Welcome to our first 2026 update, covering activity from mid-December 2025 through the beginning of March. The LBRA team has remained active through summer, focusing on safety, environment and community connection. A reminder for our quarterly Community Clean up this Saturday 21st March 9.30am, with a rubbish audit lined up! Also, be sure to pencil Sunday 16th August in your calendars as we’ll need plenty of volunteers for our Vaughans Stream Corridor planting day. Read on for more …
Major Activities/Initiatives:
Christmas Lights Competition Winners
A quick (late!) announcement – the winners of our 2025 Christmas lights competition last year were:
Ultimate Christmas Glow: 49 Bounty Road – Brunch for two at Kinfolk
Themed Christmas Concept: 66 Caldera Drive – Gel manicure at Glow & Co
Techy Tinsel Award: 12 Bearing Parade – 5-class Pilates pass from Power Pilates Long Bay
Paw-sitively Festive Furry Friend: No entrants 🙁 hopefully pets are less shy in 2026!
A big thank you to Kinfolk, Glow & Co and Power Pilates Long Bay for generously providing the prizes – they really made the competition special.
Amazing effort everyone – the neighbourhood looked fantastic!
Awaruaika Youth Park Update
Awaruaika Youth Park plans include an adventure play area with a flying fox, a social space, pump track, multi-use court, kick-a-ball area as well as much needed facilities with public toilets. A link to the northern side of the pedestrian “bridge to nowhere” is also included, however the southern side link (steep bank) will be a future project.
Stage 1 – work on the toilets is complete they are looking amazing!
Stage 2 – the youth park is planned for construction October 2026 to April 2027.
Awaruaika Youth Park will provide local residents and the general public with an inclusive environment for play, connection, and creativity, enriching the heart of Long Bay for generations to come.
Piripiri Point Drive Speed Calming Measures and Berm Protection
The “Have Your Say” haveyoursay.at.govt.nz/piripiripointdrive was completed and feedback received on the changes to Piripiri Point Drive to address ongoing undesirable activities in the area. Auckland Transport (AT) published a summary of resident feedback with a number raising concerns about the design. However AT confirmed the design largely stands without changes, and with either three or four speed humps to be installed dependent on funding. The feedback covered:
Anti-social Behaviour: Residents frequently cited speeding, burnouts, dumping, and late-night gatherings (6+ mentions), with strong support for deterrents. AT’s speed humps, bollards, and lighting aim to curb this, though they urge reporting to NZ Police.
Camera Requests: Nine submitters requested CCTV or ANPR for better enforcement, but AT ruled them out due to lacking operational funding; Police capacity is limited.
Speed Humps: Eight comments backed humps but questioned placement or cul-de-sac coverage. AT optimised locations for speed reduction under existing lights, deeming turning circle humps unfeasible and over-budget.
Lighting Concerns: Six mentions split on visibility gains versus light pollution near reserves. AT limited lights to hump sites on existing poles to balance safety and ecology.
Funding Debate: Eight opposed spending here over Vaughans Road, citing fewer houses. AT noted Local Board funding can’t shift programs, with Vaughans Road still prioritised separately.
Next Steps
The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board decides on construction in February 2026, and we are awaiting further details at the time of writing. Updates are due to be posted online and notices to locals pre-works.
The Long Bay Residents’ Association is continuing to advocate for further measures to be taken per the feedback provided as a number of underlying issues are unlikely to be addressed by the plans. Please get in touch if you’d like your voice to be heard.
Long Bay Halo – Predator Free Update
With the colder weather now on us it is a great time to bait and check those 100+ traps we have throughout Long Bay! For those without traps but keen to be involved, please get in touch again via email longbayra@gmail.com as we’re getting close to our original targets. For those with traps, if bait is being taken, but you’re not catching anything, perhaps try swapping out the T-Rex trap for a mouse trap for a few days. Also, get in touch if you’d like us to provide further guidance and/or some Pic’s Peanut Butter Waste (for rats not humans!) – no cost, seems rodents love the extra oily waste.
We’re also lifting our game and looking beyond regular backyards to larger lots, where we will install Flipping Timmys and automatic traps (AT220’s) especially around Significant Ecological Areas (SEA’s). Please reach out if you’d like to be considered. We’ve also registered on Forest and Bird’s Give a Trap – donate to Long Bay Residents’ Association, we’d love more AT220’s!
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You can find our project information sheet with handy hints and tips here: longbay.nz/predator-halo.
Your efforts are making a real difference. Every trap checked and every predator caught brings us closer to a safer home for our native wildlife.
