BOP Council Update

Does your community group have a project in mind but needs extra funding to get it over the line?
Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s community matching fund closes on 29 May.
The $140,000 fund is eligible for groups able to “match’’ Council’s cash grant – be it in volunteer hours, cash or similar matching criteria.
There are two parts to the fund – a general fund for social, recreational and cultural initiatives, which has a pool of $100,000 and the environmental fund for projects benefiting the natural environment which has a pool of $40,000.
Over the years the money has been a key to many groups across the Western Bay getting their projects off the ground.
The Pioneers Wetland in Katikati is one such project made possible with the initial funding of $19,000 from the matching fund.
The project is in its early stages and is turning Council’s stormwater pond into a native wetland oasis behind the Talisman Hotel, bordering Talisman Drive and Beach Road.
It features a boardwalk, native plantings and is overlooked by The Pioneers sculpture created in 2008 by artists Mark Hill to commemorate the town’s original Irish settlers.
Initial planting around the pond in previous years was done by Katikati College students through Wild About New Zealand and weed eradication was done by work teams from the Department of Corrections.
Wetland project coordinator Anne Henry says the matching fund was the start of what is now a collaborative community project supported by the Uretara Estuary Managers, Katikati Open Air Art, Katikati Taiao, the Community Board and Council’s utilities department.
The project has attracted further funding from the Tauranga Energy Consumers’ Trust (TECT) $36,000; Lion Foundation $5000 and Open Air Art $2000. A Give-a-little page has been launched for the balance. If you would like to help here’s the link: Https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/pioneers-wetland-boardwalk
If your group is wanting to get a project up and running but cash is short, the community matching fund is a great way to start.
Application forms are available on Council’s website until 29 May 2019. For all information on the Community Matching Fund 2019 visit: https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/our-council/grants-and-funding/Pages/default.aspx

Caption: The Pioneers Wetland community group hard at work on the project.

Students from five Western Bay schools are putting on their thinking caps to come up with ideas for the new Omokoroa Domain playground planned by Western Bay of Plenty District Council in partnership with local tangata whenua.
The new playground is part of a revamp of the Omokoroa Domain and Esplanade being undertaken over the next three years. The existing playground is old and the equipment outdated.
The project concept aims to create a destination playground within the large open space of the Domain. Construction of the playground is expected to start later this year.
Council’s playground project team is visiting Omokoroa No 1, Omokoroa Point, Pahoia, Whakamarama and Te Puna schools to give students and their teachers some pointers on themes and ideas they may wish to explore for the playground.
Students have been given work sheets to provide inspiration for their ideas and they will complete their project during Term Two. Each school will be sharing students’ ideas at a community event in Omokoroa in July where their work can be showcased.
Project landscape architect Tim Lander, LOAM Landscape Architects, says it is important to get the `child’s view’ of what playground design could achieve.
“The children are the experts in playgrounds – we want to tap into their imagination and encourage them to use their minds to come up with ideas that relate to the Domain’s environment, its unique Māori history, its European history, its seaside location and how all these themes can reflect in their play,” says Tim.
“Playgrounds hold many opportunities for learning and offer challenges for all ages and abilities. Greater awareness of the playground setting and its connections with nature are essential aspects to weave into fun and imaginative play experiences.”
The five schools – all between Apata and Te Puna West – were chosen because they are within the traditional mana whenua rohe of the Pirirākau Hapu.
Julie Shepherd from Pirirākau says it is important the schools and their local community are aware of who the local tangata whenua are.
“We wish to share with the students some of the historical events and stories that are significant and special to Pirirākau. Through Council’s Community Engagement Team and Pirirākau we will work on building relationships and sharing information.”
The Omokoroa Domain concept plan aims to find a balance between retaining the seaside and natural foreshore character while making sure the area caters for growth and multiple use. Tangata whenua will have their identity recognised through cultural interpretation within the design elements of the Domain development.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been mapping and planning for natural hazards since the 1990s.

