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Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Omaha Beach Community Inc. ("OBC") held at Omaha Beach Community Centre at 4.00pm on Sunday 3rd January 2010 PRESENT
WELCOME The Chairman welcomed Councillors, members and subsequently the Mayor. APOLOGIES Committee: Merv Dry & Heather; Roger Donald & Cathy; Steve Marshall
and Judy; Members: Greg Stenbeck; Murray & Lauraine Jacobs; Bridget
Allen, David & Elizabeth Hicks PREVIOUS MINUTES Agreed by the members present that minutes of the previous AGM held
3 January 2009, available on website throughout the year, did not need
to be read at the meeting. No matters were raised in relation to the
minutes. The President noted that a major item raised in General Business,
maintenance of northern walkways, was dealt with by RDC early in the
year, and is on this meeting's agenda. PRESIDENT'S REPORT President, Graham Painter, noted that his report was published in the December newsletter which was posted to all financial members and distributed to Superette and Golf Club. Additionally, the President
Motion: That the President's report be accepted. ANNUAL ACCOUNTS Treasurer, Kim Fisher, presented his report, apologising for an error which resulted in the accounts published in the newsletter having one section inadvertently omitted; correct copies were on the table where members sign in for the meeting. RDC for their subsidy, supporting the summer security patrols; thanking Merv Dry for his work in securing advertising which covered 2/3 total costs of newsletters; noting that the security cameras have now been written off in the books – and funds may be needed for replacement / maintenance. The accounting fee was for Hayes Knight's review engagement; Community Centre maintenance was the provision of a new sail over the deck. The drop in funds that followed the granting of $20k to the Omaha Park appeal had been made up and Mr. Fisher advised he was happy with the liquid position, noting the benefits of having sufficient funds to allow the provision of seed funds/ capital for future projects. The treasurer and secretary replied to a question about expenses for members' meetings. Motion:That the 2009 accounts be adopted. CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT TO CONDUCT A REVIEW ENGAGEMENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 31 OCTOBER 2010 The Treasurer noted that OBC's constitution does not require an audit, and the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants and other bodies now say an audit would not be expected for an organisation of our size. It was made clear however the OBC committee would not be comfortable without some form of formal review. For the 2009 accounts OBC had approached Hayes Knight to conduct a review engagement. Hayes Knight have noted that a review is not an audit but they believe the accounts give a true and fair view of OBC's performance and financial position. Motion:That we approach Hayes Knight or other
competent third party to undertake a review engagement of the 2010 accounts. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION The Committee, having considered the amount of the Annual Subscription Fee and the Security Levy had resolved that they be retained at the current levels. Motion:That, the committee having recommended
no change to the 2009 subscription fee and security levy, the subscription
per household be set at $25 and the Security Levy at $20 for the 2010
year. Jo Richards commended the committee on doing such a good job and on keeping subscriptions at this level. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE FOR 2010 Nominations were received in accordance with the Constitution for the following committee members:
Motion:That, there being 12 nominations including
two representatives from OBRS (Mike Campbell and Steve Marshall) and
no other nominations, these nominees be duly elected committee members
of OBC for the 2010 year. CLUB and GROUP REPORTS Golf Club Larry Allen, Vice-President, spoke of the good condition of the course, thanked Copy Wilkins and his team and noted that the amenities add value to our properties. The New Year campsite on Rathe property across the causeway had been very successful, both in assisting the Club to retire some debt and in providing a safe environment for the 1,000 people camped there. 24-hour security had been provided, with a roster of Club members assisting the campsite had been totally incident-free, it contributed to Omaha being pretty quiet, and the police were happy. Golf club members, initially skeptical, were proud of what was achieved and it was a successful commercial exercise. He noted the success of the marquee, provided at no cost by McEntee Hire, here for two weeks up to LJ Hooker tournament Friday 8 January, and noted there were still tee spots for this event, and for the Beach Party BBQ to follow. In closing, he commended OBC on its efforts. Bowls Judy Crooks (OBC Life Member) spoke in lieu of Giles Boyd. She commented on the new green (superb), the new committee (the president having a huge workload), that bowls are available inexpensively (with members on the gate for a social event), and concluded by complimenting the OBC committee – in particular on the newsletter and it's all so professional. Shorebird Protection Group The President advised Joanne McPhee was unable to attend; the group is a charitable trust and they would welcome donations. GENERAL BUSINESS New Year New Year was relatively uneventful. The Highlife concert didn't create any major problems, despite up to 10,000 people attending it this year. Organisers are planning on being back in two years' time. Security Security patrols are operating 8pm-4am daily and the quad bike is doing a beach patrol mid-to-late afternoon. The levy is well