Wrap-up: Aquatic facilities project, Representation Review and roading

Published on 23 February 2024

The latest from Mayor Len

On behalf of our Council I want to acknowledge the untimely passing of Green Party Member of Parliament Efeso Collins this week, who died suddenly at age 49. He embodied the spirit of community service that motivates so many of us at Council, both elected members and staff. His passing is such a loss to both his local south Auckland community and New Zealand in general. 

Coming up next week, our Council is facilitating a community meeting where residents of communities along SH25 Thames Coast Road can speak to representatives from the Police and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi about excessive speed, reckless overtaking and related dangerous driving practices.

It’s also a chance for the representatives from these agencies to let residents know about the constraints they operate under and about the best process to follow if you’ve got an issue about the State Highway to raise in the future.

The meeting’s being held at Te Puru Community Hall at 4 West Crescent at 6pm on Tuesday 27 Feb. This is great access we’re being offered to these key agencies, so I hope to see as many Thames Coast residents there as possible.

On the subject of road safety, our partners at NZTA are working on a road worker safety campaign that our Council is assisting with. Works on both our local Council roads and on the State Highways in the Coromandel have been stepping up after a bit of a pause for the Christmas holidays. We’re going to see more work sites under traffic management and it’s important that we all follow the traffic managers’ instructions. There will be delays, but this is crucial work that must continue to get our roads repaired from the cyclone damage. Please check the NZTA website for the agency’s list of work sites. Check www.tcdc.govt.nz/roads for our local roads programme.

All this week our Council has been holding the Careers Roadshow in conjunction with local high schools (Whangamatā Area School, Mercury Bay Area School, Te Wharekura o Manaia, Coromandel Area School and Thames High School), businesses, local business associations and Ministry for Social Development. The Roadshow showcases training and career pathways that are available here in the Coromandel to our young people so that not so many opt to leave for the bright lights of the big cities.

Another positive development this week was this morning’s official opening of the final phase of the CILT (Coromandel Independent Living Trust - https://www.cilt.org.nz/) Community Hub/Te Pūtahi Whaiora in Coromandel Town. CILT has been fundraising and building for years now and this is the fruition of a strong collaboration between our Council and CILT to purchase the land, and local businesses who provided contractor support at generous rates to keep costs down. The hub provides space for community service and social support providers; meeting rooms and co-working facilities; and space for sports, recreation and community clubs.

(Pictured above, Mayor Len and Hamuera Maika - Kai Korero (Ngāti Porou) who conducted the powhiri on behalf of CILT and Patukirikiri (mana whenua). Top picture: a large crowd attended the opening.)

First stage of our Council's Representation Review begins next week

Our Council is reviewing how our local communities are represented. This is called a Representation Review and it will come into effect for our October 2025 local body elections. Starting from next week, we are keen to hear from our communities to understand how you feel about some key parts of Council’s structure. Look for our survey from the middle of next week.  

At its 31 October 2023 meeting, our Council unanimously voted to establish one or more Māori Wards for the 2025 Local Elections. This is what has triggered the representation review process, to make sure our communities are fairly and effectively represented at Council. The review does not revisit the decision to establish Māori Wards. The initial feedback phase will involve a community survey and feedback process, before a proposal is created for another round of feedback and formal consultation later this year. 

The review looks at: 

• The total number of councillors 
• The number of wards and their boundaries, names, and the number of councillors to each 
• The future of community boards and their structure
• Whether Councillors are elected to represent a particular ward or a mixed model of elected to ward and ‘at large’. 

What is a Māori ward?  

Māori wards provide a way for Māori to contribute to decision-making and have representation at council. Thames-Coromandel District Council Māori ward/s will represent Māori in our community so that our decision-making is fairer and more inclusive. Electors enrolled on the Māori electoral roll will vote for candidates standing for Māori wards. Similarly, electors enrolled on the general electoral roll will vote for candidates standing for general wards. The successful Māori ward candidates will become councillors at council. Councillors have a responsibility to represent their communities. Māori ward councillors will have a particular responsibility to represent people of Māori descent and bring forward Māori views and aspirations. However, they also represent the entire community in our District. “Wards” are the parts of a council area that have been determined by population and communities of interest. These can be either general wards or Māori wards. 

Current Situation 

The review will consider how many elected members are required to represent the needs of the Thames-Coromandel District Council.  

