We’ve received a notice of this for  9.30 am on Friday 16th September.

A query has elicited that ‘it will be Waikanae Ward and district wide candidates.’

The problem is that while there are 4 candidates for the Waikanae Ward council seat, there are 14 candidates for the 5 District-wide seats; 18 candidates (assuming they all show up) is going to be a little crowded and won’t allow much time each.

We are writing to suggest that there be separate times for the two categories.

In the second quarter of 2010 our KCDC rates impost was $513.  In the second quarter of this year it was about $750 including the water charges.

That’s an increase in that six years of 46%.

How much was general inflation in the same six years?  According to the Reserve Bank’s inflation calculator, the general Consumer Price Index increase was only 10%.

The inflation rate from the second quarter of last year to the second quarter of this year was 0.4% according to the Reserve Bank — and the KCDC rates increase overall was 4.58%.

What do you think of that, dear reader?  Exactly.

This was a pic we snapped in March last year as we went past a truck on its side at the Otaihanga roundabout — which had held up northbound traffic for about an hour from Paraparaumu.

These have happened with regularity, a result of truckies going too fast with a bad road camber here.

One benefit of the Expressway will be to (hopefully) end these incidents.

Things have since changed a lot here as well at Waikanae.

The ‘Standard’ railcar from just prior to World War II was probably on its way to New Plymouth.  They were withdrawn at the end of 1972 and replaced with the ‘Blue Streak’ railcars, which lasted to 1977 and then there was no more service to New Plymouth.

Like Waikanae there were still sidings for goods wagons then.

Electric multiple units began running to here from Wellington in 1983.  The revamping of the platform, the addition of the southbound platform, and the tunnel subway serving both platforms from the Coastlands car park on the other side of the main road all took place in conjunction with the electrification to Waikanae which was complete in 2011.

…because it’s election time.  The Departments of Statistics, now called Statistics NZ, information from the last census in 2013 is the prime authoritative source for facts and figures and the link to what’s on its website about Waikanae is here.  It points out that because of the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010-2011, the normal 5 year census scheduled for 2011 was delayed for 2 years so there is a 7 year gap from the previous census in 2006.

For its purposes, Statistics NZ splits the town in into areas: Waikanae Beach, Waikanae West, Waikanae Park and Waikanae East.  Presumably ‘East’ means what is to the east of the railway line, and ‘Beach’ is what will be west of the Expressway, but we will check with them to confirm.

We think the choices for Kapiti electors are easier!

The southern view is different to that on Waikanae Beach.  The beach is also different with low narrow dunes and there are no houses built on them.

Unlike at at Waikanae Beach, Mana Island can be seen (in the centre-right) and the Pukerua Bay escarpment.

These have appeared in the last few months.  It seems nearly all sections (lots) of the first stage of this development have been sold and some uncompleted houses are appearing on real estate websites as lot+house packages from house building firms.

They don’t offer any cause for excitement: fairly typical new-builds that you’ll see in many parts of the country; ‘cookie cutter houses’ as they are termed in America.  You could get better value for money not far away than the example shown below, although it would involve a 30-35 year old house rather than a new one.

For those who haven’t seen it, the five-episode TV One series The New Zealand Home, watchable On Demand here, does feature quite a few houses of distinction from over the decades.

This was held last night in the Waikanae Chartered Club. A total of 21 attended, including a representative of the KCDC, two of the four candidates for the Waikanae Ward (Geoffrey Churchman and Iride McCloy) and Angela Buswell of Otaki who is standing for Mayor and Council. Mr Mitchell of the small Waikanae On One group, which is hostile to Michael Scott and the Waikanae Community Board members, showed up but left after about 10 minutes, even though none of them were present.

The general discussion on Waikanae’s future which preceded the AGM lasted about 2 hours and it’s not possible to do justice to it here, but many points and main issues have been mentioned on the Council website, DW’s Facebook page and this blog.  It’s also relevant to observe again that because of the Expressway, opening in only about 4 months time, the whole Waikanae Beach area west of it is facing a psychological and physical separation from the rest of Waikanae and has its own set of issues.

Some felt Waikanae should define what it is now and what it wants to be.  Perhaps non-members would also like to know what Destination Waikanae wants to achieve apart from stopping the town centre based around Mahara Place becoming moribund after the Expressway opens.   Does it want Waikanae to be a destination for visitors in the expectation that they will patronise local businesses while en route to the natural attractions (Hemi Matenga, the River banks, Nga Manu, the Estuary and the beach), and attract new residents or just the first?  If the latter as well, what is the optimum size for the town?

Ideas from examples of what other towns in similar situations in NZ and Australia have done were mentioned, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the discussion.

Geeveston in Tasmania got particularly enthusiastic mention from one contributor, website and picture below.

With nominations now closed, the Waikanae Community Board has the greatest number of candidates for the available seats.  In Paraparaumu-Raumati there are 6 candidates for the four seats and in Paekakariki and Otaki, there are each 4 candidates for the four seats, which means they are elected unopposed.

Wallace Trickett told us that he had been contemplating standing in Otaki, but decided to become a Community Patrol member instead, which he says he is enjoying.

In Waikanae, both Jeremy Seamark and Margaret Stevenson-Wright received our encouragement to stand.  Louise Aitken and David Roil are also good candidates.