Newsletter #1 August 2018 ours was the largest issue at that time and we had to find a solution. With support from BOP Regional Council and a few keen contractors, we were able to divert the Paradise storm-water off the slip and replant 200 trees into it to stabilise the soil. At that first meeting, organised by concerned locals I also put my hand up to be the secretary, to take Valley minutes and the like. Since then we have had floods, washouts, damaged property and road closures, all followed by numerous meetings with councils and affected parties. Catchment We decided to pull in support from someone with experience in facilitating community groups, so Janie Group Stevenson from NZ Landcare Trust was invited to bring her skills to help us create a plan to present to the councils outlining our goals and objectives for the QUARTERLY valley. It has been a long process but with community involvement From the Chair and commitment we have a Paradise Valley Catchment Plan Kia ora koutou, which was presented at our Just short of two years ago my family and I, inaugural meeting. Office holders like many others, escaped the Big Smoke to were nominated and the plan, greener pastures here in Paradise Valley. We with a few amendments, was left a wonderful community of friends in our little accepted. The next step is to suburb of Beach Haven and thought that it might finalise the draft Action Plan and, with the support of be hard to find such generous and caring folk to call councils and anyone else who wants to be involved, neighbours. We needn't have worried, as we have start working towards putting the paradise back into discovered many good, kind people right here, all Paradise Valley. willing to lend a hand, or a tractor or a chainsaw, as Thank you to all those involved in the process. It takes the case may be. time and perseverance but it's worth it. We are only As many of you know, we bought our property on beginning, but together we can achieve more effective Paradise Valley Rd. Back then, our main concern, outcomes for all of us. and that of the community, was the huge slip that I look forward to was caused by a broken water sluice sock which continuing to work drained storm water off our property. It was with you all for our causing sediment buildup in the stream and causing mutual benefit. havoc with trout spawning, among other things.