The current model for the district is: 
• One Mayor elected from across the district (‘at large’) 
• Nine Councillors elected from four wards  
• Coromandel-Colville Ward, represented by 1 Councillor 
• Mercury Bay Ward, represented by 3 Councillors
• South Eastern Ward, represented by 2 Councillors 
• Thames Ward, represented by 3 Councillors 

Each Councillor currently represents between 3500 and 4100 residents and ratepayers. 

20 Community Board members elected from five Community Boards. 
• Coromandel-Colville Community Board, represented by 4 Board Members and 1 appointed Ward Councillor
• Mercury Bay Community Board, represented by 4 Board Members and 3 appointed Ward Councillors 
• Tairua-Pāuanui Community Board, represented by 4 Board Members and 2 appointed Ward Councillors 
• Whangamatā Community Board, represented by 4 Board Members and 2 appointed Ward Councillors 
• Thames Community Board, represented by 4 Board Members and 3 appointed Ward Councillors 

Long Term Plan gears up for public feedback

Our Council will have our proposals for the draft 2024-2034 Long Term Plan (LTP) ready for public feedback on 8 March to 8 April.

The LTP has a 10-year-and-beyond timeframe, with detailed budgets and project priorities for the first three financial years. The Plan sets the rates and fees and charges. It’s reviewed every three financial years and a new LTP is produced. Council’s financial years run from 1 July to 30 June. 

We’re proposing a ‘just the essentials’ budget for our capital works. We’ve needed to prioritise projects to ensure we invest in critical infrastructure, meet central government requirements and budget for costly water projects and replacing ageing assets and infrastructure, like water treatment plants. We’ve made a lot of progress repairing the damage from last year’s cyclones, but we still have a big roading repair and improvement programme ahead.

Doing all this will take time; we can't manage or afford everything immediately, and we’ll need your feedback to help make the best decisions for our communities. 

We’ve been working through the numbers to keep rates increases as low as possible while maintaining our current levels of service, and we believe our proposals set out the most responsible path forward for our district.  

On 8 March we'll be publishing our consultation document - your roadmap to the proposed LTP - and supporting documents such as capital expenditure tables. You'll be able to make a submission to provide us with your feedback online, via email or through a paper submission form.

Careers Roadshow success

More than 1500 students from five colleges have attended sessions of the Careers Roadshow throughout the week in five locations: Whangamatā, Whitianga, Manaia, Coromandel Town and Thames.  

“All the schools have been incredibly grateful to have the opportunity for their year 7-15 students to be exposed to career and job options they may never have thought of,” says our Council's Community Partnerships Co-ordinator Helen Flynn. 

Around 40 Industry Training Organisations, local employers and community support organisations attended the roadshow to present opportunities to young people. 

"This has been such great week to meet with our rangatahi and let them see the range of services around to help them thrive in their community," says Teresa Tauroa, from Te Huarahi. "The vibe has been electric.”

“We very much appreciate your Council's support to hold events at small schools such as ours," says Martin Mikaere from Te Wharekura o Manaia. "The tamariki are buzzing and the vibe was evident well after you all left.”

Helen Flynn says our Council and the organisations that collaborated to organise the roadshow are optimistic that some good connections have been made that will improve the employment prospects for young people in the district. 

The event was organised as part of our Council's cyclone recovery initiative. 

Creative Communities Scheme open for applications

Applications for our Council's Creative Communities Scheme are open now until Monday 18 March. 

The scheme, backed by Creative New Zealand, aims to increase participation in the arts, broaden the range and diversity of the arts available to communities and enhance and strengthen the local arts sector. Your project must meet one or more of the following funding criteria:

• Broad community involvement - The project will create opportunities for local communities to engage with and participate in arts activities.
• Diversity - The project will support the diverse arts and cultural traditions of local communities, enriching and promoting their uniqueness and cultural diversity.
• Young people - The project will enable and encourage young people (under 18 years) to engage with and actively participate in the arts. 

The types of projects or activities that could be funded

• Exhibitions, productions, concerts, festivals, workshops and presentations that offer opportunities for community involvement in the arts.
• Activities that support the traditions and arts of ethnic communities.
• Youth arts events
• Artist-led projects involving local communities
• Materials for arts activities or programmes
• Personnel costs for one-off, short-term projects
• Promotion and publicity of arts activities
• School-based projects that are outside of the school’s normal activities and provide opportunities for community participation or benefits to the wider community are also eligible.

We administer the funding based on decisions made by a Coromandel Arts and Creative Industries Advisory Board (Assessment Panel) made up of representatives from across the Thames-Coromandel District.

