Ferry service update, Dog registrations, Sneak peek at Kōpū
Published on 07 June 2024
"Folks, you can see it all stretching out into the Waihou River: an 80-metre-long commercial wharf and a floating pontoon to enable in-water servicing, loading and unloading of vessels. Next door, we have an unsealed haul-out area along with an enhanced haul-out facility slipway. And, of course, for our recreational boaties, we’ve got a public boat ramp and parking area ready to house up to 34 boats and trailers.
Welcome to the new Kōpū Marine Servicing and Business Precinct.
This amazing facility will provide a vital boost for our local aquaculture and marine servicing industries. It’s a first-class facility which will attract fleets from our district, but also from as far afield as Auckland, Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty. It will also be used to service some of our district's mussel fleets, along with other types of water craft.
We’re expecting this to be the catalyst for up to 100 new jobs in aquaculture, light engineering and secondary services.
We’re holding an official opening ceremony on Friday 21 June with local iwi, central government representatives, and some amazing community members who helped to bring this project to life.
The next day, Saturday 22 June, this brand-new facility will be open for the public.
Don’t forget that, just like with many of our other boat ramps, you must have a one-off or annual pass to use the recreational boat ramp and trailer car park.
We are incredibly excited about the positive impact this precinct will have on the aquaculture industry in our district.
The future looks bright, and we can't wait to see all the fantastic developments that will come from this important addition to our district.
You can find more information here."
Councillor Peter Revell
Fullers360 Auckland-Coromandel ferry service will remain on hold until further notice.
Tough operating conditions, increases in operational costs, and the continued challenge of managing an industry-wide shortage of skilled maritime workers means the Fullers360 service in its traditional format is no longer commercially viable or sustainable.
The passenger ferry formerly ran from Auckland to Coromandel Town for more than 20 years, picking up and unloading passengers at Hannaford’s Wharf near Coromandel Town, Waiheke Island and downtown Auckland. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the service was placed on hold in August 2023 for a second summer.
Fullers360 says it remains committed to bringing back the service in the future.
“The Coromandel service is a valued destination for Fullers360, and we acknowledge the challenges that come from this service remaining on hold for locals and visitors. Unfortunately, the traditional ferry service model is no longer commercially viable for our business. However, we have had preliminary discussions with Thames-Coromandel District Council to consider new solutions for what a future ferry service model could look like long-term,” says Fullers360 CEO Mike Horne.
“We know it’s disappointing news for the Coromandel economy, particularly as operating conditions remain challenging for many businesses at this time,” says our Mayor Len Salt. “However, as the tourism industry in Aotearoa New Zealand recovers, we know there are benefits to be gained from resuming this service, and we are working with all stakeholders to ascertain what may be viable long term.
“A Coromandel ferry services gives visitors the flexibility to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Auckland to experience our pristine bush and beaches within a few short hours. Many of our out-of-district ratepayers live in Auckland, and there is also the potential for this to be a commute so they can work out of their properties here on the Coromandel.”
Meanwhile, our Council is continuing to lobby for external funding from national and regional agencies to support our district’s business recovery needs. “This includes making provision for investing more in economic growth and community resilience in our long-term planning,” says Mayor Len.
You can now register your dog or renew their registration for the 2024-25 period.
First-time registration: Come in to one of our offices and one of our friendly team will help.
Renewal: You can do this all online including payment.
Don’t hesitate – you’ll need to register your dog before 1 August to avoid late payment penalties.
Click here for more information
Anyone who has an interest is encouraged to attend a public meeting 5pm Monday 24 June, to learn more about design concepts for the protection of Thames against the risks from sea-level rise.
Royal HaskoningDHV is now ready to share staged design options for the protection structure with residents and ratepayers. The options provide protection against coastal inundation during 'one in 100 year' storm events, which are becoming more frequent along our coastline.
Public feedback will be sought on the information presented at the public meeting, which includes:
• design options for each section of foreshore Hape Stream and the Croquet Club
• potential alignment options in each section
• how the structures might tie in with the recreational facilities and environmental features that already exist along the foreshore.
Requests for information ahead of the meeting can be sent to: karen.moffatt-mcleod@tcdc.govt.nz
The township of Whangamatā has been facing stormwater issues for some time. To ensure a coordinated approach to remedial work, our Council is undertaking a stormwater modelling exercise to understand the issues and where work needs to be carried out. The outcome of this study will be available for public view on our website later this year.
$9.2M of capital funding has been sought through the 2024-34 Long Term Plan to address stormwater issues in Whangamatā. If funding is approved by our Council, then it is proposed to commence the work programme in July 2024. Details of the above funding request can be found on Page 5 of the capital expenditure project lists document on our Council website.
Our Council has already been working with a group of Whangamatā community representatives, the Community Board and Council members regarding these stormwater issues. Council has also met with local iwi. Everyone’s input to date is sincerely appreciated and these working arrangements will continue.
As part of addressing the stormwater issues in Whangamatā, our Council has commenced site works at the Williamson Park Pond. The purpose of this project is to drain stormwater out to sea quickly and without excessive ponding at this location.
Following community feedback, the project will be carried out in three stages as described below. Stages 1, 2 and 3a will be completed by early July. The performance of these new works during a major storm event and discharge water quality will be monitored. Should testing show that the discharge water quality is of an unacceptable standard, then Stage 3b will be implemented to improve this water quality before discharging into the sea. We will keep the community informed if Stage 3b needs to be implemented.
During the implementation of the above works, some of the trees adjacent to the pond will be removed.
Stage 1: Upgrade works at the outlet weir.
