Blog Archives

Chairman's Report - June 2015

24/6/2015

Greetings from the LOCA committee and a welcome to winter together with a reasonable lake level at long last.

Firstly congratulations once again to the Okareka Volunteer Rural Fire Force on their winning performance at the Sky Tower Stair challenge in Auckland. Not sure how you train for this event but Phil and his team got it right. Well done.

Submissions to the Rotorua Lakes Council’s 10 year Long Term Plan have recently closed and included in this newsletter (pages 6 and 7) is the submission from the Rotorua Lakes Community Board which of course includes Okareka.

You will note the reference to a proposed new Waste Strategy where the Council’s preferred option for refuse collection is to move away from weekly bag collections to kerbside wheelie bins for refuse and recyclables. This system is cheaper than the existing paper bags but there are a number of drawbacks particularly around the “bush” settlement lakes (Tarawera/Okareka).

There is a lot more feedback required for this change and we hope Council will be flexible in perhaps offering different options for properties with steep access from the road and also for holiday home guests. One of the areas that will benefit from any improvements are the public reserves (Blue Lake, Boyes Beach and the lakefront at the jetty) that currently have the infamous unhygienic 44 gallon drums with no liners and no lids. Also there are no recycling containers at these picnic locations so much of the rubbish is glass and plastics.

Also unclear at present is the future of the very popular Tarawera/Okareka Recycling Facility. As if there aren’t enough submissions at present we also have A Representation Review which is a legal requirement for the 2016 Local Body elections.

The situation at present is:
1 Mayor
12 Councillors elected from across the entire district
1 Community Board 4 elected members from the Lakes catchment and 2 Councillors.

The number of Councillors can be increased or decreased (6–30). The district could be divided into Wards as has been the case in the past. Community Boards can be established if there is a “community of interest” eg the Lakes. This review is an opportunity for all residents to have a say on the future governance of Rotorua.

Whilst it is not directly relevant to Okareka you may have received a notice from the Regional Council asking for comments on The Tarawera Restoration Plan. This is an Action plan similar to the Okareka Action Plan of 2004 that resulted in the installation of reticulated sewerage. The same action is strongly recommended for the Tarawera urban area but unfortunately, unlike the Okareka situation, there is no subsidy available for Tarawera sewage at the present time. The Restoration Plan is available on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website and contains some interesting history of Tarawera and the eight surrounding lakes that drain directly into Lake Tarawera either via surface or sub-surface flows.

As always we welcome comments on any issues of interest to our residents and property owners.

Geoff Palmer
Chairman

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Lake Okareka Pipeline Replacement

24/6/2015

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The construction work for stage one of the Lake Ōkareka Pipeline Replacement project started in February 2015. Reinstatement of the site and any minor tasks were due to be completed by the contractor by the end of May.

Most of the stage one works were completed by the end of April and include:

Replacing 150m of the 450mm diameter concrete pipe with a 600mm diameter polypropylene pipe. Polypropylene is more resilient than concrete.
The replacement of the concrete inlet structure replacing the existing valve with a refurbished valve.

Prior to construction starting, plants were removed from around the inlet structure to give the contractor easier access. Landcare Ōkareka has volunteered to plant this area at one of its upcoming working bees.

Note: The timber and concrete weirs in the channel by the inlet structure were only there temporarily for the construction works.

Marnie Fornusek
Graduate Engineer
Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Ph: 0800 884 880 x9516

Operation of the Outlet
The LOCA Committee have requested a meeting with Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) engineers to discuss how the operation of the outlet will proceed, following this upgrade. The outlet valve is managed by engineering staff from Rotorua District Council under a contract to Bay of Plenty Regional Council. BOPRC hold the resource consent for the outlet and it's operation. When we hear back from BOPRC engineers with a date and time, we will let everyone know, so if any members of the Lake Okareka community wish to attend they can.

Sandra Goodwin
Secretary
LOCA

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Lake Okareka Walking Track Report - June 2015

23/6/2015

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Over the summer, autumn and now into winter, working bees continue along the new Lake Okareka Walking Track—the section from the DOC camp back to Boyes beach. Monthly working bees are usually held on the first Saturday of each month. We have had volunteers from the New Zealand Air Force and also from ANZ Bank Fenton Street, Rotorua branch come to help with building the track. Hours of manual work have gone into clearing scrub, moving any valuable plants, and then shifting the topsoil or leaf litter or “duff” which in some places is quite deep, to get down to the Rotomahana mud layer. Then the track has been benched, and in some cases soil moved to make the track a better gradient, being mindful this section is being built to be wheel chair and push chair friendly.

