meal to serve over Easter, Liz Curtis's paella will keep them coming back for seconds. Ideal for lunch or dinner, this Spanish rice dish is easy to make and once you've got the ingredients organised, takes about an hour to rustle up, including resting time.

Ingredients

∞ 6 Tbs olive oil

∞ 250g boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces

∞ 1 large red onion cut into 2.5cm pieces

∞ 5 cloves garlic finely chopped

∞ 200g chorizo sausage cut into 1⁄₂ cm slices

∞ 440g can of Italian tomatoes, drained

∞ 5 cups of hot chicken stock

∞ Pinch of saffron threads

∞ 1 red capsicum cut into 2.5cm pieces

∞ 12 large green prawns

∞ 2 1⁄₂ cups calasparra or bomba rice

∞ 2 tsp sweet paprika

∞ Flat leaf parsley and lemon wedges to garnish.

Method

Heat the oil in a paella or electric fry pan. Add the chicken and sauté until golden brown. Toss in the onion and garlic, continue to cook until onion is soft. Add the chorizo and sauté until coloured and starting to release its oil. Add the tomatoes along with saffron and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan and

reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and paprika, stir, add the prawns and capsicums.

Simmer uncovered for approximately 20 mins. Test the rice and when done to your liking, remove from the heat, cover and stand for 10 mins. This is an important step as it allows any remaining liquid to be absorbed, resulting in a dry rice that is typical of paella.

To serve, garnish with lemon wedges and chopped flat leaf parsley. Place in the middle of the table and let people help themselves. Enjoy!

Liz Curtis

You can sample and buy Liz's wonderful Hearts Content preserves and sauces at her stall at the Coatesville Market.

Supporting Families and Businesses By

Iwas pleased to welcome the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, to the Kumeu Show and introduce him to the dynamic Kumeu community.

The Prime Minister was swamped with requests for photographs and discussions about policies as well as being impressed with the energy and popularity of the Show as he toured the venue, signed a giant pumpkin, enjoyed the wood chopping competition and leading the parade of tractors around the site.

He took the opportunity to visit my Labour MP stall and talk to the volunteers. The “Tell Us What You Think” issues board was of interest to him especially as it showed a huge interest in developing and promoting our hospitals and health system with the other big item being the ensuring that our children were assured of a great education and schools.

From the Show I took the Prime Minister to meet with members of the Rodney Local Board and the Kumeu Community Action Group where he was briefed on the concerns and problems of flooding and infrastructure that have affected Kumeu during the several recent weather events as these are the sort of

the bread and butter issues that matter most to New Zealanders.

That’s why we’re taking a range of actions to reduce cost of living pressures on families and supporting communities as they recover and rebuild following the recent extreme weather.

From the start of April, we’re significantly increasing support for seniors, students, beneficiaries and those on Working for Families. On top of this, we’re making childcare and after school care more affordable for many low and middle income families, through changes to childcare assistance subsidies kicking in on April 1.

We also moved quickly to extend the fuel tax cuts and half price public transport until the end of June, because we know that transport is one of the biggest expenses for households right now.

These measures won’t solve everything but they are practical steps that we can take to support Kiwis. Of course, there’s still more we can do and we’ve indicated that bread and butter issues

Thinking of selling

Let’s have a con dential chat, perhaps you would bene t from a FREE no-obligation appraisal?

Marja Lubeck MP

like the cost of living will continue to be a major focus for our Government.

The recent extreme weather events have put further pressure on people in Kumeu and district. We’re committed to supporting Kiwis through the response, recovery and rebuild – and we’re in a strong position to do so.

The latest numbers show that, thanks to our careful management of the economy, New Zealand is well positioned to tackle immediate challenges and to build back better, safer and smarter.

Marja Lubeck MP.

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Real Estate’s Rocky Road

here to start? The last month has seen ups and downs, positives and negatives in real estate, however once again our gorgeous Coatesville community comes up trumps!

Only last weekend did we see Oneroof, who have become an extremely popular website for both buyers and sellers, publish an article stating Coatesville as New Zealand’s most expensive suburb (according to the latest OneroofVelocity house price figures). It stated that house prices in Coatesville have grown 6% ($216,000) year on year. It also mentions that Coatesville was the only Auckland suburb to record value growth which took us from number 4 to number 1 on the list of expensive suburbs within the space of 12 months.

As your local agent I have definitely seen an increase of buyers, who previously could not consider leaving the city due to work constraints, come out and explore the possibility of lifestyle living now that they do not need to go in to the office five days a week. I am also getting good enquiry recently from couples whose children have left home so they want to move out to a more peaceful community where they can be more self-sufficient and create an environment that family will congregate to. Here is the link to the article. https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/ coatesville-overtakes-herne-bay-as-nzs-most-expensivesuburb-43325

On the flipside, if you are looking to take the leap outside of Coatesville, maybe to downsize, job relocation or be closer to family, then this useful link https://www.oneroof. co.nz/news/43140utm_source=braze_campaign&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=20230301_March_ House_Report&utm_content=&uuid=05965a80-71074e9c-9cf8-b9c1183b0afc will allow you to search the different suburbs throughout New Zealand and follow the average property value, as well it will show you the last three months and twelve months changes in dollar values. There is a graph also showing you New Zealand average property value between January 2018 and February 2023. Let’s be mindful that the peak of 2021/2022 was unprecedented, so I feel this is a great time to take a deep breath and look at what and where we personally want to be over the next year or two.

Nothing has changed, willing buyer - willing seller and if you buy and sell in the same market, does it really matter? Love to discuss this further with you and help you achieve your real estate dreams!