Whanganui group seeks feedback from Castlecliff residents

Children from a surfie Castlecliff family have been told not to walk Morgan St any more because vehicles "hooning around" make it too dangerous, Kathleen Vicelich says.

The drivers are unlicensed, underage, and riding motorbikes and quadbikes with no helmets, say members of a concerned Castlecliff group. Some would like a ban on vehicles of any kind on the dunes and the land between the beach and suburb - and say many council signs indicate this should be so.

The council is reviewing its plan for the Castlecliff coastal reserve, with deliberations on December 13.

Before that happens the group of residents will hold a Castlecliff Kōrero at 2pm on November 11 at Castlecliff School. They want everyone to come, including the dune and reserve riders.

"We are hoping the young ones that are roaring around on the dunes will be there."

At the meeting people will say what they want from the beach and reserve area, and can bring up other Castlecliff issues. That information will be useful for council, and the hui could start connections between people and groups and lead to solutions.

Group member Ruth Tidemann moved to Castlecliff two years ago and is an artist. She's painted a "talking stick" to pass around at the meeting. The person holding it will be given space to talk, with everyone expected to listen.

Facilitators Jillian Wychel and David James will help keep the hui "respectful". Whanganui councillors, council staff and MP Harete Hipango are all invited. Leaflets have been put in Castlecliff letterboxes, and sent out from schools and preschools.

The group of eight had hoped a manawhenua kaumātua would be on hand to open the hui. But Rhona Vickoce found the kaumātua were all tied up with Rātana celebrations.

Tidemann started a petition earlier this year, asking council to uphold what she thought was a "no vehicle" bylaw in the dunes and reserve. It got about 400 signatures.

She knows a lot of people would oppose a ban, and that a similar petition achieved nothing in earlier years. In the end she didn't present her version to council. The Kōrero is an attempt to progress matters.

Submissions on the Castlecliff Coastal Reserve Management Plan have closed, and will be discussed by councillors on December 13, a Whanganui District Council spokesman said.

There were 39 submissions to the plan, with 11 mentioning vehicle issues such as access, speed and safety.

The plan will not set speed rules, policy planner Victoria Edmonds said, but it could put barriers in place to prevent access to dunes.

The beach itself has the status of a public road, with a speed limit of 100km/h.

The council will consult on vehicle speeds in general during the coming summer, as it reviews its 2017 Traffic and Speed Bylaw.