We were invited to attend a meeting along with Sarah Thomson representatives from the councils to hear about Chairperson, Paradise local issues and possible solutions and realised that Valley Catchment Group BOP Regional Council Update Regional Council, in response to community wishes, has installed a rain gauge in Paradise Valley and this is now recording rain events live on the BOPRC website. You can access this at https://www.boprc.govt.nz/ our-region-and-environment/live-monitoring/ - then take the following steps: • Click on the blue box ’New Data Portal’ • Then click on the little ‘Location’ icon. Lakes Council Update • In the location box – push the down arrow to reveal list The remedial works at the realignment on • Search alphabetically in list for ‘Ngongotahā at Paradise Valley road and two underslip failures Relph Road’ in the road are essentially completed and just • Click the ‘Go To’ box require final sealing. Pavement testing was undertaken this week and sites approved for final • Click ‘Chart’ – this shows you the hour by hour seals. Just awaiting sub-contractor. rainfall in a graph Another site where further damage occurred If you click the tab that says ‘Statistics’ you can see adjacent to an original washout is currently the rain over the last 48 hours in the ‘Value’ column. being designed, and the existing contract under Users can also view and download data from the negotiation for an extension so that work can surrounding rain gauges and the Ngongotahā Stream proceed as soon as possible. A mechanically at SH 5 river level/flow data using theNew Data stabilised earth (MSE) wall is proposed here also. Portal. Just a reminder that Paradise Valley Road and A special thank you to Ray Drake who made a site all side roads now have a reduced speed limit of available on his land for this rain gauge and Craig Putt 80km/hr approved by Council and now operative. who did the installation work. BOPRC is also happy to Above is a photo of the realigned site showing install a water level gauge board on the stream and the earthworks but also the magnitude of would like to hear from the community where they the underslip which required the road to think this could be most usefully installed. On the be realigned. The photo also shows the bridge at the Lion Park is one option. protection work at the toe of the slip that has been successful in reducing the impact of the How does a telemetered rain gauge work? Ngongotaha stream at the toe of the slip which Everytime a 0.5mm bucket fills with rainwater it mitigates the ongoing risk. sends a signal to a data logger which counts the Below is the completed MSE wall in Paradise number of tips. Valley Road These are robust structures and act Using radio or cellular networks, data is transmitted like gravity dams in supporting the road. MSE from the monitoring station to the BOPRC’s server walls are basically layers of granular material with every hour, or when a high intensity rainfall alarm is a geogrid reinforcing each layer. The geogrid is triggered (15.0mm/hour). laid well back to ensure sufficient anchoring. The face is protected from erosion. Data is immediately forwarded to the BOPRC website (Live Monitoring page). Flood Review Panel Update Rotorua Rural Community Board Over the past three months, the Independent Kia ora to our rural community and let me take this Review Panel has been working on forming opportunity to introduce some information about the their report into the Ngongotahā flood, Rotorua Rural Community Board (RRCB). which will include their conclusions and The rural sector was identified as a gap to Council during recommendations. a representation review held in 2015/6, and a rural board The panel has held three consultation days format was adopted. The RRCB includes four elected at the Ngongotahā Bowling Club meeting members from the rural district and an appointed councillor. with residents and business owners, iwi Our role is to be the voice of the rural sector, advocating for representatives and community groups. These our constituent’s issues to councillors and council officers. meetings gave the panel the opportunity to hear from residents about their experiences of A few facts about the RRCB region. There are approx the April 29 floods on a one-on-one basis. 2100 general farming properties, three rural villages of Kaingaroa, Reporoa and , plus rural residential and The community can continue to give feedback rural businesses. The district of the RRCB sit across the two by email to [email protected]. A regional councils of and Bay of Plenty. report will be available to the public in October. In order for the Board to be effective we need to have engagement with our residents. We are open to hearing from our residents and at each monthly meeting a public forum is available to members of the rural community, to give a brief update/presentation to the Board. We encourage anyone who has an interest in what Council does, to come along and participate in the discussions and use the opportunity to have a say about the shape and needs of our rural community. Meetings are open to the public, therefore anyone can attend to understand what projects the Board are working on for the financial year. Where the issue is of significance, the recommended option is to email the Board's engagement contact at Council in advance of the meeting to ensure the Board has time to put Meet your local BOP Regional together a plan for our next agenda. No material raised at a Council Land Management Officer Board meeting from a public forum, unless on the agenda, will be considered for action unless it is a matter of such My name is Robin Pieper, and I am the Land urgency a decision is required. The public forum is at the Management Officer at BOPRC for the Chair's discretion. Paradise Valley/Ngongotahā catchment. I’ve The next board meet is on Monday, 17th September - 1pm in met many of you already, and look forward to Committee room 1 at Rotorua Lakes Council. The upcoming meeting the rest of you in time. I come from rates review will be the main topic for the Board agenda. Hokitika on the West Coast down in the South (Pre-review focus groups will be made up by people from Island, and as a consequence I have a strong within the community. Focus groups from a variety of sectors love for exploring mountains, rainforests and will be formed to provide feedback to be considered by rivers. Over the years I’ve tried and enjoyed elected members. More info to come). almost all sorts of outdoor adventure, but my latest challenge is mountain biking. There is a Rural Board Facebook page that highlights issues and comments on topics which are of interest. We I come from a dairy farm and studied Ecology encourage those who can to "like" or 'follow' and keep up and Conservation at Lincoln University. I’ve to date. been at council about 18 months and enjoy the challenges of working to achieve positive https://www.facebook.com/ outcomes for landowners, soil conservation, ruralcommunityboard/ biodiversity and water quality. Board Members: Chris Sutton (Deputy Chair) I look forward to working together with Bryce Heard, Bob Martin, Shirley Trumper the group to achieve positive outcomes for (Chair). Contact details for each member on Paradise Valley. BOPRC can offer support for our Facebook page at ‘contact us’. projects that will improve land sustainability Councillor: Cr Gould. and catchment management. Projects such as land retirement, land use change, gorse Chair Rural Board: Shirley Trumper removal, and stormwater/sediment control Email: [email protected] could all be eligible for part-funding by BOPRC. Phone: 021 277 1040 Kaimai Mamaku Forest and Ranges Kaitao Students catch on to Catchment Forum Reconvened Management The Kaimai Mamaku Forest and Ranges Forum, Kaitao Intermediate students have been delving into formerly known as the Kaimai Mamaku Catchments water quality and catchment management with their Forum, met on Friday 17 August at the Tauranga teacher Denise Sharp. To find out more, they invited Racecourse to discuss predator control and form Sarah Thomson and Janie Stevenson to visit and speak a Steering group and Project groups to give effect about what the local Paradise Valley Catchment Group to their Strategy and Operational Plan. Te Poari is doing to combat water issues affecting the area. Janie Newton, the iwi representative on the Paradise used a play dough water catchment model to explain Valley Catchment Group, was nominated for the how surface water runs while Sarah used large aerial Steering group and Janie Stevenson from NZ maps of the area to share where the issues were and Landcare Trust was nominated for the Water some of the solutions being undertaken. One of the project group. Other project groups formed on the students shared her moving story of how her family was day were a Biodiversity project group and a People evacuated in the recent floods. The students are now project group. To find out more about this Forum keen to learn more and be part of the solution, applying group, visit www.kaimaicatchments.org.nz or their new knowledge to help out with the Paradise Valley contact Janie Stevenson. Catchment Group actions.

Upcoming events: 27 Sep 2018 Rotorua Land Use Innovation Field Day 17 Sep 2018 Rural Community Board meeting Thursday, 9.00am – 2.00pm Monday, 1pm Field Trip to Spring Sheep, Taupo farm Committee rm 1, Rotorua Lakes Council. with Nick Hammond (COO, Spring Sheep). Come along to view and learn more about dairy sheep operations. To register, contact the event organizer, Next Paradise Valley Warren Webber on wwebber@outlook. Catchment Group Meetings co.nz, 0274787758. Venue: Paradise Valley Fish and Game Office, 1130 Paradise Valley Road, Paradise Valley The Paradise Contacts: Thursday 30 August 2018 Chair: Sarah Thomson Valley Catchment 6.30-8.30pm Group officially [email protected] 0220624986 Thursday 1 November 2018, formed in May 2018 6.30-8.30pm and is guided by Secretary: Vilna Terblanche [email protected] Thursday 28 February 2019 their Community 3pm-6pm Catchment Communications: Alec Martin [email protected] Annual BBQ/Picnic + meeting at the Plan. They meet Octagon quarterly and Support: Janie Stevenson NZ Landcare Trust Thursday 2 May 2019 all are welcome [email protected] 6.30-8.30pm to attend their 0275750574 meetings.

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