News | Meadowbank and St Johns Residents Association - Part 6 - Meadowbank and St Johns Residents Association

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Recent News

Concerns with Effects of Golf Club Lights

Posted: 5 March 2019

Photo taken from the public path inside Waiatarua Reserve showing visual effect of floodlight towers.

Some Meadowbank residents have expressed surprise and a strong dissatisfaction with the floodlights that were recently installed in the Remuera Golf Club at the eastern boundary with the Waiatarua Reserve. These lights are large, tall and (some might say ugly) industrial metal structures that intrude on both the day and night views of residents who live near the golf club and Waiatarua Reserve, as well as the many people who walk, jog and cycle in the reserve. There have been some comments that the lights are more suited to a stadium such as Eden Park rather than a suburban golf course adjacent to an ecological reserve.

The Waiatarua Reserve is an area of ecological standing in Auckland and is equivalent to a conservation area. It is one the few places where native bush has been planted for many years to create a small native forest habitat and food sources for our native wildlife, and is a much valued green space for city dwellers within the central city. These artificial floodlights disturb the habitat for birds and have adverse effects on the development of trees. The Unitary Plan requires under Section E24 Lighting, that lighting in a conservation zone should be Lighting Category 1 (intrinsically dark). An un-notified resource consent was granted for these lights in 2013 and we note that the consent acknowledges that the land at Waiatarua Reserve is in a Significant Ecological Area and a Flow 2 Volcanic View shaft and Height Sensitive Area. Troy Churton, the Planning and Consents Porfolio Lead for Orakei Local Board (OLB) over the last few terms, recalls commenting against the effects of light spill.

The lights are much taller than nearby trees and are not in keeping with the natural environment of the Waiatarua Reserve nor the golf course itself. Nearby residents (including the members of the nearby rest home in Gerard Way as we heard at our February monthly meeting) are disturbed by the lighting at night. There is light spill into the Reserve, so extensive that you can see the reflection of the lights in the open area of water near the Towle Place entrance and shadows are created within the reserve. According to the resource consent giving approval to install the lights in 2013:

the light spill will be less than minor;
light will only be spread towards the golf course driving range;
there will be no adverse effects on the streetscape;
the height and scale of the lighting poles will not be visually obtrusive;
there will be less than minor adverse effects in terms of outlook or visual amenity;
the floodlights will have less than minor effects on the reserve; and
within two months of commencing operation of the floodlights the Golf Club is obliged to undertake lighting measurements and provide a validation report to Auckland Council.

Thanks to Troy Churton from the OLB for providing the resource consent documents and background to the floodlight’s construction, as well as ensuring that Council has been alerted to the need to monitor the resource consent conditions. “I expect to have the results of monitoring of resource consent conditions in the next few days” says Troy, “and I will be vigilant in getting that information and scrutinising it with my fellow portfolio deputies Colin Davis and David Wong”.

Via Troy we have ascertained that:

The Golf Club acted to get the land owner approval just within the five year grant of consent, a necessary further step as the floodlights are on Council land.
Landowner approval was given for two years.
The OLB raised various concerns about light spill etc when landowner consent was sought but there was little that could be done to argue against granting land owner approval given the existence of the resource consent and advice received about broader compliance under the unitary plan.

Our questions are:

Are the lights that have been installed what was expected when the consent was granted? Is Council satisfied that these lights meet the resource consent criteria?
Given the significant impact of the light structures in the daytime and lighting at night, should this consent have been publicly notified?
Why are such tall intrusive lights required? Is this appropriate for a green space golf course? If so (and we strongly contest this) could the golf course not have installed lights closer to the ground that do not intrude of the views from the Reserve and other neighbours, and do not disturb the ecological habitat of the Reserve?

We also look forward to seeing the results of the lighting measurement report due by late March 2019. Troy has undertaken to share these with us as soon as he can. Have a look at the picture below taken in the reserve and you can clearly see the shadows cast by the flax and the dog on the ground from the golf club floodlights. In our opinion this is not good enough and we will be following this issue closely. If you think the effects of these floodlights are not OK please contact us with your thoughts and feel free to also email the Remuera Golf Club

These shadows do not show less than minor light spill

Green Light for Tahapa Reserve Playground and Link to Shared Path

Posted: 26 February 2019

At its business meeting last Thursday the Orakei Local Board approved the Tahapa Reserve Playground concept design and it will now progress to the construction phase. We are very excited to have this area developed into something actually usable for more than dog walking, and for there to be more safe, green space for our children to play and adults to use for picnics and recreation. This playground will also provide an important link to and from the GI to Tamaki Drive Shared Path to other parts of Meadowbank and we like the inclusion of lighting to improve safety for commuters using the shared path. Check out the approved design below. We look forward to construction beginning.

