 Cost: $853.21 estimate There is also another design that includes a fantail between the two words.  Cost: $621.47 estimate  Cost: $863.66 estimate
Another option that is not shown here is a sign that is cut from a single sheet so that there is no join. That would mean reducing the width from 3.6 metres to 3 metres. We need your feedback so will you please enter your views by clicking on the comments at the bottom this page Option 1: Corten steel in two sheets Option 2: Stainless steel in two sheets Option 3: Corten steel in two sheets with fantail image Option 4: Stainless steel in two sheets with fantail image Option 5: Stainless steel in a single sheet - no cost is available at this stage.
23 Comments
Budget sets the program This is an explanation of how the annual levy is calculated.
When I work on the budget for each ensuing year I have to consider, firstly, what regular operational costs are likely to rise in the new fiscal year. We know that electricity, rates, insurance and technology costs are probably going to be more expensive and so do some work on those areas to get an indication of the extent of the increases. The other items that get attention are gardening, estate refurbishment and repairs and maintenance. This requires discussion with Kirk Gibson, the committee member who manages the gardens and also with Emma, the gardener. We allow for plant replacement, mulching and fertilising and agree the work and budget for that. Then I also need to consider what projects are being considered that will require expenditure. Bryce Cameron keeps in touch with things that he observes or has been looking at and is a good source of potential maintenance or project work to be examined by the Committee. During the year members can raise items that the Committee can consider. This is when the New Project Process is initiated. This process ensures that Association funds are spent with due diligence after considering expenditure on proposed new projects that the Committee considers will enhance the Bella Vista experience. A new project is one that arises from an idea that has been put to the committee, or by a member of the committee, that requires expenditure that is outside the bounds of normal operation or has not been included in the operational budget. These projects are funded from the Contingency account or are pushed out not the next fiscal year so they can be budgeted there. The process flow is depicted here: Process Goals New projects need to be considered by the committee as a whole and decided on the following criteria:
The process flow depicts three “swim lanes”:
The Decision Gate exists in the Committee lane and provides the opportunity to proceed as planned, modify the project or kill it. The latest projects completed last year ended up creating assets that appear in our Balance Sheet. These assets are valued at cost and are depreciated in our annual accounts. I created this process in my capacity as an officer of the Society and also as Treasurer to honour the duties expressed in the Constitution: At all times each Officer: 1. shall act in good faith and in what he or she believes to be the best interests of the Society, 2. must exercise all powers for a proper purpose, 3. must not act, or agree to the Society acting, in a manner that contravenes the Act or this Constitution, 4. when exercising powers or performing duties as an Officer, must exercise the care and diligence that a reasonable person with the same responsibilities would exercise in the same circumstances 5. must not agree to the activities of the Society being carried on in a manner likely to create a substantial risk of serious loss to the Society or to the Society’s creditors, or cause or allow the activities of the Society to be carried on in a manner likely to create a substantial risk of serious loss to the Society or to the Society’s creditors, and 6. must not agree to the Society incurring an obligation unless he or she believes at that time on reasonable grounds that the Society will be able to perform the obligation when it is required to do so. Prior to the process being created decisions were being made and costs incurred without the full examination of the committee. The Process provides a discipline that delivers transparency to members. Calculating the Annual Levy The levy is then calculated by taking the total operational expenditure and adding any capital project costs to arrive at the total amount of funding required for the year. This is then divided by 40 (the number of members) to arrive at the individual levy amount. To ensure that we receive the funds at the beginning of the year we offer a substantial prompt payment discount. In the previous four years there were only a couple of members who paid late and lost the discount. However this year I had to resort to a collection agency to collect the levies for some members. This cost them not only the discount but also collection fees charged by the agency. Newsletter pages are a Blog formatA blog (short for “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website page that offers regularly updated content (blog post) about a topic. Its main feature on the Bella Vista website is the “comments” section where members can correspond with the author. Interacting with our website visitors helps to further the connection with our members. This direct connection to members is one of the main benefits of using a blog format. This connection allows us to interact and share ideas with the Bella Vista community - it allows us to get feedback from members. One of the recent feedbacks is that the Newsletter page seems to go on forever - that appears to frustrate some members so I'm considering making a change to the format . You will notice that there is an Archive list on the right-hand side of the Newsletter page. Each post (each new newsletter) is added to that list chronologically with the latest on top. If you want to see a particular newsletter it is easy to just go to the ARCHIVES list and click on the date. Or if you want to see a post about a subject you can go to the search panel and enter the subject there.  