Long Bay Halo – Vaughans Stream Team Update
Exciting news! We’re planning our big planting day for over 1,800 native plants on Sunday 16th August – be sure to mark your calendars, and get involved!
Each 3rd Sunday of the month the Vaughans Stream Team holds a working bee to regenerate the Vaughans Stream corridor. We’re now focusing on plans for the planting day:
– Removing the remaining invasive plants: blackberry, pampas grass, gorse, woolly nightshade, etc.
– Freeing the existing plants from kikuyu, bindweed and generally preparing for planting
– Reviewing other Long Bay sites as potential candidates for restoration
– Working together, enjoying great company and community spirit, with stories from around Long Bay of locals clearing invasive plants and planning/ordering natives for planting season in June – August.
Our next working bee will be: 10am, Sunday 19th April, meet opposite Dynamic Physio. If you want to volunteer but can’t make this time, please get in touch as we do adhoc workouts too!
Keen to join? Our Vaughans Stream Team is on WhatsApp, visit: https://longbay.nz/vst
Let’s keep the momentum growing! 🌳
Quarterly Community Clean Up
We held a successful cleanup in December 2025 (photo below). Join us for the Long Bay Community Clean Up Saturday 21st March, a great way to improve our beautiful surroundings, meet neighbours, and care for our environment
Ever wondered what kind of rubbish we actually pick up?
This time, Ben Sheeran and the team from Trash Free Taiaotea will be running a rubbish audit to help us learn more about where the waste comes from and how we can reduce it in the future.
Get involved right now! Reply with what you think we’ll find most: plastic bottles, food wrappers, or something surprising?
We’ll pick one random commenter to win a fun spot prize after the event!
When: Saturday 21st March, 9.30am– 10.30am followed by a coffee
Where: Long Bay Village square, outside New World / Kinfolk
Bring: Gloves, sunhat, and good vibes
Join us on the following Saturdays in 2026 – a great way to meet and give back to the community:
– 21st March
– 20th June
– 19th September
– 19th December
Want to stay in the loop? Join our WhatsApp group here: longbay.nz/cleanup.
North Shore Neighbourhood Support support for a Street Party!
Following our recent positive discussions, we’re further supporting North Shore Neighbourhood Support! Please reach out to Selena at nsnscoordinator.selena@gmail.com and cc longbayra@gmail.com if you’re keen to host a Street Party – a superb way to meet your neighbours and connect for positive improvements in your immediate neighbourhood.
LBRA Board Activities
- Board and Governance
- Board Meetings: Meetings were held each month. Thanks to Viranda for providing a venue in the village for our meetings.
- Treasurer’s Reports: Finances remain stable.
- Constitution & Incorporated Societies Act: Constitution lodged. The following minor changes have been made to the LBRA Constitution, in addition to formatting changes, following approval at the LBRA AGM 2025, following guidance from IRD specifically to allow for non-profit tax status, and further legal review:
Section “INTRODUCTORY RULES”, sub-section “Purposes”:
- Deleted: “provides benefits to Members, Officers, or their families to alleviate hardship,”
Section “INTRODUCTORY RULES”, sub-section “Members’ obligations and rights”:
- Deleted: “or Life Member”
Section “ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION”, sub-section “Amending this constitution”:
- Changed: “No addition to, deletion from or alteration of this Constitution shall be made which would allow personal pecuniary profits to any individuals.”
- To: “No addition to, deletion from or alteration of this Constitution shall be made which would allow personal financial gain to any individuals. The provisions and effect of this clause shall not be removed from this document and shall be included and implied into any document replacing this document. This clause is required to ensure that the Society retains its not-for-profit status.”
Please contact us within 20 days if you have any objections to the changes.
- Association Insurance: Management Liability and Professional Indemnity coverage – discussions continuing including liaising with other non-profit organisations.
- Board Members: New member Nadeen Harbuz joined the board. Welcome Nadeen!
- Community Engagement and Events
- Christmas Lights Competition: prizes were distributed and communicated on socials.
- Badminton: Social community badminton starting soon! Reach out if you would like to organise or play badminton.
- Barista Event: Looking to run further events at Kinfolk similar to the previous one.
- Long Bay Market: Presence with flags and flyers.
- Street Party / Community Heroes Day: North Shore Neighbourhood Support is now focusing on residents hosting a Street Party. See prior section.
- Local events supported: including 17 January Whangaparāoa “Look, Don’t Take” protest. Section 21 ban is now in place, but further advocacy is in progress to extend the ban to East Coast Bays. Reach out with your views.