Pushing for Gowing Dr Safety Improvements

Posted: 31 January 2019

The Issue So Far…

We are extremely concerned about the tragic fatal accident on Gowing Drive on 12 January 2019. We had previously identified this area of Gowing Drive as needing safety improvements and have been pushing hard to effect change, especially following the hit and run incident involving a cyclist a year ago in the same area. We acknowledge and very much appreciate the support on this issue that we have had from the Orakei Local Board (OLB) and Carmel Claridge in particular. Last year the OLB asked Auckland Transport to investigate safety and issues with speeding cars at the Parsons Rd/Archdall/Gowing Dr intersection which is not far from the latest accident. As a result of this, some initiatives have been proposed and we expect to see some action shortly – and will keep pushing for effective improvements. It is especially frustrating that earlier in 2018 Auckland Transport declined to make any improvements to the road as their statistics did not identify the area as being sufficiently unsafe.

Come to a Public Meeting

The Residents Association in conjunction with the OLB will be hosting a public meeting on Monday 25 February at 6:30pm at St Chads Church and Community Centre at 38 St Johns Rd to discuss safety improvements. We urge all interested residents to attend. Senior Auckland Transport representatives will be attending to hear residents’ concerns, provide information on the proposed improvements, and explain the rationale for allocation of resources for regional safety improvements.

Sign the Petition

We are also supporting a petition requesting as a matter of urgency that Auckland Transport investigate what measures can be taken to improve safety, particularly for pedestrians using the road. Click here to download a petition sheet, print it, sign it (get some friends to sign too!) and post to MBSJRA, PO Box 87285, Meadowbank, Auckland 1742.

Our Opinion on What is Needed

We’re aware of many concerns from our members and residents generally about safety and vehicle speeds on this stretch of road which has a history of serious injury crashes, some of which we have reported on. We’re not transport engineers and are therefore not in a position to prescribe specific technical solutions: but we note the effectiveness of the road narrowing and speed tables on Meadowbank Road (further along the 782 bus route). Getting those established took years of advocacy, and the strong support of the Orakei Local Board, for which we and no doubt local residents are grateful, because the improvement since they were installed has been dramatic. So in this case we might be so bold as to suggest we would expect something similar to be effective here. Whatever, it needs to be done quickly. And the same could be said for other local streets in our suburbs where we all know traffic speeds can be excessive. We don’t want to have to share any more tragic stories like this in our neighbourhood.

Neighbours Day 22- 31 March 2019

Posted: 31 January 2019

Neighbours Day 2019 is coming and we encourage everyone in Meadowbank and St Johns to get to know your neighbours better. We know of plenty of streets that have annual BBQs and have mailing lists to discuss any issues of concern, share free stuff and generally make our suburbs better connected.

Whether you live in a suburb, on a city block, in an apartment or on a rural property, you have neighbours – and knowing your neighbours matters. We believe that every connection you have with your neighbours makes your neighbourhood more friendly, fun and safe. By encouraging better connected neighbourhoods and more everyday ‘neighbourliness’, neighbours can be stronger and more resilient, significantly enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, family/whanau and the wider community. We know that stronger neighbourhoods can be part of the successful antidote for many social issues within Aotearoa.

Consider introducing yourself to your neighbours if you haven’t already, or have a few neighbours over for afternoon tea or a casual BBQ. There are lots of other suggestions on the picture above, or more information at http://neighboursday.org.nz/

Revised School Bus Routes for St Thomas’s School

Posted: 17 December 2018

The parents of St Thomas’s School have spoken and Auckland Transport have listened – new school bus services will be in place for the start of term 1 2019. Auckland Transport will operate one bus on a revised morning service #549, one bus on a revised afternoon service #549, and one bus on a new afternoon service #550. Maps and timetables for the new services are available on our website.

