Hikuai Community Plan 2014 Hikuai Community Plan 2014 serves to inform and direct both local and regional government bodies of the short and long term needs and the desired outcomes for the Hikuai Community. Aerial Map of the Hikuai Area CONTENTS Brief History of Hikuai Page 1 Introduction Page 2 Methods Page 2 Community, Culture and Identity Page 4 Growth and Development Page 5 Roads and Signs Page 6 Rivers and Reserves Page 7 Power, Telephone, Internet and Rubbish Page 8 Conclusion Page 9 What Hikuai would like Page 10 Acknowledgements Page 11 A Brief History of Hikuai Hikuai was the first European settlement in the area. Kauri logging and later mining brought workers to the area and, as so often happened, a thriving industry of services and businesses grew to support the workers and their families. The natural harbour at Tairua and the tidal Tairua River made establishment of a prosperous Hikuai possible where river transport bought people and goods to and from the inland valley and hills to the coast. There had not been continual Maori settlement of Hikuai since the 1820’s when conflict between local Maori decimated the local population and the area was not repopulated with Maori. By the mid 1860’s Europeans pursuing the valuable Kauri trade moved into the area to establish a successful logging industry. William Jackson, who managed the Tairua sawmill, established Jacksons Landing to process and distribute logs and to serve as a base for vessels to service the wider area. Commercial Kauri gum digging continued till a few years before the outbreak of World War Two but gum can still be found in the hills today though no longer mined on a commercial basis. Logging remains a feature of the Hikuai economy but is now new growth sustainable exotic forestry. The discovery of gold at Neavesville in 1875 and at Puketui provided the impetus for another influx of population and establishment of more commercial ventures further up the Puketui Valley. By 1897 a Post Office and Hikuai School were built for a booming community that enjoyed race meetings, sports events and concerts. Although there is still one commercial gold mine in the Puketui Valley it operates on a part time basis. The other mines are closed but now the trails and tracks provide tramping trails in the Valley. The next major industry for Hikuai was farming when soon after World War One, 2,181 acres of land was divided into 15 farms and made available to returning soldiers. Dairy farming remains an important industry in the Hikuai economy and descendants of early residents remain living in the area today. This part of the Coromandel Peninsula remained relatively 1 isolated until the improvement and sealing of the Kopu-Hikuai Road (SH 25A), from Thames to Hikuai, in 1967. Completion of a good quality sealed road enabled much faster and safer access to the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsular resulting in steady increases in tourist traffic along the coast. Although Hikuai is close the coast it is very much an inland rural community. The significant body of water is the Tairua River rather than the Pacific Ocean. This is reflected in the many more survey responses mentioning the importance of the river, bush and mountains rather than the beach or ocean. The gaze of the community, as expressed in responses to this community survey, is inwards to the land rather than outward towards the sea. The Hikuai School, for example, integrates the Pinnacles, a local rock formation that dominates the valley view, into the culture and values of the school. Introduction In 2006 members of the Hikuai community mobilised to address the current issues and future needs of the community, resulting in the Hikuai Community Plan 2006. The plan was also used as a vehicle to guide the local Tairua - Pauanui Community Board and the Thames- Coromandel Regional District Council (TCDC) as well as to communicate the concerns and needs of the community with regard to future infrastructure, fiscal spending and services provided in the area. The purpose of the 2014 survey was a natural extension of the original survey to create a similar document that can be submitted to the local Community Board. Approximately 150 surveys were distributed to the residents of Hikuai and 53 completed returns were collated and analysed. This is considered a good reply rate. Many of the questions asked people to answer in their own words and these answers have been re-coded to reflect the general themes of their comments. Three main foci of concern were introduced in the 2006 survey and remain pertinent today with the addition of a focus on stakeholder relationships: • Condition of the roads and road signs • Commercial zoning in Hikuai • Managing the natural resources of Hikuai to maintain its rural landscape • Relationship with the local, regional and national government departments working in and around the Hikuai area. Methods Approximately 150 surveys were distributed to the residents of Hikuai and 53 completed returns were collated and analysed. One third reply rate is considered good. Many of the questions were open ended and asked people to answer in their own words, then their answers were re-coded to reflect the general themes of their comments. This process results in many more responses than responders as some people made several comments within one answer. For example an answer to Question 1, ‘What I like about Hikuai?’ was, ‘Peace 2 and quiet. Panoramic views. Friendly neighbours’ (sic). This reply was coded to reflect themes of both the natural environment and community spirit. The survey consisted of 12 Questions about attitudes, thoughts, feelings and desired outcomes for and about Hikuai referencing local issues, identified by the community as being important. There were also three questions on demographics and contact information of which only the age range is reported. The questions are as follows: Question 1 asks what responders like about Hikuai. Question 2 asks what responders do not like about Hikuai. Question 3 asks for a description of the responder’s vision for the future of Hikuai as far as the economy, the social aspects and the environment is concerned. Question 4 asks if there is anything people don’t want for Hikuai. Question 5 asks about road issues in Hikuai including speeds, visibility at Duck Creek Bridge, Bailey Bridge realignment, and sealing of Puketui Valley Road. Question 6 asks about what kinds of commercial activity Hikuai should have. Question 7 asks responders for comments on the Hikuai Community Hall, the Ti Kouka Reserve, and reserves in general. Question 8 refers to community character and specifically asks opinions about activities in Hikuai, land subdivision and local signage. Question 9 asks about pest control in the area. Question 10 asks for comments on local rivers. Question 11 asks about the impact tourism has on the area and also specifically about the Broken Hills recreation area. Question 12 asks for comments on power supply, telephone and internet services, rubbish collection, Hikuai road signs, Hikuai School and the Pauanui Tairua cycleway. The survey was developed by the Hikuai Community Group based on a previous survey done in 2006, the themes of the questions are similar but the 2014 community group took the opportunity to expand on previous questions and add some additional lines of inquiry to develop insight into matters of interest. The survey was distributed in the early months of 2014 around the Hikuai area by word of mouth, hand delivery, letterbox drop and copies were also available at Prescott’s Garage. After responses were recorded Dr Alison Loveridge from the University of Canterbury (UC) Sociology Department was asked to assist with generation of a report to be submitted to local council. The report was incorporated into an Internship programme for a UC graduate sociology student (Averill Williamson-Moser), the report writer. Averill travelled to Hikuai in the first weekend of December 2014 to meet the Hikuai Community Committee members, view the area and talk to as many local residents as possible. The opportunity was also taken to meet representatives of the Tairua Pauanui 3 Community Board and TCDC representative to get a feel for the wider community attitudes and desired outcomes in an informal way. Community Culture and Identity Questions one, two, three, four and eight (see appendix 1) address the views and future vision of the people of Hikuai for their community about their identity and community culture. A constant and recurring theme of responders was that the special rural character of Hikuai is extremely important to the residents, that it must be treasured and protected for future generations. Hikuai is a rural community; the major economic activity in the area is dairy farming and farming support services. The natural beauty of the Coromandel Peninsula is increasingly popular as a holiday destination to relax and enjoy the many activities available. Proximity to a major population in Auckland has seen steady growth in the area. The Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) has indicated, in its long term plan, a goal of increasing permanent resident numbers as well as increasing employment opportunities and tourism within the region. Protecting the very natural resources that make Hikuai such an attractive place to live and visit is dependent on maintaining and protecting the landscape. The Hikuai area provides a rural inland environment that offers many types of activities and experiences for people to enjoy. Proximity to the coastal towns of Tairua and Pauanui offer unique outdoor opportunities both water based and land based to both residents and visitors in a compact geographical area. Having superb land and water based activities so close together makes Hikuai a valuable asset for the long term goals of the TCDC.