Maketū and Te Puke community boards set to restart meetings next week

Te Puke Community Board chairman Richard Crawford, left, and Maketu Community Board chairman Shane Beech.

Community board meetings will be taking place around a table rather than online next week.

Maketū and Te Puke community boards were due to meet in April, but that was prevented by the alert level 4 lockdown rules.

Members will however be back around the board tables on June 16 and 18 respectively.

Members have been able to meet online, but Maketū Community Board chairman Shane Beech says in person is, for him, the best way.

''I do prefer sitting around the table and being able to talk frankly or one on one rather than over the internet,'' he says.

Maketū board has already had one actual rather than virtual workshop.

''That was probably our first out in the public environment so we are already up and running.''

All board meetings usually starts with up to half and hour for members of the public to have their say, and the reconvened meetings will follow that format.

''We're just treating it as business as usual and getting back as close to normality as we possibly can.

''There are quite a few projects happening in Maketū at the moment so I'm looking forward to getting back into it.''

Te Puke Community Board chairman Richard Crawford echoed the views of his Maketū counterpart.

''Even though we've been talking to people over Zoom, every one is looking forward to being in the same room together.''

All members of the community board were involved in the Te Puke Community Response Team and have been in regular contact online.

■ Both meetings start at 7pm. Maketū Community Board meets at Maketū Community Centre and Te Puke Community Board at the Te Puke Library and Service Centre.