As a result of the changes more bus stops in St Johns will be served, both in the morning and in the afternoon. No bus stops that are in-zone will lose service. The majority of students using the current service will be unaffected.

The new routes will not serve Stonefields. Auckland Transport is inviting customers currently using the 549 to or from Stonefields to refer to our online Journey Planner (AT.govt.nz/journeyplanner) in January 2019 or call our contact centre in January on 09 366 6400 to find out about alternatives. Current school route #547 (Panmure – Stonefields – St Johns – Selwyn College) will not be changing so will remain an option for students travelling from Stonefields to St Thomas’s.

Route 549 (one bus) mornings
Route: 20 Norman Lesser Dr (stop 7722), Norman Lesser Dr, (R) Panapa Dr (at the second intersection of Norman Lesser Dr and Panapa Dr – buses travel north on Panapa Dr and clockwise round the loop), (L) Norman Lesser Dr, (R) Truman St, (L) St Johns Rd, (R) Dorchester St, Gowing Dr, (L) St Johns Rd, Kohimarama Rd, (R) Allum St, 113 Allum St (stop 1442).

Timetable for Route 549

20 Norman Lesser Dr – 7722 08:10

113 Allum St – 1442 08:40

Route 549 (one bus) afternoons
Route : Opp 255 Kohimarama Rd (stop 1422), Kohimarama Rd, St Johns Rd, (R) Gowing Dr, Dorchester St, (L) St Johns Rd, (R) Truman St, (L) Norman Lesser Dr, (R) Panapa Dr (at the first intersection of Norman Lesser Dr and Panapa Dr – buses travel south on Panapa Dr and anticlockwise round the loop), (L) Norman Lesser Dr, 79 Norman Lesser Dr (stop 7725).

Timetable for Route 549

Opp 255 Kohimarama Rd – 1422 15:10

79 Norman Lesser Dr – 7725 15:35

Route 550 (one bus) afternoon
Route: Opp 255 Kohimarama Rd (stop 1422), Kohimarama Rd, St Johns Rd, (R) Gowing Dr, Dorchester St, (R) St Johns Rd, (L) Gerard Way, (L) Norman Lesser Dr, 56 Norman Lesser Dr (stop 1408).
Timetable for Route 550
Opp 255 Kohimarama Rd – 1422 15:10
56 Norman Lesser Dr – 1408 15:30

Final decision for Replacement Orakei Basin Balustrade

Posted: 13 December 2018

The results of NZTA’s consultation are in and their final decision on a more suitable balustrade for the Orakei Basin Boardwalk is in – option B pictured below. We are very pleased that the height has been lowered and that the project team has taken on board the community’s opinions that the views from the boardwalk are very important. Read the full press release below and thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback and voice your dissatisfaction and desire for something much more suitable for years to come.

Final design decided for Orakei Basin balustrade

Thursday 13 December

The NZ Transport Agency is pleased to announce that following a second round of public feedback the design and materials of a replacement balustrade for the Orakei Basin boardwalk has been selected. The Orakei Basin boardwalk forms Section 3 of the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path, a seven kilometre walking and cycling path, connecting people with routes at Pt England and Tamaki Drive.

The balustrade that has been selected comprises a mix of metal and wood, with thin metal slats to provide the best visibility of the surrounding area. It was the preferred option in a second round of consultation about a replacement balustrade for this section of the path. This option received 67% of votes (156 votes) from the 233 people overall who took part in the survey.

The combination of materials and design also provides better visibility which was important to people and is likely to tie in better with other balustrade designs planned for sections 2 and 4 of the shared path.

The Transport Agency’s Director of Regional Relationships Steve Mutton says it understood from the community that the height of the balustrade was a key design element.

“During the process to change the balustrade from what was originally designed, we established the community wanted whatever we built to be only 1.2 metres high and not 1.4 metres, because people said that 1.4 metres high blocks the beautiful views across the basin. We are pleased that we are able to deliver that outcome for the community as we know that this area is precious to locals and a real treat for visitors.”

“It has been a more difficult process to establish the preferred materials and design of the balustrade but we are pleased that this round of feedback is quite clear that people prefer the mostly metal option.”

