Minutes of 2015 Mahurangi Action annual general meeting

Scott Homestead Scotts Landing 7 November 2015

Meeting opened 3.22 pm 7 November 2015

Attending Tessa Berger, Jefferson Chapple, Cimino Cole, Margaret Faed, Hugh Gladwell, Joan Gordon, Michael Gordon and Sarah Ransom.

Apologies Jim Dollimore, Mike Hanne, Cluny Macpherson, Mike Neil, Craig Powell, Gill Telford and Roger Williams.

Chairman In the absence of the president, the meeting agreed the secretary would chair the meeting until the election of the committee.

Minutes of 2 November 2014 annual general meeting were circulated to attendees by email promptly following that meeting were approved.

Annual report was prepared by the secretary on behalf of President Temepara Morehu, who was unwell and unavailable for re-election, and circulated by email 5.44 AM of the day of meeting.

Last year’s annual general meeting was the shortest in Mahurangi Action’s then 40-year history—the Jane Gifford needed to get attendees back to Warkworth before being thwarted by the falling tide. In its brevity, this report will honour that achievement.

The 2015 Mahurangi Regatta was supported by Auckland Council’s regional events fund, with $2000, and with a like sum from the Rodney Local Board’s events budget. Participating yacht and boating clubs increased their contribution but the Mahurangi Oyster Farmers Association didn’t repeat its generous 2014 donation.

There have been two major regatta developments: the offer of a $5000 cash and $3000 in-kind sponsorship by Teak Construction; and the prospect of a Rodney Local Board-initiated recognition and support as a significant regional event by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development.

Hard on the heels of the regatta, Mahurangi Action in partnership with Auckland Council trialled a pilot programme of awareness raising of builders in the Warkworth area to the need to limit sediment generation. Mahurangi Action successfully argued for a second, more targeted pilot with the emphasis on determining exactly what measures needed implementing, on a site-by-site basis. As with the first pilot, council will pay Mahurangi Action to deliver part of the programme. Related to this form of collaboration is the change signalled by Auckland Council whereby the Mahurangi will enjoy, for a limited period, status as a priority catchment, during which the council will assist this organisation to build capacity to continue progressing the Mahurangi Action Plan after the council scales back its support.

The cause of the Mahurangi Coastal Trail has been considerably advanced, including by, in concert with Friends of Regional Parks, the creation of the Mahurangi Coastal Trail Trust, and helping ensure that the overwhelming thrust of initial submissions to the Auckland Regional Parks management plan review were in favour of the coastal trail as the primary means of Te Muri access. The draft management plan review is due to be released this month.

Mahurangi Action and Dr David Bergin have begun a dialogue with Auckland Council on a bulk-purchase concept whereby Auckland Council ensures that some of the funds it grants for the purchase of indigenous plants are spent on those raised by the more cost-effective open-ground method. Also, Three hundred open-ground raised totara were planted at two different spacings into the nurse crop established in 2014 on the Mahurangi Farm-Forestry Trail.

Mahurangi Action, with the help of an $1100 grant from the Rodney Local Board and Jefferson Chapple’s architectural rendering expertise, has produced a Mahurangi River environment precinct concept, with the stated goal of starting a conversation about how the council and community might develop Warkworth’s town basin environment to better delivery economic, ecological and social outcomes. At a subsequent meeting of the Jane Gifford Trust, it was proposed to jointly convene a Mahurangi River forum, possibly twice-yearly or when circumstances demanded it.

Mahurangi Action assisted the Whitebait Connection deliver two native fish discovery nights. The first was held from the weir adjacent Mahurangi College and upstream, and second on the Mahurangi Farm-Forestry Trail.

It was resolved that the annual report as circulated, with the additional items regarding the totara plating and the Whitebait Connection, be taken as read and approved. Moved by Hugh Gladwell; seconded by Tessa Berger

Financial Treasurer’s report (attached) presented by Michael Gordon was approved. Moved by Sarah Ransom; seconded by Hugh Gladwell

Election of committee
Temepara Morehu, president from 2011, was not available for re-election due to poor health. Margaret Faed assumed the chair during the nomination and election en masse of the following:

Tessa Berger (as president) entrepreneur incumbent vice-president
nominated by Cimino Cole seconded by Hugh Gladwell
Cimino Cole (as secretary) editor incumbent
nominated by Michael Gordon seconded by Hugh Gladwell
Jim Dollimore biologist incumbent
nominated by Cimino Cole seconded by Hugh Gladwell
Hugh Gladwell lawyer incumbent
nominated by Cimino Cole seconded by Michael Gordon
Michael Gordon (as treasurer) engineer incumbent
nominated by Tessa Berger seconded by Sarah Ransom
Caitlin Owston-Doyle film/sound
nominated by Tessa Berger seconded by Hugh Gladwell

Tessa Berger assumed the chair.

Business arising out of minutes
Locker lookout The secretary reported that Mike Neil had been frustrated in his attempt to have Auckland Council acknowledge the importance of the lookout—identified by Dr Ronald Locker in Jade River : A History of the Mahurangi—and had withdrawn his associated subdivision plan.

General business
Mahurangi River Restoration Trust Hugh Gladwell reported that he and Peter Thompson had formed the Mahurangi River Restoration Trust and that it had received $20000 from the Rodney Local Board towards consent costs involved with disposal of sediment to be dredged from the Warkworth town basin, on a downstream property.

Mahurangi Harbour forum Hugh Gladwell reported that it was planned to invite all stakeholders to participate in a twice-yearly forum on the Mahurangi River and Harbour. Jefferson Chapple indicated this was just the outcome he hoped his renderings of the Mahurangi River environment precinct concept would inspire. The meeting agreed that March, rather than February, was likely to be more conducive to attendance.

Meeting closed at 3.47 pm.