spent and we are indebted to RDC for their subsidy. ("What will happen next year?") Rubbish Rubbish was not collected 24 December, despite RDC having authorised it; however the crucial 31 December collections were done despite major traffic delay issues for the recycling trucks. Litter bins are to be emptied daily. During discussion in which different views were presented, Councillor Dave Parker assured members he works hard behind the scenes and will follow up matters raised. Boat Ramp The President noted that the present problems of overcrowding at the boat ramp and for boat parking will be exacerbated in the future with another 50% growth yet to come from building on Omaha Beach sections. He is meeting Chris Burgess, RDC and Tony Strange, CityCare on 6 January to discuss better marking out of parking, with the potential to increase it by 25-40%. He also referred to the ongoing problems with access to the 'overload park' when it is being chained off, and advised that the floating pontoon option (mentioned in December newsletter) is being considered. In extensive discussion, during which strong feelings were expressed, numerous members noted issues, raised queries or put forward suggestions, including:
Vehicles on walkways/dunes/beach Only Surf Club and Insite Security vehicles should be on the beach. The question of a footpath on Omaha Drive – for the sake of children's safety - was raised, but "we can't get any traction there": this is a "dead duck". Seawall and dinghy ramp Since the Planning Forum committee members have met with Chris Burgess, RDC. The next stage is apparently starting in February and we now expect a dinghy ramp to be included (north of the steps located between the golf club and tennis courts). A member commented that the first stage "has been done wrong – isn't going to last 4-5 years"; the President noted that we made the same point last year. Northern End Walkways RDC fixed the hazardous walkway sections raised at last year's Annual Meeting; we have identified and prioritised further sections and supplied GPS coordinates, after meeting onsite with Council. This list is now with Council and contractors. Members could inspect the aerial photographs displayed at the meeting. Omaha Taniko Wetlands (Kahikatea) Scientific Reserve Walkway Hopefully we can do this for $100k; some funds will come from OBRS to kick-start the project; a sub-committee is working on the management plan and funding sources. The biggest issue will be the logistics of getting metal through the 2.5km track. A member asked why we need this walkway, suggesting hardly anyone will use it. The President gave the history, noting the usage the Southern end walkway gets; in his view it will be an asset. On a show of hands, most members think it a great idea: "we have to look to the future". Matakana Walkway Scott McCallum and Neville Johnson addressed members and outlined the current status: they're looking to start two sections in February. They commended 'Skip' and Jill Whitmore (over whose property one section will go) and the "Wastewater crowd". They are looking for around $500k, are hoping the Omaha community will look at the section from the causeway to Jones Rd, and want ideas from us for funding and support. (Applause) Their intention is to try to separate the walk/cycleway from the road. Inundation This issue has been going on for four years! We have communicated with the 42 affected parties in the last few days and the President will be meeting with them on Tuesday, 4 January, to brief them and discuss ongoing activity. Omaha Park The President referred to all the work being done by numbers of people. He is leading the team and Greg Stenbeck, OBRS President, has an overview. The OBC Treasurer, Kim Fisher, is dealing with the financial side; Carolyn Howden, Glenys McBain and Belinda Thomas with communication; Chris Allan is the instructing solicitor; our counsel Richard and Jeremy Brabant. He noted that apart from the visual effects, landscaping and so on, OBC's expert witnesses are dealing with two issues with major impact : groundwater and traffic, and provided examples of their significance and potential effect. The hearing is scheduled to start 15 February 2010 at the High Court in Auckland and we want people to come to the hearing. We will send a reminder letter; it will be helpful if people could indicate their availability, and we will deal with this in the letter. Richard Brabant referred to Omaha Park Ltd ("OPL") making a last-minute application to have more time to do more work on traffic study, and mentioned aspects of the traffic effects. Members applauded at the conclusion of his explanations. A member suggested that NZ Forest and Bird and the Whangateau Harbour Care group should be concentrating on the effects on the Whangateau Harbour (eg from stormwater) and the President noted that expert witnesses for ARC and RDC are dealing with other matters, such as this, to minimise expense. He referred to the great response from members for funding, and asked those who haven't contributed to do so. We will put the result of OPL's adjournment application on the OBC website. Auckland The President referred to the Northern Action Group petition and commented that while it's over to individuals committee members don't see the benefits to us in joining with Kaipara. Asked to comment, Mayor Penny Webster said she thinks the best thing we can do now is to assume we'll be part of Auckland, and to make sure our representative on the Auckland Council is capable of making a strong case for Rodney residents. She confirmed she intended to stand for the council member for this area. Other
CONCLUSION The president thanked the committee and the meeting closed at 5.35pm. Copyright © 2005-2010 Omaha Beach
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