“It is also in line with a very important theme that came out during both rounds of consultation including the two open days. People are keen on a design that allows them the best view of the surrounding area.”

“The Transport Agency knows there is also support for a design that replicated the all wooden balustrade that was there originally but this is not the majority view that has emerged during two rounds of consultation.”

We are now focused on getting the new balustrade manufactured and installed as soon as possible so that this section of the path can be fully open for everyone to enjoy.

The boardwalk is expected to be finished by the middle of 2019. The Transport Agency is grateful to the public for their feedback and also for their patience while the work is undertaken to complete this section of the path.

Feedback about Section 2 of the shared path was also sought during the past few months and results from that round of consultation will be available early next year.

Sign our petition to extend the bus network to St Johns Park

Posted: 21 November 2018

What is the petition about?

Residents in the St Johns Park area are concerned that there is no longer a bus service due to the former #635 route being cancelled with the changes made to the bus network in July 2018. As a result MBSJRA are sponsoring a petition requesting Auckland Transport to alter the bus network to cover the former #635 bus area in St Johns Park. We need your help to ensure that Auckland Transport understands that this issue is important to local residents.

Auckland Transport have shown that they are prepared to review bus routes based on demonstrated support, as shown by the two previously successful petitions set up by local resident Richard Roxburgh and strongly supported by this Association. As a direct result of these previous petitions we now have a bus route to Meadowbank Train Station, on past Selwyn College and St Thomas’ School to Mission Bay. We want the St Johns Park area be included in the new bus network in such a way that residents in this area can also enjoy the bus route that resulted from the previous petitions.

If a bus service in St Johns Park is of concern to you, we urge you to add weight to what we are requesting from Auckland Transport by signing the petition.

How can I sign the petition?

The petition is being circulated and will be available at our monthly meetings on 11 December 2018 and 12 February 2019. You can also download a petition sheet here, print it, sign it (get some friends to sign too!) and post to MBSJRA, PO Box 87285, Meadowbank, Auckland 1742.

Note: MBSJRA undertakes only to use the information that you provide in this form specifically for the purpose of this petition. It will be presented it to Auckland Transport but not shared with any other third party.

What can I do to help?

The next step in gathering signatures is to consider taking the petition door to door but for this we need volunteers please – if you can help by covering your own street or even part of it please get in touch, or even just print a sheet, go ahead and start gathering signatures.

Information to consider when signing this petition

The purpose of the petition is to influence Auckland Transport to alter the new Bus Network which took effect in July 2018 so that the St Johns Park area is included in the network in such a way that residents in that area will also have a bus connection with the Meadowbank Town Centre, the Meadowbank Train Station, Selwyn College and St Thomas’ School and to the waterfront at Mission Bay.

There are four reasons for this:

The New Bus Network eliminated the previous #635 bus which means the nearest public transport available to residents in the St Johns Park area is the bus route on St Johns Rd which entails a walk of up to 900m for some residents to the closest bus stop. This walk is a significant barrier to the use of public transport, from the viewpoint that it is time-consuming (the walk to St Johns Rd could take up to 15 minutes) and more importantly, for residents who are elderly or disabled, the walk which is up/down a significant slope is daunting and more so in both hot summer and cold/wet winter weather conditions.
The St Johns Park area includes residents in an older age range and it is felt likely (for reasons of relatively high property values and a more restrictive zoning) that average ages are likely to increase over time. Without convenient access to public transport, residents in this area will effectively be left with no option but to either remain house-bound, to use private vehicles for their whole journey or to park on St Johns Rd or at the Meadowbank Train Station to access public transport. Parking at either of these locations is problematic.
The 635 bus did not provide access to the Meadowbank Train Station meaning the change we are proposing would open up a larger catchment area for public transport by rail as well as providing a public transport link with the Meadowbank Town Centre (including what will be a new Community Centre), Selwyn College and St Thomas’ School and with the waterfront.
Meadowbank Train Station now has even more limited car parking available. Currently commuters are parking on residential streets throughout the day in many of the Meadowbank streets, commonly extending up to the Meadowbank Road / Tahapa Crescent intersection. This may be partially alleviated by a more efficient bus connection.

