Last week saw sixteen volunteers turn up at the Historic Village for the official opening of the Friends group headquarters. One of the Friends of Historic Village coordinators, Murray Bourne, cut the ribbon. Working bees are held every Tuesday at the Historic Village, 17^th Ave West. For further information, contact Murray on 021 2623485.

We are fortunate to have such talented, passionate people serving our community. Many not-for-profit organisations are located at the Historic Village with some amazing outcomes. For example, The Men's Shed and The Incubator. Both organisations have transformed from small beginnings into great examples of what can happen when people work collaboratively.

As the Historic Village exists without ongoing ratepayer funding, it is reliant on the goodwill of volunteers to add value and assist in maximising the potential the Historic Village offers.

Tauranga City Council had its first Community Development Committee meeting this week, ably chaired by councillor Steve Morris. This is a great opportunity to create community involvement.

Friends meet to officially open their Headquarters

Marine precinct

This matter was discussed during a confidential meeting last week. I asked for the matter to be discussed in the 'open” but there was not enough support to do so. Ratepayers will need to be consulted through the draft Annual Plan process. I'm sure the topic will draw many submissions during the Annual Plan process.

Elected members have been involved in discussions with staff to trim back budgets. Again, these will go out for community consultation. One idea going out in the Draft Annual Plan is to increase traffic wardens to up the monitoring in the CBD and suburbs. Staff believe this will increase revenue by $75,000. It seems a contradiction to have more enforcement officers in the CBD and suburbs when we are trying to create a more vibrant, welcoming CBD and city.

A sad loss for Tauranga

It was with great sadness I learned of the passing of Jinty Rorke. Jinty contributed a lot to this city, as an archivist at Tauranga Library and with her involvement in the proposed museum, local history and The Elms. Her knowledge was immense and she will be sadly missed by our community. Condolences to David and family.