Member Update September 2024

Hi LBRA Members and locals,

What an amazing month September was for LBRA and Long Bay! Here’s a recap:

  • The second event for our Imagining Te Oneroa ō Kahu (Long Bay) initiative – the Ideas to Actions workshop – was held on the 6th of September with invaluable input from very engaged participants (see below).
  • Our collaborative application for Predator Free NZ funding with Restore Hibiscus and Bays was successful, planning is in progress!
  • We held our quarterly Community Cleanup and despite the smaller turnout we collected a very large amount of rubbish, and enjoyed coffee and chat afterwards.
  • We found out that November Cafe is opening in the village! Residents have often queried why there is no suitable cafe in Long Bay and we’ve regularly had requests about it and often communicated with Viranda (Long Bay Village) about this. Once open, let’s make sure it is well frequented!
  • Work started on the reinstatement of the Climbing Rope Frame in the Long Bay Regional Park.
  • Auckland Council advised that planning has been initiated for a youth-focussed park at 1 Streamview Way, and we’re connected with the staff working on that.
  • We’ve progressed an initiative for CCTV at Piripiri Point Drive
  • The Food Truck Collective rolled back into town on Thursday 26th September
  • Planning for our 10th Anniversary AGM on 16th October is going well, and lots of attendees confirmed!
  • Also, to top it off, our Long Bay College rep on the LBRA Board – Gauri Ramesh – has been re-elected onto the college board of trustees for another year, plus will be a Deputy Prefect. Awesome mahi Gauri!

Imagining Te Oneroa ō Kahu (Long Bay) – Protecting the Jewel

Many of us living in the new subdivision in Long Bay feel privileged to live next to the taonga (treasure) that is the Long Bay Regional Park and Marine Reserve. But what might be the role of our community in helping to protect it?!

Led by the Long Bay Residents Association (LBRA), this was one of the questions a group of interested individuals, and nature focussed community organisations, have been considering. Coming together across two workshops, the group have been imagining what the future could look like for our natural environment in Te Oneroa ō Kahu, Long Bay.

Those involved see a vital role for those of us surrounding the regional park, to protect it with a buffer zone by removing pest plants and animals, which if left untamed will continue to invade this unique and very special place. Additionally, a focus on activities and spaces aims to improve the sense of community, and progress further towards an attractive clean eco-friendly environment.

Four initial projects have been identified to support this vision of “Protecting the Jewel” These are:

  1. Pest Plant/Animal activities – including on private properties
  2. Public/Developer land – activities on specific sites
  3. Vaughans Stream corridor – protection and restoration
  4. Community Spaces activation and feasibility

The process was facilitated by Ben Sheeran and was enabled by financial support from Restore Hibiscus & Bays. Alongside local residents, those participating in the latest workshop included representatives from Friends of Long Bay, Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society, Long Bay Chinese Association, Torbay Historical Society, Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, Auckland Council, MERC, Long Bay Primary & College, Kaipātiki Project, Untangled Landscapes and others.

In the words of Gareth Roberts – ‘It’s incredible to see how motivated this growing movement is to take action for nature. The next stage is to start to mobilise the community in supporting these initial projects’.

If you live in Long Bay and you want to know how you can get involved, get in touch with the group by emailing longbayra@gmail.com or look out for further information on Facebook, in your mailbox or in the local magazines.

Pest Control Survey and Predator Free NZ Funding

In early August we released our LBRA Pest Control Survey, in coordination with our joint application for Predator Free NZ funding with Restore Hibiscus and Bays. In early September we received the fantastic news that we have secured funding, and we’re now planning the forward actions for the initiative. If you haven’t already,

please fill out our survey as we’ll be looking to place traps/bait stations in selected/targeted residential properties in the near future!

LBRA Residents Feedback Survey – win one of two $50 New World Gift Cards

As per prior years, we are running our annual feedback survey, and this year New World have joined in to sponsor a couple of $50 Gift Cards which LBRA Members can win. If you haven’t already responded, please respond to this survey as it does help to guide our future activities. Results will be presented at our 10th Anniversary AGM on Wednesday 16th of October, 7pm at the Long Bay College Staffroom – please reply if you’d like to attend and haven’t already RSVP’d.

LBRA Board Activities

We have a number of initiatives in play – if you have any suggestions or would like to support any of these, please reach out:

  • LBRA Board Nominations – if you’d like to volunteer to join the board, or assist in any way please fill out & return the 2024 nomination form or let us know. We are particularly looking for someone to help out with the secretary duties – please get in touch if you can help!
  • Pest Control – plants and animals.
    • Plants: If you would like to join a dedicated weed plant removal crew, please reply!
    • Predators: If you’d like to volunteer to run a trap/bait station line – please complete the survey or reply via email.
  • CCTV – we’ve applied for funding and we’re looking at required processes for getting CCTV in place in a couple of specific public spaces.
  • The Food Truck Collective – we’re communicating with their team and as well as the recent September event, there is a summer series planned again!
  • Sponsorship options for LBRA – if you know any companies that may be open to sponsoring the residents’ association activities, please let us know.

Community Activities

There are a few community activities on the calendar and we’re looking at adding Badminton into the mix! Currently we have:

  • Walking Groups:
    • Saturdays at 7.15am meet in front of Long Bay Surf Club
    • Tuesdays at 4pm meet at Long Bay Surf Club
  • Football: Mondays at 6pm – meet at Ashley Turf, all skills/ages welcome
  • Badminton: in planning – contact us if you’d like to help out
  • Community Cleanups: quarterly, usually 2nd Saturday of the month Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec.
  • Please let us know if there are more and we can add them to our calendar, see our website home page for the calendar.

Community Interactions

During August, 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:
    • Further news about the Long Bay Regional Park Rope Climbing Frame work starting in September 2024!
    • Addressing graffiti – more instances of this popping up recently.
    • Discussions related to the youth focussed park at 1 Streamview Way
  • Auckland Transport
    • Thanks from AT for LBRA’s submission to the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP)
    • Communications related to the next expected update on the Vaughans Road Closure
  • Restore Hibiscus and Bays
    • communications related to Predator Free NZ funding, pest numbers in traps, and other trap specific questions
    • draft documents related to resident weed control plans and permissions
  • Viranda (Long Bay Village)
    • on various items relating to the village, including the cafe that is being fitted out!
    • In relation to CCTV in Long Bay Village
  • Long Bay College – Communications related to the Student Volunteer Army, Badminton community sessions, AGM and involvement in the Imagining Te Oneroa ō Kahu Workshop
  • Long Bay Primary – involvement in the Imagining Te Oneroa ō Kahu Workshop
  • Long Bay Village Market – Further communications related to the Bike Kaipatiki involvement at the market
  • Long Bay Chinese Association – attendance at their AGM.
  • Long Bay Regional Park – in relation to people walking dogs into the park – see FAQs on our website
  • Neighbourhood Support – in relation to Street Contacts signup
  • Residents in relation to:
    • Graffiti
    • Enquiries about the cafe in Long Bay Village
    • Walking groups in Long Bay

If you would like further information or would like to assist with any of the above, please email longbayra@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events

  • 16th October 7pm: LBRA Annual General Meeting 2024

RSVP via email for our 10th Anniversary AGM at the Long Bay College Staffroom. We’ll be having a number of community focused speakers, and if you’d like to volunteer for the LBRA board, please fill out & return a nomination form via email. Looking forward to some cake!

  • 31st October – Halloween: keep an eye out for announcements, some amazingly decorated houses and spooky occurrences!

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.

Regards,
Gareth

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