Click on the magnifying glass icon and enter the subject you are looking for. The search engine will look across all the pages on the Bella Vista website and list all those occurrences where the subject is mentioned, in this case community garden:  Providing Member FeedbackThe real advantage of having the newsletter page in a Blog format is the ability for you to have your say about any part of the content in the newsletter or any other subject. That really helps the Committee to know how members feel about the things that we are working on. All you need to do is click on the Comments section and enter your text there. These entries appeared on the May 2024 blog post.  We can change the format of the Newsletter page but would lose the ability to attract comments. Because members don't get together at all between each AGM, this capability is really important if it is used regularly. There are a number of issues that the Committee is dealing with that we are keen to get feedback from members on:
Alternate FormatEach newsletter post can be created on a separate section on the Home page under a heading of Latest News. The post would also be added to the Newsletter blog page so it would appear in two places temporarily. It would be replaced on the Home page by the next news post so you would go to Newsletter pages to enter your comments.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY ENTERING YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW Great turnoutEven though the weather wasn't lovely, we had 20 members attend the AGM on Wednesday night. We were also holding proxies for 13 properties so we achieved the quorum easily.
The main outcomes were:
The full minutes of the meeting are available on the AGM page of our website along with the Chair's and Treasurers Reports and the full set of Annual Financial Statements. We need you to be involvedThe Annual General Meeting is an opportunity to hear from members about their experiences of living in the Bella Vista village. Members should attend to stay informed about our performance and direction and to actively participate in the decisions the Committee makes on your behalf. AGMs are a platform for members to raise concerns, share ideas, and vote on key decisions that impact the Association. They also provide an opportunity to meet fellow members, to learn about our achievements and future plans. We outline what we have accomplished during the year, how our levy funds have been spent, and what we intend to spend in the coming year. We try to anticipate the risks we face and figure out how we will mitigate them. In every situation the four of us keep the interests of all members at the front of our decision making. We also elect our governance group, which is facing change this year. We are reaching out this year and will be discussing this at this year's meeting.  Alan Beck, Daniel Grimshaw, Kirk Gibson and I spend significant amounts of time ensuring that things run smoothly at Bella Vista. We take our responsibilities seriously and always consider the voices of the members. When we consider things like managing our gardens and road system, lighting, security, and expenditure the question is often stated "how will our members react?" In previous years AGMs we have asked for feedback on these issues and value the contributions. Also, remember that we need a quorum and have $s at stake if we are forced to postpone a meeting due to lack of numbers. It has been encouraging to see members getting together over drinks afterwards and enjoying each other's company. If you are thinking of appointing a proxy could we encourage you to attend instead. The venue at Whangaparaoa Golf Club is great, we present our reports on a video screen so that actual facts are plainly visible, the bar is open, and we have the whole place to ourselves.  Road ChangesAfter a few near misses we have decided to change the road sign at the intersection alongside the Bella Vista directions sign. It used to be GIVE WAY but is now STOP - PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  We will be implementing markings soon to show the stop line. Speed is still an issue We raise the speeding issue every year at our AGM. To some it has made no difference. One clear indication that we get at number 2 is that our front door security camera is activated by fast moving vehicles going past our letterbox, ten to eleven metres away from the camera! Berni and I both get messages on our phones every time that happens. Vehicles travelling at 20kph or less don't activate the camera. You can imagine how annoying that is. There are two 20 KPH signs at the bridge, one sign just