Apologies were received from board member Barbara Anderson and councillor Mandy Mayhem, who was tied up in an election candidates event.
In its public forum, the board met the recently-appointed Port Chalmers Community Constable Liam Guthrie, who shared he was pleased to have returned to his home town to continue his police career after taking a year of leave to travel the world.
Const Guthrie said in the weeks since he had been stationed at Port Chalmers, he had met many local people and was keen to build up a picture of activities in the West Harbour communities.
Board members welcomed Const Guthrie and expressed how pleased they were to have him in the role.
A discussion of local issues followed, including problems with ‘‘boy racers’’, the speed limit on the main street of Port Chalmers, the messy aftermath of a bonfire at Back Beach and cyclists on footpaths.
In the main body of the meeting, board members discussed plans by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to reduce SH88 — the main route to Port Chalmers, to one lane for 10 weeks and then continue road works into 2026. The potential impact on cruise ship season was raised as a concern by board members.
Board members also shared updates on their areas of responsibility, including roading repairs and footpath renewals in Ravensbourne, noise complaints regarding vessels entering and leaving Port Otago, the replacement of the bus stop at the corner of Magnetic St and community concerns around drainage and flooding in Long Beach.
West Harbour Community Board chairwoman Angela McErlane then acknowledged that board members Barbara Anderson and Kristina Goldsmith were stepping down and not seeking re-election.
Ms McErlane presented Ms Goldsmith with a certificate and congratulated her on her hard work and achievements during her four years on the board.
Ms Goldsmith had won the by-election in 2021, following the death of long-standing board stalwart Jan Tucker, and had done a very good job on behalf of her community, Ms McErlane said.
The board passed a resolution to express its sincere appreciation to Ms Goldsmith and Dr Anderson for their work as board members.