Let us know how your business is doing

Our Quarterly Business Impact Survey is now open, to ensure your voice is heard as we move into post-recovery phase from the weather events of 2023.

Over the coming year, our Council will continue to advocate for funding and support for our business communities.

To do this effectively, it is extremely important that we get a good understanding of your needs and priorities.

We encourage all businesses to take part in the survey which can be accessed here.

Regular closures for helicopter deliveries at Ruamahunga

The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi team working to stabilise the large slip on SH25 at Ruamahunga is making great progress. They need equipment and supplies delivered to the top of the slope by helicopter on a regular basis.

From Friday 23 February these deliveries will be made every second Friday until further notice. This will usually be done between 12 noon and 2pm and means SH25 will close at the site for short periods so the helicopter can safely operate over the road to deliver those important supplies.

The road will close in both directions for up to 20 minutes at a time, then reopen to allow traffic to clear before the next closure. NZTA is grateful for your patience while their contractors work to get this important work done.

SH25A: overnight closure planned next month 

An overnight road closure will be needed shortly on SH25A, so NZTA's team can install a new rubber seal into one of the bridge joints on Taparahi bridge.

This is expected to happen in early March and with the road closed between 11pm and 4am for one night.

The team will take advantage of the closure to also install grates on the drainage channels. NZTA will provide more information as soon as the date for this work is confirmed.

For information about work impacting state highways around the region visit journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic.

New brand, maps and directory a boost for Thames

The new Explore Interesting Thames brand which Thames Community Board has funded, has helped bring in visitors to our district's principal town. The Hauraki Prospectors Association which runs the Goldmine Experience, reported a bumper season with over 2,000 visitors in 40 days. 

The revamped website Explorethames.nz showcases the town’s history, activities and events of interest as well as business directories of where to eat, shop, stay and what to do. 

Thames Community Board's investment of $7,000 in the social media initiative of the Explore Thames brand was seen as very successful, with posts on Facebook reaching over 250,000 people in January and more than 1,800 on Instagram. Board members reported posts being shared by other popular social media sites had resulting in an influx of visitors to some natural beauty spots. 

Board members have been pleased to see the “places of interest” maps being used around Thames. Information centres in other parts of the district provided feedback that having a physical map visitors could have in their hands was really valued.

Community Patrol safety light 

From L to R: Board Member Kishan Raikwar, Board Deputy Chair Rob Johnston, Councillor Peter Revell, Garry and Dianne Leather (Community Safety Patrol), Councillor Martin Rodley, Board Member Holly MacKenzie, Councillor Robyn Sinclair and Board Chair Adrian Catran.

Thames Community Patrol visited Thames Community Board to demonstrate the patrol vehicle’s new safety light, made possible by a $2,245 investment from the Board at the end of last year. 

The light improves visibility when the volunteers patrol the streets at night-time at least four nights a week checking for disturbances and reporting any issues to the Police. The light would also be used to warn traffic in the case of an incident or accident until emergency vehicles arrived on scene. 

Currently staffed by around 10 volunteers, the patrol is looking for new members, particularly younger people to complement the mostly retired volunteers on their roster. Full training will be given. 

Anyone keen who is available one evening a week for a couple of hours is asked to contact Dianne Leather on 027 2345 845 or email paddle47@gmail.com

Join The Treasury at their fundraising high tea

Join The Treasury's Fundraising Event on Saturday, March 9, 2024. Indulge in delectable Japanese-themed high tea treats and immerse yourself in the captivating world of Charlotte de Rothschild, an internationally renowned lyric soprano.

Charlotte specialises in oratorio and the art of song, performing in 19 languages, including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

Email charlottefundraiser24@gmail.com with your name and the number of tickets you wish to reserve.

Sign up for a free cycle skills courses

Learn how to stay safe on your bike and ride with confidence on the roads. Come along to one of our free cycle skills courses – there’s one in Thames on Thursday 11 April 9am-1pm.  

The course’ll also teach you how to check your bike for safety. You'll need a roadworthy bike and an approved helmet to take part.  

To register, contact our Council on 07 868 0200 or email customer.services@tcdc.govt.nz

Opportunities at our Council

Our current job vacancies are: 

At our Council we ensure work-life balance is not just a dream but a reality. We offer an array of staff benefits including; flexible work arrangements, relocation allowance, free parking, sick leave on commencement of employment and more. 

Adoptable dogs