- Music in the Parks: Attended the excellent and successful Auckland Council event on Feb 21st at Ashley Reserve. What a day out, hope you all made it!
- Community Safety & Issues
- Piripiri Point Drag Strip/Burnout Zone: Further notice of incidents and ongoing discussions with Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Police. Awaiting confirmation of plans, and implementation of changes in May-2026. Further liaison for additional changes.
- Neighbourhood Safety: Neighbourhood Support North Shore signage is complete for now. Thanks to the team for providing signs!
- Feedback on e-scooters/bike: Residents have regularly raised concerns around behaviours on and off the roads, planning to coordinate with Police and Council.
- Communication with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport: A number of incidents and requests around parking, graffiti, illegal dumping, illegal freedom camping and compliance raised with local authorities.
- Environmental Initiatives
- Long Bay Halo – Predator Free NZ project continues, including signage design, trap rollout, and further upgraded traps including AT220 (Automatic Traps).
- Vaughans Stream Corridor: Regeneration efforts are ongoing via the Vaughans Stream Team, Working Bees held each month, and planning for Planting Day on 16th August 2026.
- Community Garden: planning continues for a community garden / EnviroHub in Long Bay and we visited a great community organisation nearby for ideas. If you’d like to be involved in managing/running a community garden, please email us.
- Partnerships & Local Engagement
- Restore Hibiscus and Bays: In addition to the aforementioned activities we’re also coordinating and attending site inspections for pest plant/animal controls, predator trap line rollouts and further communications!
- Ongoing collaboration with Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, Restore Hibiscus and Bays, Long Bay Chinese Association, Long Bay College, Long Bay Primary, Neighbourhood Support North Shore, Te Hōnonga a Iwi Restoring Rosedale Park, Viranda/Long Bay Village, Long Bay Village Market, and other local groups.
- Village & Business Engagement: Ongoing communication with sponsors, businesses and village management.
- Sponsorship & Fundraising
- Sponsorship packages for businesses with a local physical presence are up and running, with spotlights continuing. We’ll be looking to revisit sponsorships for the 2026/27 financial year in the coming months – benefits are premium exposure to local residents through exclusive promotion via multiple channels; online, print and in-person. Email longbayra@gmail.com for more details.
- HBLB Local Board Grant applications are in progress for March grants.
- Infrastructure & Advocacy
- Vaughans Road Closure: No further updates, further advocacy to be restarted.
- Communication and advocacy for an alcohol ban application for Long Bay public areas; application preparation in progress.
- Street Parking / Rain Gardens: Ongoing discussions about parking spaces, with Auckland Transport & Auckland Council, with some remediation action being taken.
- Technical IT Infrastructure: Subscriptions being reviewed and non-profit options being analysed including Google services and others.
Upcoming Events:
- Community Clean Up Day meet outside New World Saturday 21st March 9.30am
- Village Market Sunday 22nd March
- Vaughans Stream Team Working Bee Sunday 19th April 10am – 12noon meet outside Dynamic Physio
- Vaughans Stream Corridor Planting Day Sunday 16th August
- Monthly LBRA Board meetings – please contact us to arrange attendance.
Community Activities
There are community activities on the calendar and we’re looking at adding more into the mix! Currently we have:
- Walking Group: Saturdays at 7am meet in front of Long Bay Surf Club.
- Football: Mondays at 6pm – meet at Ashley Turf, all skills/ages welcome.
- Run the Bays Club Mondays at 5.50pm – meet at Long Bay Surf Club.
- Mums & Dads Meetup: Fridays 9.30am at November Eatery/Cafe.
- Vaughans Stream Team Working Bees: 3rd Sunday of each month 10 – 12 noon meet opposite Dynamic Physio.
- Badminton: in planning – contact us if you’d like to help out, starting late May or early April.
- Community Cleanups: 21st March, 20th June, 19th September, 19th December.
- Book Buddy Sewing Group: Thursdays 1pm email longbayra@gmail.com for details.
- Cooking Classes: we’re actively looking for volunteers – reach out if you’re keen.
- English Conversation Sessions: Mondays 10 – 11:30am at Long Bay Baptist Church.
- Weekly Ladies coffee group: Thursdays 10.15 to 12 noon at Long Bay Baptist Church.
- Wider Horizons Lunch Club: Monthly on the last Friday – Long Bay Baptist Church. Open to anyone over 65 years.
Please let us know if there are any other activities that we can add to our calendar, see our website home page for the calendar. If you’d like to help out with anything you’re passionate about, please get in touch via email longbayra@gmail.com.
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 additional sponsors for LBRA. If you’re interested, please reach out or spread the word to businesses.