And the Winner Is…
In the previous newsletter the new KRRA committee asked you to participate in a short survey and offered a $100 voucher from Luke’s Kitchen as an incentive to participate (thanks Luke).
The draw was made in front of the Friday night crowd at the Kuaotunu Fire Station and KRRA member George Crosby was the winner. With three daughters who love going to Luke’s Kitchen, George was delighted to be the lucky recipient of this voucher.
The KRRA committee was very appreciative of the 198 responses received. Click the button below to see the survey results and read the comments and suggestions that were submitted. If there are any particular suggestions that you would like to heartily endorse, please let us know!
Changes at the Tennis Courts
In the March newsletter we mentioned that KRRA and the Kuaotunu Domain Board (now the Reserves Board) had submitted a joint application to Thames-Coromandel District Council to overlay the existing concrete surface of the tennis courts with a new, engineered concrete overlay. Unfortunately, due to the extreme pressures on the Council’s budget as a result of the weather events earlier this year, this project has been put on hold for the meantime.
The Board had built the courts in 1991 using mostly local volunteer labour. Concrete was chosen for the slab to allow for multi-use, i.e. bikes, skateboards etc, as well as ball games. With a growing number of locals interested in not only tennis but also netball and basketball, and more recently pickleball, the Board has taken the initiative and changed the markings on the tennis courts to accommodate all of these sports, as well as tennis.
One court remains for tennis, with pickleball markings added (one pickleball court each side of the tennis net). The other court is now marked for netball and basketball (to change the goals from one game to the other, simply rotate the posts). Funding for both the line marking and the reversible hoops was the result of a generous grant from the Mercury Bay Community Board.
The Board is also proposing to fill the cracks in the concrete once a suitable material has been identified, and is hoping to see all courts used extensively, including the adjacent petanque court. Please direct any comments to board member Ian Goodall.
From Kuaotunu to the World Stage
On Friday 7 July, as the sound of pipes skirled through the village, a small corner of Kūaotunu threw itself into the Highland spirit, dressing itself in tartan and kilts, eating Scottish stew, haggis, and shortbread to raise funds to help young Kūaotunu piper Rupert Nielsen travel with his band, the Manawatu Scottish, to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships.
The evening was hosted by the Kūaotunu Fire Brigade and Social club, and $7,597 was raised - enough to cover Rupert’s flights and accommodation. He and his family were truly humbled by the community’s support at the Highland Evening, and also appreciated the Facebook messages sent during the two-week preparation time in Scotland.
The Worlds was held over two days at Glasgow Green, and included 17 Grade 1 bands playing in four events. Manawatu Scottish came in 9th overall - one place higher than their goal of top-ten. They were thrilled with their best-ever overseas results.
Now that Rupert, the little kid from Kūaotunu, is back from competing on the world stage, he’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all the community who helped him get there.
During the trip Rupert and his parents, Phil & Kate, were thrilled to stay in the family home from which Rupert’s great-grandfather left Scotland in search of a new life around a century ago. His visit was featured in the local paper and you can read the article here.
Changes at the Kuaotunu Hall
Regular hall visitors have no doubt noticed that the garden bed at the front of the Kuaotunu Hall has been revamped. The revamp included the removal of an overgrown Pseudopanax (five-finger) and grasses, along with the replacement of the rotten sleepers with a raised garden bed.
Hall Committee member Jo Mullins led this project and chose a selection of roses and other shrubs that were suitable for the age of the hall and which wouldn’t grow too big and hide the signs. The committee would like to thank Gavin of G&D Property Services for doing the heavy work involved.
The Hall Committee is also pleased to advise that the failed septic system at the Hall is going to be replaced with a storage tank that will be pumped out on a regular basis. This tank will be largely underground, and will be sited on the east side of the building.
The original proposal had been to install a modern septic system that would meet the environmental requirements of this day and age. However the size of the system required (which was dictated by the fact that, on occasions, large gatherings are held at the hall) would have meant that the dispersal field would have taken up the whole of the hall’s back lawn.
Given that this lawn is well used for weddings and community events, the Hall Committee and TCDC felt that a storage tank was a better option.
Medieval Banquet a Roaring Success
A medieval banquet was recently held in the Kuaotunu Hall as a fundraiser for a Pump Track at the Te Rerenga School.
Organised by Jannine Verner with the support of many local people in the community, the event was enjoyed by everyone who attended and raised $3530 for this much-needed facility.
Flea (Felicity Jean Photography) kindly took the photos and has made these available for the community to view.
Update from the Kuaotunu Dune Care Group
The Dune Care Group has had a busy time over winter with planting and weeding events. Our Matariki planting on Friday July 14 was particularly successful, with over 45 residents and bach owners joining us for the morning. The planting will help to restore 300m2 of dunes adjacent to the area planted at Gray’s Beach last year. Thanks to the TCDC Coastal Team for their valuable input.
A further 300 natives were also planted in the back dunes adjacent to Pitoone River. Bollards have been installed to define access areas. In August, an additional 1000 spinifex were planted on the dunes across both Grays and Kuaotunu Beaches and we are hopeful this will help with seed collection next summer.
Our journey to protect our dunes is a collective one, and we believe that every contribution counts. Perhaps you can’t assist practically but would still like to be able to support the work of our volunteers. We have now set up a Give-a-Little page, which allows supporters near and far to contribute to our cause. Your donations will help fund essential dune care activities, such as employing specialist contractors to assist with exotic weed control which can’t be managed with our current volunteer base.
New Rubbish Collection Day
As of the beginning of September this year, TCDC has made changes to its rubbish collection services.
The blue rubbish bags are no longer accepted (although these can still be dropped off for free at the Matarangi Refuse Transfer Station). The bags have been replaced with a new, red-lidded rubbish bin (collected fortnightly), plus a new, smaller food-scraps bin (collected weekly).
Note that the rubbish collection day for Kuaotunu is now Wednesday instead of Tuesday.
TCDC Wants Your Input
TCDC wants to know how it should determine which issues or decisions should have community input. They have reviewed their Significance and Engagement Policy and are proposing some improvements that they want your feedback on, like how to decide an issue's importance.
KRRA will be making a submission on behalf of the community, but you can also contribute your own opinion. Submissions close at 4pm on the 23rd of October.
Upcoming Events
Saturday 14 October
Election Day
Votes can be cast at the Kuaotunu Hall from 9am until 7pm.
21, 22 & 23 October (Labour weekend)
Māori and Pasifika Women's Handwork Exhibition
From 11am onwards (daily) at the Kuaotunu Hall.
Saturday 16 December & Saturday 6 January
Kiwi Avoidance Training for Dogs
Have you had your dog kiwi avoidance trained? With so many kiwi living in the bush around Kuaotunu, having your dog kiwi avoidance trained reduces the chance of them becoming a kiwi killer.
To register for this training please click here.
Sunday 7 January
KRRA Public Meeting at the Kuaotunu Hall.
Put it in your diary now!
This newsletter is brought to you by the Kuaotunu Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc (KRRA).
Please note that the views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of KRRA.
We’d love your feedback on this issue - please email your thoughts and suggestions to info@kuaotunu.nz.
Like to contribute an article to this newsletter? We welcome contributions about events, happenings, projects etc that are relevant to the Kuaotunu community. Please note that the Newsletter Editor has the final say regarding content and may edit content if required.
To find out more about the Kuaotunu Residents and Ratepayers Association, such as the date of the next meeting, how to join, agendas and minutes of previous meetings, etc, please click here. You are welcome to attend any committee meetings, these are usually held every 6 weeks.