before the first intersection, four more on the lower precinct road, and more signs all over Bella Vista but some drivers totally ignore them. They don't think that the limit applies to them - they are privileged and don't need to think about the reasons our limit is set to 20KPH. I ask myself: "are they GenZers who feel that they are entitled?" There are young kids on bikes, elderly people who can't move fast and other vehicles on Bella Vista Drive. That's why the limits 20 KPH. Can you please ensure that you and your visitors observe the safe driving limit that we have all agreed to. Accessing the AGM documentsI notice that some members haven't responded to the invitation to establish their login credentials so that they have access to the members only page AGM. This page contains the links to all of the documents that will be considered and put up for acceptance at the AGM The link is here for those that haven't registered. Click on it and create your password so that I can register you as a member. The AGM page is not available to the general public because it contains information that is privy to members only. www.bellavistara.org/apps/member/set_password?access_token=5cf43ff4d4f46333e61c New Financial Year has begun Members have received their levy invoices for the 2026 financial year and most have paid on the due date. We have been cognisant of the cost of living crisis that affects all NZers and have managed to keep the levy at the same rate as the last four years. Yet, we have managed to complete four capital projects covering the trailer park extension, community garden shed, irrigation system, and transformer screening. These were all managed within our levy contributions and our accumulated cash reserves. The budget for the 2026 year shows some increases in costs due to expected increases in rates, insurances, and maintenance costs. The California wild fires caused us to consider how we would be impacted if the bush areas on the perimeters of Bella Vista caught fire. Accordingly, the Board is working on a three year project to mitigate this risk. Alan Beck will be covering this at the Annual General Meeting presenting a plan that we have been working on over the last couple of months. In the meantime we would be keen to hear from members about whether they have concerns about possible fire fuel that could be a threat to their homes. Come to the AGMThe 2025 Annual General Meeting is being planned but we don't have a firm date yet. The Annual accounts and Treasurer's Report have been completed and are ready to be published on our website. As soon as we can confirm the venue we will publish the Notice of Meeting and Agenda. We are aiming for a night in the last two weeks of this month. This year we would really like to see more members attending and not so many proxies because it is really important that we get feedback from members about how we are doing. It's also a great opportunity for people to meet and get to know each other. In the last few years it's been noticeable that the social time after the AGM business has finished has been longer than the meeting time. The bar at the Whangaparaoa Golf Club has been busy and the fellowship has been visible.  Covenant RequirementsUnder the terms of Bella Vista Covenant that all members have signed up to, we are required to maintain the bush so that the viewing corridors remain unobstructed. The Association has the responsibility for maintaining the bush areas by identifying the obstucting trees and trimming them, eliminating noxious plants that pose a threat to the ecosystem and Bella Vista aesthetics. Invasive trees and plants need to be removed and native and non-invasive trees will be maintained to ensure tree health and stability. When we cleared the community garden area we removed a huge amount of Japanese Honeysuckle that was choking the trees. This noxious plant is prevalent on the boundary adjoining the Coastal Pond (canal alongside Laurie Southwick Parade).  There also a number of mature Manuka trees that have fallen or on a severe lean that need to be removed. The clean-up work is more than a working bee can accomplish so we have engaged Emma's Garden Rehab to begin this work, commencing when the weather permits. The project has been divided into three areas covering both the southern and eastern boundaries. Emma's team will complete the first area this financial year, with the other two areas completed over the next two years. We have reserves in our accounts for the first year but, depending on that experience, we will have a better idea of the effort and cost for the next two areas. Fire Hazard Risk Assessment The following information on the Fire and Emergency website is worth considering:
Properties that are residential, industrial or agricultural, are on the urban–rural interface if they are next to vegetation, whether it is forest, scrubland, or in a rural setting. Properties in these areas are at a greater risk of wildfire due to the increased presence of nearby vegetation or other hazards. If you think nearby properties pose a fire hazard talk first with the occupiers about how you can work together to minimise the risk. Untidy, Overgrown Land and Local Council Responsibilities Untidy, overgrown land can be an eyesore, but these overgrown areas may not necessarily be a fire hazard. If there is land near you which is untidy and overgrown, in the first instance, you should try to speak to the occupier or landowner. If this does not resolve the problem and the area presents a potential risk to health or safety; for example, if it provides a breeding ground for rats and other vermin, then you should contact your local council. Fire hazard removal advice and assessment The Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 has provisions to enable Fire and Emergency to intervene to ensure vegetation or other things which are causing a fire hazard are removed or destroyed. Action can be taken to address serious, legitimate fire risks such as asking an owner or occupier of a property to voluntarily remove or destroy a fire hazard, through to issuing a formal notice requiring them to undertake that work. Fire and Emergency is only able to require an occupier or owner to remove or destroy a potential fire hazard when:
If you are unable to resolve a potential fire hazard directly with the owner/occupier, you can let us know about your concern by either completing this online form or calling the Regulatory Compliance Group on 0800 336 942. If any member is concerned about hazards affecting there property please let us know. Residents' MovementsWelcome to Clint and Caroline Rademeyer who will be moving into number 22 on March 17th having purchased from Amy & Grant Difford. Farewell to them as they move on. Thanks to Amy for your work on the community garden and our roadside garden replanting. Irrigation System A huge thank you to Bryce Cameron for completing the Irrigation system project that provides water for the Bella Vista's gardens. Bryce built the pergola and erected the roofing and guttering and then reset and connected all the tanks behind the garden shed to the guttering, installed the water line to the tank in the trailer park and setup the connections for the trailer tank. Even though Bryce has a huge amount of experience with his hands inside his ex-patents mouths, he has displayed real practical abilities in designing and building this vital piece of Bella Vista infrastructure. We are really grateful for all those hours, the use of your equipment and those donated materials that you acquired. The new system collects rainwater from the shed and pergola roofs into the four IBC tanks behind the shed. We have storage capacity there of 2000 litres. We then use our high volume pump that to top up the 1500 litre trailer park tank. When we are ready to water the roadside gardens, the 500 litre tank sitting alongside the 1500 litre tank is placed on the trailer and filled from that tank. The watering of the gardens is then carried out from the trailer by one of our members with a towbar on their vehicle. We have had a few members with towbars who have volunteered to do the watering and so we have carried out a trial to figure out the watering process. If you have a towbar and are willing to participate in this exercise please contact the secretary. We are hoping to get around the whole estate in the next week or two. The irrigation system project was created for the specific purpose of preserving the attractiveness of Bella Vista landscaping in times of drought. It also provides water for the community garden - an ancillary benefit. Bush areas present fire risksThe Los Angeles fires and the resulting devastation was a wakeup call for Bella Vista. There are two bush areas that present a high degree of risk to the properties from number 7 to 17 and from number 2 to 10.  The pathway that runs alongside the canal on the southern boundary at the bottom of numbers 7 to 17 is overgrown with honeysuckle and jasmine that has killed trees that now contain fire fuel. If some miscreant low- life tosses a match or cigarette butt anywhere along that perimeter we could have a fire that would threaten the buildings on those properties. If the fire was fanned by high winds, the houses across the road could also be at risk. Since the honeysuckle and dead trees have been cleared out of the community garden area and we have blocked off the entry area by the footbridge, the risk to properties number 2 to 10 is not as high but there is fuel for a fire by the maintenance shed next to the trailer park. Accordingly we have decided to assess the work to be carried out to clear any fuel and the related costs to mitigate these risks over a two to three year period. The Committee members will be engaging with contractors to obtain cost estimates for this work. Parking by the Trailer Park Unfortunately there have been some inconsiderate or plain blind drivers who have parked across the gates to the trailer park. Sometime we have no idea who they are and residents who want to use the trailer are unable to get access. We are in the process of putting up signage requesting that area to be kept clear. Can you please ensure that your visitors are aware of the need to keep that space clear? Intersection next to numbers 1, 37 and 2 Since we have had some near misses with vehicles cutting that corner and not paying attention to the signage, we will be changing the Give Way sign to a Stop sign and also painting demarcation lines there. Can those members in the precinct served by that part of Bella Vista Drive please be aware of this and observe that requirement when you are coming down from that area. Garden Group With Amy Difford moving on, the Garden group is being coordinated by Judy Manderson and Jenny Main.