Community Centre Background to Funding the Redevelopment

Posted: 15 November 2018

Following on from the Meadowbank Community Centre user group meeting held in early October 2018, we have sought to clarify the history on funding decisions to redevelop the community centre (there is a long history!) and also sought to better understand the decision to work with Panuku (Auckland Council’s development arm) and a private development partner to fund the rebuild. According to this article written in 2012 the community raised funds for a community centre in the 1980s and the building is now approximately 75 years old. Carmel Claridge of the Orakei Local Board has kindly put together some background information below on these funding decisions.

We will keep you updated on progress and consultation with this significant build, and are very pleased to see planning on a better fit-for-purpose space being available to our community after decades of delays.

Background to Funding Meadowbank Community Centre Redevelopment

Few would argue that the current state of the current Meadowbank Community Centre is not up to standard. The cost of constant repairs on an old, and rapidly depreciating building are now becoming prohibitive. Previous Orakei Local Boards have lobbied to the Governing Body of Auckland Council for the required funding for an upgrade for the Centre for many years.

In 2012 Auckland Council voted for $2.75 million of funding to be allocated for the redevelopment of the Community Centre through the Council’s 2016/2017 Long Term Plan. Unfortunately this funding did not come to fruition.

In 2014 the Orakei Ward Councillor at that time, Cameron Brewer, tried to persuade his colleagues around the Council table to bring that funding forward to 2014/2015. Unfortunately, not only did the majority of Council vote not to do so, the funding was pushed out even further to 2020. It is highly unlikely, given the escalating costs of building materials and inflation, that by 2020 this amount of this funding would be sufficient to build a new Centre.

The current Board was therefore left with a situation where they had a structure in a very poor state, with insufficient resources within their own budget for a renewal, having to wait until 2020 for Regional funding. Funding which could continue to be deferred. An assessment report on the building’s condition indicated that it was currently not ‘fit for purpose’ – and the Board had concerns that there was a very real prospect of this asset deteriorating to the extent where it would be deemed non-service. Should a Council property be deemed non-service through Council’s internal processes, it can potentially be removed from the Local Board’s governance by the Governing Body of Council and passed over to Panuku Development Auckland (Council’s development arm) The current Board was not prepared to take the risk of losing this important community asset.

An optimization process whereby the ownership of the site is retained by Council but developed by Panuku, in conjunction with a private partner is the key to obtaining the required funding needed for the Centre and securing the site for the future. The Board’s vision is for a mixed use development with community facilities and Board offices on the ground floor, with housing above. The community facilities will be designed to accommodate a mixed used of new and existing community services. This will enable the Centre to be better used by the wider community.

The decisions to enable commencement of the process to redevelop were made by the Orakei Local Board at its September Business Meeting after long and careful consideration of all options that were available to us. We have complete confidence that those decisions we have made are in the best interests of our communities, and will deliver a new purpose built community facility to our constituents that will stand the test of time. It is anticipated that the sale of the airspace for housing above the ground floor facilities will enable this much needed development for our community to be provided on a cost neutral basis.

Well before any building work starts, the public will have ample opportunity to provide their input into how they would like their Centre to look and what aspirations they have for the types of services they would like to see delivered.

Carmel Claridge – Deputy Chairman

Orakei Local Board

You Can Help Reduce Local Wastewater Overflows

Posted: 29 October 2018

Last week bought a shocking discovery of raw sewerage being discharged directly into Purewa Creek due to a blockage in the system. Councillor Desley Simpson was on the case and Watercare were called and promptly located the problem. There was a blockage in the network due to fats and wet wipes/rags. To avoid overflows and wastewater discharges to our beautiful streams please follow the information on the poster and only flush the 3 Ps (pee, paper and poop) to keep our wastewater system flowing. Below is a letter from Desley Simpson outlining the legacy issues with the Purewa wastewater network and what is being done to make sure that raw sewerage gets to the treatment facility.

UPDATE: Watercare have sent out this pamphlet with the latest round water bills explaining what caused the sewerage overflow and what you can do to prevent further incidents. In response to the incident, later this year council will inspect properties in western Meadowbank to ensure their stormwater drainage is correctly installed to the stormwater network and not the wastewater network. Please follow the guidance so that we don’t need to waste our ratepayer money fixing issues that could be avoided, and so we can keep our streams and beaches swimable.

