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As sand piled high across the brandnew paving and gardens of the Ōrewa Boulevard extension, following the recent easterly storm, the issue was further highlighted by a ‘Free Sand’ sign, placed on the roadside by Michael Baxter. Baxter has lived opposite Ōrewa Reserve since 2004 and says sand blowing across onto the road and into residents’ gutters, gardens, windows and roofs has only been a problem since Auckland Council removed the rocks from the beach by the reserve. He agrees the rocks were an eyesore and hindered access, but says residents are sick of putting up with the sand and silt which blows across from the buffer placed along the reserve. The buffer sand is shifted from the estuary to the reserve edge by Council contractors. Baxter, who has been pointing out the issue to Council and the local board for years, is in favour of a solid concrete wall along the beach side of the reserve. He says the windblown sand during this month’s storm was the worst he’s seen. “Many people think this is just something that occurs when you live by the beach,” Baxter says. “In fact, it’s because Council raises the sand level by 2m. The sand is picked up by the wind and blown across.” He says the silt from the Estuary, mixed with sand, makes it finer and more easily picked up by wind. “On Empire Road it got to 35cm deep, and people on mobility scooters or with prams walked on the road instead,” he says. An email he received from Council five years ago acknowledged the problem and said a solution such as screen planting and/ or removal of windblown sand from the reserve was needed but Baxter says nothing has been done. Council’s area operations, parks and community facilities manager, Kris Bird says windblown sand is a natural process and is usually trapped by vegetation. “The lack of suitable vegetation in Ōrewa Reserve combined with current conditions allows the sand to be blown further inland. To address this issue, a trial section of native dune grass planting is planned for the upcoming planting season,” Bird says. Currently, Council has begun the process of finding long-term management solutions for Ōrewa Reserve, which Bird says will minimise the future impacts of windblown sand, amongst other objectives. “We have carried out consultations with park users to establish which aspects/ amenities are important to them, and we are now in the consultation phase with mana whenua. The next step will be to create a planning document which outlines future management options for the reserve, which will be worked through with the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board,” Bird says.

Homes opposite Ōrewa Reserve, along with new gardens and paving on the recently completed Ōrewa Boulevard extension, were covered with sand and silt by this month’s easterly winds. A sign outlining the problem was placed by the road.

Next step in seawall process

Investigative work is expected to start next week prior to the building of the consented seawall at the northern end of Ōrewa Beach, between Kohu Street and Marine View. The wall is not due for completion until October, 2025. The first stage of investigation work, which will assist with detailed design, is due to begin in the week commencing January 31. Final construction dates are subject to Council’s annual budget decisions, however the current programme for the project is: • February 2023– ground investigations • February 2023 – March 2024, detailed design and tendering • April – October, 2024 – construction of Stage 1 • April – October 2025 – construction of Stage 2 Construction is planned over two consecutive winter seasons to avoid the busy summer period.

Locals brace as 2023 budget proposals move forward

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposals for an austerity budget could have far reaching impacts on local communities, and already the local board and community groups are worried. At the governing body’s December 15 meeting, Mayor Brown’s budget proposals were considered and moved to the next stage, which will involve public consultation. The focus for the Mayor was finding ways to meet Auckland Council’s budget shortfall of $295m while keeping rates as low as possible. The proposal includes a 5 percent cut to local board operational budgets. The Mayor has suggested that local boards could reduce spending on projects, programmes and services, postpone spending on assets and find administrative efficiencies. A $20 million cost reduction across regional services is also proposed, as well as scrapping the regional contestable grants that are funded through general rates. The closing of Council’s Kauri Kids childhood education services, including the one at Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre, is also on the table and caused an outcry when the budget was first released last month. Services that may be affected by cuts to regional spending include arts, education and community programmes, regional events and economic development. Potentially, levels of service such as mowing and garden maintenance could reduce. Cuts to the Natural Environment and Water Quality targeted rates (by two-thirds) could impact local environmental initiatives. Hibiscus & Bays Local Board deputy chair Julia Parfitt says while details are still unclear, the effects of all this could be felt widely across the community including libraries, leisure centres and parks, as well as community groups such as the HBC Youth Centre and Estuary Arts Centre. This newspaper has been contacted by community organisations concerned after receiving an email from council about what might be coming. “We understand that the proposed changes can be unsettling and want to support our partners through this as much as we can,” the email said. “People are right to be worried,” Parfitt says. She says the 5 percent cut to local board funding would equate to a reduction of around 50 percent in the money it has to spend on local projects (which it calls locally driven initiatives). The board has requested more information, including financials for the local Kauri Kids. Parfitt says obtaining this kind of detail, which the local board is not normally provided with, is one bonus of the budget proposals. “For example, we don’t know how profitable or otherwise Kauri Kids and the Leisure Centre is locally but now we can look at that information, and use it when giving feedback on the budget,” Parfitt says. She says cutting regional grant funding would put huge pressure on local grants, which are already over-subscribed. Local board members will discuss the proposals further at a workshop on January 31. The proposed budget is for the 2023/24 financial year, so any changes would start from July 2023, and do not affect contracted activity for this financial year (finishing June 2023). The annual plan goes back to the governing body next month and will be open for public consultation from late February for around a month. After consultation is considered, a final plan will be presented to Council for voting on.

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