Council is currently reviewing its natural hazard maps for the District and reviewing how the risks from those natural hazards will be managed.
Council is working on this project with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Tauranga City Council.
Hazards being investigated include:

• Flooding (from extreme rainfall)
• Coastal inundation (flooding from the sea)
• Coastal erosion
• Land instability
• Liquefaction
• Tsunami
• Active faults
• Volcanic hazards.
Council’s Group Manager Policy, Planning and Regulatory Services Rachael Davie, says improving the accuracy of hazard maps is more critical than ever due to the increasing legislative requirements around climate change, reducing natural hazard risk, and ensuring preparedness and response to natural disasters.

“The mapping information will help people make informed decisions about undertaking building works, buying property or preparing for a natural disaster.
“As we complete the mapping of each hazard, we will notify landowners and put the information on Council’s website, on property files and in any land information memoranda (LIMs) requested for properties,” says Rachael.
Council will also use the maps when processing resource consents, project information memoranda and building consents to ensure that the risk from natural hazards to people and buildings is assessed.
Mapping of all natural hazards will take at least five years due to the District’s size and geographical diversity.
The latest mapping we have available is for:

• Coastal erosion along the Tauranga Harbour.

Council has sent letters to 300 affected landowners and has included the new information on the natural hazards’ web page.

This new information improves understanding of the risks that sea level rise could create and how Western Bay of Plenty’s harbour margins may respond to those potential changes over the coming 100 years.

Council is also in the process of mapping other natural hazards and this information is expected to be available in a few months’ time.

• Coastal inundation along the Tauranga Harbour
• Flooding at Omokoroa and Katikati
• Tsunami along the Tauranga Harbour
• Tsunami at Waihi Beach, Athenree and Bowentown

The remainder of natural hazard maps for the District will be completed over the coming years.

Council’s natural hazards webpage has an updated list of “Mapping Projects and Timeframes” to keep people informed of what’s happening.

For more information visit Council’s natural hazards webpage at www.westernbay.govt.nz/naturalhazards

or call Council’s customer services team on 0800 926 732.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s annual Community Matching Fund opens today with $140,000 available for not-for-profit community groups.
Application is eligible for groups with commitment to their communities and who are able to “match’’ Council’s cash grant – in volunteer hours, cash or similar matching criteria. The fund is split in to $40,000 for environmental projects and $100,000 for the general fund.
Last year the Rotoehu Ecological Trust (RET) gained $10,000 from the fund to expand its pest control programme in Pongakawa to protect the endangered native bird kōkako. The Trust was one of 27 groups benefiting from the fund in 2018.

Council’s Community Relationships Environment Officer Glenn Ayo says the Trust is a great example of an organisation that fits the fund’s criteria. It has a strong volunteer base and a robust plan for its goal of restoring an endangered species to its natural habitat.

Since 2013, RET has helped protect kōkako within Rotoehu Forest. Under the leadership of Jane Bird, Sarah Orton and Roger Bawden, the Trust helps local Department of Conservation (DOC) staff with management of the forest and the kōkako. The Trust controls pests in the Pongakawa Ecological Area and Otari Block.

Chairperson Sarah Orton says the kōkako is considered the keystone species of the Rotoehu Forest. The Trust works on the principle that if this taonga is protected and allowed to flourish, other flora and fauna will also thrive.

“As with many of our threatened bird species, most people have never seen a kōkako,” says Sarah. “It comes as a surprise to learn that in the hills south of Pongakawa we have one of the country’s most important places for conservation of a rare and extraordinary bird.”

Council’s funding has helped the Trust expand its bait station network into the southern section of the Pongakawa Ecological Area, approximately 260 hectares, to reach its goal of 100 breeding pairs of kōkako by 2025. The work involves clearing about 30 kilometres of track and installing 160 bait stations.

The Trust partners with Kōkako Organic Coffee Roasters, DOC, Western Bay Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Kaingaroa Timberlands, Timberlands Ltd and Tangata Whenua (Ngati Makino Iwi) on its projects.

The latest 2019 kōkako census of 1200 hectares of the Rotoehu Forest found 133 pairs and eight singles (274 kōkako), of which 126 pairs and all singles were within the managed area. In 2013 the census covered only 601 hectares and found 50 pairs and 29 singles (129 birds total). So the 2019 census has doubled the area and the kokako and reflects the worth of RET’s pest control.

Applications for this year’s Community Matching Fund open from 29 April to 29 May 2019. For more information visit Council’s website https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/our-council/grants-and-funding/Pages/default.aspx