Stage 2: Construction of new manholes with a sediment capture system at the inlet.
Stage 3: Pond Area – area stays the same as current pond for both 3a and 3b stages.
Stage 3a: Construction of a Dry Pond. This work involves filling in of the existing pond with soil to elevate the existing pond floor to the same level as that of the existing inlet pipes inverts. This will allow water to flow directly from the inlet pipes down to the weir and out to sea.
Stage 3b: Wetland works - If the water quality analysis that we need to improve the quality prior to discharging into the sea, then the dry pond will be converted into a wetland. The water will then flow from the inlet pipes and over a wetland to the weir before heading out to sea. The plants in the wetland will provide natural cleaning of the water.
Our Council wishes to thank everyone who attended the public meeting at Williamson Park Pond Whangamatā on Friday 31 May and looks forward to continued community engagement as we work to address these stormwater issues in the township.
Whangamatā Stormwater Project | TCDC
Thanks to external Cyclone Recovery Funding, our Council sponsored four Funding HQ workshops that took place in the last week.
Funding HQ is a platform designed to support the not-for-profit sector by providing resources, training and advice. We invited community groups and not-for-profits to these sessions that aimed to help them navigate funding opportunities more effectively.
These workshops were a great success and were met with a positive response from all participants.
Terri Churton, Team Leader at Living Well Trust, said “this was the most useful funding workshop I've attended, and I thoroughly enjoyed it”.
As we reflect on the success of these workshops, our Council looks forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on our community and not-for-profit sector.
Our Council also supports the community in their funding journey through Generosity NZ. Generosity NZ is the largest digital search platform for funding information in Aotearoa with access to scholarships, grants and awards for individuals and businesses, schools, community groups and clubs.
To sign up, users will need a Thames-Coromandel library membership number to access Generosity NZ for the first time. You will then be asked to set up an account with Generosity NZ. Digital-only library memberships allow users to access Generosity NZ from anywhere within our district via Generosity’s website.
Click here to sign up
Generosity NZ website
National Volunteer Week is less than a month away, running this year from 16 – 22 June.
It’s an opportunity to celebrate the collective contribution of our community volunteers who enrich our district and beyond.
This labour of love | mahi aroha carried out by iwi or other ethnic groups, sports coaches and committee people in the arts, faith groups, social services, protecting the environment and animals, volunteer drivers, community patrols, libraries and so much more, means we all benefit from their committed and selfless work. These amazing people give of their time freely and help to make our communities the best they can be.
Our Council wants to acknowledge the enormous effort put in by all the volunteers in the district by inviting them to join our Councillors and Community Board members to special volunteers events around the district.
We also want to recognise the amazing volunteers who assisted during recovery following the 2023 storms.
If you are a volunteer, we hope to see you at one of our local gatherings to celebrate.
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Tuesday 18 June – 10am-12:30pm
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Coromandel Community Gardens
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Westpac Trust Helicopter Hangar
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*Please note that the Coromandel-Colville event is a working bee followed by hot soup and good conversation.
If you'd like to attend one of these events, please send an RSVP to isla.anderson@tcdc.govt.nz
For more information click here
Essential repairs is taking place on Port Charles Road until Monday 17 June, from 8am to 4:30pm on weekdays (open on weekends).
To ensure the safety of both workers and road users, there are road closures for 50 minutes at a time throughout each workday. After each 50-minute closure, the road will reopen for a 10-minute period. The detailed schedule of closures is provided in the link below.
Measures will be taken to guarantee that emergency services always have access across the site.
For more information click here
New windbreak fencing has gone in this week at Brophys Beach along the redesigned seawall/reserve area.
We are putting low-profile coastal native plants between the fences to both stabilise the ground material and provide additional buffer to any future wave overtopping. These will remain in place until the plants are well established, and removal is likely around 12 months from now.
Water meters have been installed on almost all properties in Whitianga.
From 1 July, Whitianga property-owners will have two water charges instead of the current one.
Please note, we still have some properties which do not yet have water meters installed.
In the meantime, these properties will continue to be charged the full 'water serviced' set charge ($803.90 in the 2023/24 year, due to rise slightly from 1 July).
Click here for more information
Our Economic Development team, with support from Soda Inc, are bringing Mosaic Partners to the district to deliver, in-person Chat GPT workshops for small businesses.
- Monday 17 June – 5-7pm, Whitianga.
- Tuesday 18 June - 9-11am, Whangamatā.
- Tuesday 18 June – 4:30-6:30pm, Thames.
Cost: $20+GST per person. Limited spaces. Workshops are aimed at for-profit business owners and staff, but there are some limited spaces available for not-for-profit leaders.
If you’re interested in attending, please email: Jessica.black@tcdc.govt.nz with the subject line: AI Workshop
Connector Bus trial coming to an end
The free trial of the Connector service between Coromandel Town and Thames will be finishing on Tuesday 18 June. The Connector service is funded by a government storm recovery grant. It helps people with access to healthcare, education, job opportunities, appointments and staying connected with their whānau.
At our Council we ensure work-life balance is not just a dream but a reality. We offer an array of staff benefits including flexible work arrangements, relocation allowance, sick leave on commencement of employment and more.
Our current job vacancies are:
• Chief Financial Officer
• Systems and Technical Accountant
• Environmental Health Officer
• Communications Officer
• Property & Facilities Manager
• Contract Manager for Waste & Recycling
• Senior Geospatial Applications Specialist
If you're interested in working for us, and there are currently no vacancies that fit your skillset and knowledge, please complete the expression of interest application via the link below.
Click here for more information or to apply