In the meantime, the DOC camp has once again proved to be a good earner over the summer building the bank account to help pay for some of the costs of creating the track—edging timber, track gravel, drainage pipes, geo textile cloth, etc. Further funding applications for the board walks and bridges will be made in the coming weeks.

Thank you to everyone who has been coming to working bees over the past few months. We appreciate your support. This project will take a lot more time yet. We just have to be patient...

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Remembrance Grove - Lake Okareka Walkway

23/6/2015

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This is just a reminder about the Remembrance Grove out along the Lake Okareka walkway. The Grove is up on a bluff, part way along the walkway and set aside for the planting of trees to commemorate various human life events – special birthday, birth of a new child, wedding anniversary, death of a loved one and so on - for residents and property owners of Lake Okareka.

There is a little sign that points out where the Remembrance Grove path leaves the main walkway, and if you follow the path up there you will also find a seat made by one of the Landcare Okareka volunteers, for you to use while contemplating the area.

There is an RDC approved planting plan for the Remembrance Grove using five species of native trees – kowhai, rewarewa, titoki, rimu and totara. You can choose the species and siting of your tree from this plan.

At planting time, usually autumn/winter, at a time that suits, you will be provided with a good specimen of tree to plant from RDC Nursery. Landcare Okareka can assist in getting your tree out to the site, and even digging the hole for the tree. You will also be able to choose wording for the plaque, and Landcare Okareka will ensure this is made up, prior to planting time, and erected on site to mark your particular tree. A permanent record of the tree planting is also kept by RDC and Landcare Okareka. The cost for all this is $200, payable to RDC – this money also future proofs the tree, if anything should happen to it.

We have had recently two further trees planted in memory of some former Lake Okareka residents. Now is the time to be thinking about this—if you would like to carry out a planting for this winter.

If you are interested in planting a tree in the Remembrance Grove please contact Sandra Goodwin 362 8865 or send me an email sgoodwin@actrix.co.nz and I will provide you with the paper work to get your commemorative tree planting project underway.

Sandra Goodwin
LOCA Secretary

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Maritime Summary - Summer 2015

23/6/2015

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The Rotorua Lakes saw an unusual season with some lakes being busy and some having a low turnout of vessels this summer. This was against the trend considering the amount of sunshine but may be contributed to the amount of wind that made it look that conditions are unpleasant.

It is unfortunate that we are showing a significant increase in some bad boating behaviour. The largest increase is the amount of boats towing without an observer. On the positive side we have seen a decrease in this area from jet-ski operators. Policy is that anyone apprehended breaching this By-law will be issued with a Breach of By-law notice and the Maritime unit will then follow it up with an infringement notice. There is zero tolerance in this area and we aim to get the message through that it is an unacceptable practice, regardless of circumstances.

The next highest increase we have seen is boats exceeding the 5 knot restrictions. Yet again we have seen a decrease from jet-ski operators. These 2 breaches that have increased could be due to the fact that we have stomped on the jet-skis and the boat operators have become more complacent. What these results do show us is that there is a problem and it gives us a very good direction for next season.

We are very fortunate to have conscientious wardens in the Rotorua area who give up their valuable free time in assisting us keep the area safe. We are especially grateful for the support we get from Sandra and Mike Goodwin, your work is gratefully appreciated.

As some of you will be aware we no longer have a Harbour Master in the Rotorua area. This position has been dis-established as it has been in Tauranga and Whakatāne. Through restructuring we have a new Regional Harbour Master/Maritime Manager. This position is held by Mr Peter Buell who is based in Tauranga. Peter has vast experience both in Maritime and local government and his expertise has already proved very valuable. Peter can be reached on 0800-884880 or you can email him at: peter.buell@boprc.govt.nz

You will see a new look in our vessels and jet-skis in the 2015/16 season. In line with not having a resident Harbourmaster we have rebranded our vessels with “Maritime Patrol”. This is to remove any confusion about the Harbourmaster name and to also visually let people know that these are patrol vessels and are there to do just that. The word “Patrol” was chosen to raise the awareness that there are enforcement officers on board. We hope that this new branding will get people to think twice before doing something that will be actioned by the issuing of an enforcement notice. Additional to that it may prompt skippers to ask questions so we can also be more educational.

As always, we aim to give our best service and are here to keep boat/jet-ski operators safe. If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Ross Powell
Maritime Officer

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