The colder times are here, but despite that, we’ve had a hectic June with a number of events, connections, news, publicity in the local magazines and an in-person submission on the draft Regional Land Transport Plan.
We started out by welcoming a Long Bay College student as a representative to the LBRA board, welcoming Gauri – looking forward to working closer with our younger contingent! Our collaboration with local organisations continues in earnest.
The Long Bay Community Cleanup on the 12th June was our best yet – with a record number of local residents and a group of Long Bay College students helping to clear rubbish from around the neighbourhood. Thanks to all involved – amazing work!
Regreening Long Bay Workshops
On the evening of the 18th of June, the Long Bay community came together for an inspiring event dedicated to regreening the neighbourhood. Held at Long Bay College, the Regreening Long Bay Workshop, organised by the Long Bay Residents’ Association in collaboration with Friends of Long Bay, Restore Hibiscus & Bays, and Untangled Landscapes, attracted a diverse group of residents eager to transform their gardens into sanctuaries for native wildlife. To ensure wider community engagement, the same workshop was held on the 25th of June, in collaboration with the Long Bay Chinese Association, where presentations were translated into Mandarin.
The event started with an informative video from Dick Downing in both English and Chinese.
Matt from Untangled Landscapes shared a video, insightful knowledge and practical tips about soil health, highlighting the differences between conventional and regenerative gardening methods. He explained how to break down compacted soil, balance minerals, and introduce user-friendly pioneer species to create a more resilient garden.
Mary Stewart of Friends of Long Bay and Restore Hibiscus and Bays emphasised the importance of local biodiversity and the role each backyard plays in supporting the wider ecosystem. Attendees learned about the types of native plants that thrive in local conditions and how to choose the right plants for different spaces. By creating layered plantings—incorporating groundcovers, shrubs, trees, and climbers— we can enhance biodiversity and create a more vibrant and sustainable garden. One of the key takeaways was the importance of planting native species to support local wildlife and plants in Long Bay Park.
At the end of the evening some lucky winners were drawn. They all received a garden tool and a native plant thanks to the generous sponsoring of Awa Nursery and Mitre10 NZ.
The Regreening Long Bay Workshop was more than just a learning experience; it was a call to action. The workshop was a step towards achieving the community’s environmental goals, proving that together, we can make a meaningful impact.
Draft Regional Land Transport in-person hearing submission
On Wednesday 26 June 2024 the Long Bay Residents’ Association provided in-person feedback to the Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) to a panel including Auckland Transport and Waka Kotahi. The feedback provided was essentially:
- Glenvar Road/East Coast Road Intersection Upgrade: Increase the priority higher than #91 and start in 2024/2025!
- Vaughans Road/Okura Improvements: Include the project as high priority and start in 2024!
The background of Glenvar Road/East Coast Road is in the public domain and details available here. The background of Vaughans Road/Okura is as per our researched update here and an Auckland Transport report is being provided back to Hibiscus and Bays Local Board on 16th July. If you are able to attend the workshop please attend in person or online.
Community Interactions
During June, we had a number of interactions with local organisations, community groups and residents including:
- Auckland Council and the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board – there were a number of issues we communicated/discussed including:
- Draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) feedback
- Vaughans Road options report/feedback
- Silt overflows in Glenvar Ridge Road
- Homeless / Rough Sleeper policies and procedures
- Auckland Transport – draft RLTP feedback and requesting updates on Vaughans Road
- Templeton Group – discussions on a number of items such as closure of the Sales Suite, progress on developments, fencing and batter potential rule infringements, community facilities,
- Restore Hibiscus and Bays – in relation to Regreening Long Bay event, collaboration on grants, work on the Pest Animal and Plant Control community initiatives
- Viranda (Long Bay Village) – on various items relating to the village including Homeless / Rough Sleeper policies and procedures
- Long Bay College – Re-greening Long Bay Event and Community Cleanups
- Long Bay Village Market – LBRA signs and presence at the monthly Long Bay market
- Long Bay Chinese Association – collaborations on events and security concerns
- Murrays Bay Residents Association – in relation to sharing knowledge on IT systems and document management to support Residents’ Associations.
- Imagining Te Oneroa ō Kahu (Long Bay) initiative – discussions, planning and further community activations including a visit to Kaipātiki Project
- We Empower Us youth wellbeing event
- Communications with Long Bay Residents in relation to:
- Batter related potential infringements (fencing, landscaping)
- Parking on roadways / trailers specifically
- Landscaping rules and regulations / covenants
- Post Boxes in Long Bay
- And Noisy Water Pumps!
If you would like further information or would like to assist with any of the above, please email longbayra@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events
- Saturday 21st September, 9.30am: Community Cleanup
Meet outside New World and keep an eye out for Long Bay College Students and LBRA board members in our hi-vis vests, thanks to New World! Coffee afterwards.
Please bring neighbours, friends, gloves and a rubbish bag!
- October (date to be confirmed): LBRA AGM
Please Support LBRA!
Thanks to those people who have provided Donations! Please continue to support us by clicking the Donate button on our website. We appreciate your generosity! This covers operational and event costs. We accept payments via credit card and other methods. Please reply to this email if you would prefer to donate directly to our bank account. Please note that we currently don’t charge any membership or subscription fees, so all donations are greatly appreciated. We’re also seeking sponsors for LBRA. If you’re interested, please reach out or spread the word to businesses.