They would be keen to see more members getting involved to share in the benefits as well as participate in its operation. The garden has produced a pretty good range of produce - tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, capsicums and is also growing passionfruit that looks like it is heading for a heavy crop. There is a huge pumpkin that Berni Hart grew from seed and gave to the Garden Group to grow on. It is ready now for harvesting. Christmas Greetings A difficult year is coming to a close as we look forward to Christmas Day tomorrow. While we face up to the worst economy for 30 odd years there are signs of a recovery to look forward to. 2025 is going to bring some changes to the world and some uncertainty, particularly with the election results in America. Our own country has never been as divided as it is today as democracy and the sovereignty of parliament are under attack. As we pause from our normal daily activities, it's a time when we can look back on what we've accomplished, and think about our vision for what we want to achieve next year. Christmas gives us an opportunity to reflect on the important people and things around us. The sounds of Christmas carols, the Christmas tree in the living room with that nostalgic pine fragrance, the sparkle of the lights on the tree, the decorations that remind us of many past Christmases make it a very special time of year when we show love to those who are precious to us. Wishing you all the sprit of Christmas, which is Peace, the blessing of Christmas, which is Hope, the heart of Christmas, which is Love. Work Program Status We have completed the following projects this year:
We owe Bryce Cameron a huge vote of thanks for the work that he has put into the design and construction of these projects. Without his expertise, his tools and his commitment they would not have been delivered at all. Welcome New Members New residents arriving this year:
Welcome to the Bella Vista community - we trust you enjoy this place that we call home. Trailer Park Project. Dave & Bryce have done a remarkable job completing the Trailer Park project. This has been a much larger project than we originally envisaged but was required to ensure that the structure was sound and the facility much easier to use when residents needed to use the trailer. It also provided a good base to support the capacity of water that is needed for our gardens. The retaining wall provides a substantial structure that provides additional support for the platform on which the maintenance shed sits. The parking area has been surfaced with GAP 65 and has also enabled us to create a structure to support two of the water storage tanks that will be used to provide the water for irrigating our roadside gardens. The trailer is available for all residents to use and can be booked by contacting Kerry Hart, who manages the booking schedule. Irrigation ProjectThis project was created to establish a water collection and storage facility that can provide water for the roadside gardens as well as for the community garden. We had earlier acquired a water pump and hoses and had planned to draw water from the Sports Oval pond (the canal that runs down to the footbridge weir). After considering the parlous state of the obligations of Gulf Harbour Country Club in maintaining the canals, we decided that we needed to provide our own water storage. The roadside gardens require regular watering in the dry season since, in the past, we have lost plants during a drought. The trailer, water pump, hoses and one water tank had been purchased to enable roadside garden watering. However, it was realised that this is not a task that can be easily covered by Emma Hogg. our gardener. When we considered the weight of a full tank on the trailer it was obvious that Emma’s van wouldn’t have the capability to safely accomplish that. The Committee decided that we would manage the watering amongst our members, rather than adding additional costs to our gardening expense by getting Emma to do it. The alternative solution was devised as follows:
We have been able to source the IBC tanks at minimal cost and were able to use donated material for the platform structures. Transformer Screening Project The current pittosporum hedge that screens the Bella Vista electrical transformer and maintenance shed has now grown to an extent that the roots threaten the electrical supply line to and from the transformer. We have recently discovered that the trees should never have been planted there when the subdivision was developed and Vector has advised that they need to be removed. The current risk is the possibility that the root system could penetrate the conduit and short circuit the transformer or the supply lines to all Bella Vista properties. That would be a disaster and would be very costly to remedy. The mitigation options were to engage TreeScape to remove the trees & poison the stumps in the hope that the existing roots will break down or we could remove the trees ourselves and treat the stumps. This work would leave the transformer, the maintenance shed and electrical control panel exposed, which is really unsightly. Accordingly we decided to build planter boxes with screens that can be planted with a creeper that will grow rapidly to hide the transformer and shed. These boxes would need to be movable in the event that Vector required access to the road side of the transformer. It is planned to plant the boxes with Star Jasmine, which has glossy green leaves providing year-round coverage . Once established, Star Jasmine is drought-tolerant, offers both beauty and versatility with fragrant white flowers in Spring and Summer. Bryce and Dave have constructed two planter boxes that will support a lightweight trellis on the back. The trellis screen will have supports that will maintain it in a plumb position when foliage is growing through it. BThe pittosporum trees have been removed at ground level so that the stumps are visible for treatment. The roots of the pittosporums will be assisted to rot down by applying a high nitrogen substance to speed up decomposition. The plants will be grown inside the two planters that together span five metres. The boxes will have skids to enable them to be moved when Vector require access to the transformer. Star Jasmine will be planted to provide an attractive screen so that the transformer and maintenance shed will be shielded from sight once the plants grow on. Community Garden There have been a few working bees to continue the establishment of the Community Garden. While the weather has been variable, the garden facilities are almost ready for planting to begin. The shed is finished with a ramp that can be used for wheeling equipment in and out, an implement tool board and shelves have been erected by Bryce, and we have accumulated donated materials that are being stored there. The path from the roadside has been partially surfaced with leftover Gap 65 from the trailer park project. We have had a pergola structure donated to the Garden Club and we were fortunate to acquire corrugated steel roofing that was donated when we collected the material that was used to build the raised garden beds. Bryce has donated two additional posts required so the guys will be working on erecting that as soon as the Garden Club decides where it is to be located. Five if the six raised beds have been built and are ready for filling with soil. As soon as Bella Vista Garden Group is accepted by Hibiscus & Bays Eco Neighbourhoods, the garden mix can be funded and planting can begin. For this initiative to be successful it needs to become a Bella Vista facility that is used by our members that are interested in not only growing organic vegetables, but also sharing green space with the Bella Vista community. Tony Rogers has kindly donated a 5 burner BBQ that is able to be used for community gatherings. It is stored in the shed and can be rolled down the ramp when required. Judy Manderson has been organising and planting out natives and flaxes on the canal edge and alongside the track and Dave has spent hours on the mulcher working through the great pile of prunings that have accumulated in creating the garden. It's now the right time to get some seedlings in or sowing seed potatoes in time for Christmas. Having raised beds in our vegetable gardens has been great over the last few years as we enjoy cabbages, broccoli, beans, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, kumara, zucchini, chard, carrot, celery, leeks and all the kitchen herbs. It is so satisfying producing this produce, knowing exactly where it came from and that it is safe. And it tastes great too.  Thanks Dave and BryceWhat would we have done without these two guys who designed and planned all these projects and then went ahead and built them. They have built the planter boxes over the last two days in between heavy showers and only stopped to cover up the drop saw when it rained. Dave and Bryce have been working solidly over the last three months, putting in the hard yards building the following for the benefit of all of the Bella Vista residents:
You guys are legend. Thanks so much on behalf of the Bella Vista community.
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AuthorKerry Hart manages communications for the Association Archives
August 2025
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