Friday 26 October

Dear MBSJRA,

On Wednesday this week local residents brought to my attention raw sewage overflowing from a stormwater pipe in Meadowbank. I visited the site and sadly found this to be true with wet wipes, tampons and excrement obvious and disgorging into the Purewa Creek. Within 30 mins of my call, Watercare was on site to fix the problem.

By way of background, the wastewater network in this area was predominately constructed in the 1950’s, by Housing New Zealand. It is a purpose-built separate wastewater network and currently has sufficient capacity for dry weather flows.

Watercare’s latest system performance assessment of the Purewa wastewater network indicates that small sections of the wastewater network will require upgrading to provide capacity for growth based on the land use changes and upzoning provided in the Operative Auckland Unitary Plan. I will be pushing hard for those upgrades to happen.

The are two engineered overflow points within the Purewa wastewater network that allows wastewater to spill during heavy rainfall or when blockage occurs in the network. These are network relief points and are designed like this to reduce the risk of overflows occurring on private properties.

The wastewater overflow that I observed at the creek was a result of a blockage in the network due to fats and wet wipes/rags. The fat congeals and the non-flushable wet wipes bind with the fats and creates the blockage. Wet wipes/rags do not break down and remain in one piece.

Watercare will shortly be sending out a customer newsletter to their Purewa customers, which will provide information on how to help reduce local overflows. Anything that Meadowbank and St Johns Residents Association can do to assist in that education and awareness will be greatly appreciated. Watercare have also installed monitors at each of the engineered overflow locations. These monitor the performance of the network and we will send an alarm when a dry weather overflow occurs, which will allow Council to respond rapidly. Watercare also intend to modify the two engineered overflow points to lessen the frequency of overflows during wet weather. They aim to have this completed within a few weeks.

I understand that there could be up to 60 properties that have historical consented stormwater (roofs and paved areas) connections to the wastewater network. Healthy Waters (Council’s regional water quality department) will be carrying out field investigations of the drainage connection status of these properties during December 2018, and based on the outcome they will look to construct new stormwater infrastructure to allow the 60 properties to connect to the new stormwater pipes.

I trust this overview is useful and request if possible this information can go out in your newsletter and be placed on your website to ensure residents are informed.

Ngā mihi,

Councillor Desley Simpson

Frustration at Further Delays Constructing GI to Tamaki Drive Shared Path

Posted: 29 October 2018

As some of you may have heard, Stage 2 of the GI-TD Shared Path is delayed with the remaining section 2 (Pourewa Valley) and section 4 (Hobson Bay to Tamaki Drive) now not estimated to be completed until 2021. That’s right, 2021.

We asked our Past Chair, Tim Duguid for a personal reflection on the project:

“When the project started in 2014, my two children attended Selwyn College, and they both looked forward to using it to get to school: a short hop across the valley from Meadowbank Road would beat the school bus any day. Or a 45 minute walk or a bike ride round St Johns and Kohi Roads. The project timeline slipped and my daughter left school, and now today is my son’s last day at school. He gave up any hope of using the path sometime last year. Just a few more bike rides on the footpaths and mixing it with the traffic for his final exam days and that will be that.

Setting a date of 2021 means anyone currently in Year 12 or Year 11 or quite likely Year 10 won’t get to use it either. That’s a couple of hundred more of our teenagers consigned to the bus and the main roads over the next three years. Or a car ride, perish the thought. It’s a similar story for younger children at St Thomas’s of course.

It’s equally frustrating for anyone else wanting to cross the valley for any other reason. In my case, mostly for running around the Pourewa Valley and down to the waterfront.

I think Auckland Transport (AT), NZTA and others have completely failed to manage expectations: two years has become seven years. Seven years to build a path, which has overwhelming support throughout the community. Meanwhile, along with many others, I’ve written submissions, attended workshops, given up time to get to meetings with the project team. At one such meeting back in 2015, I relayed a comment from a resident that ‘any path, however rudimentary’ would be better than waiting years.

I just want to see this done. Done properly, and the sooner the better.”

What we say: please keep making your voice heard, however long this takes! Let’s do what we can to make sure Stage 2 of the GI-TD Shared Path delivers the outcomes we want. Click here to view the consultation information, graphics and also find links to give feedback on Sections 2 and 3 here. AT are seeking feedback until 9 November 2018.