What a very pleasant view to see a near full room for our meeting last week, Not only was it a dinner meeting, which always attracts a good crowd, but having one of our own as the guest speaker also attracts big crowds and last Thursday was no exception.Co-Presidents Penny & Lesley welcomed all 23 special guests and the 22 members present. Guests included visitors from other Rotary Clubs in the district, prospective new members, past Rotarians from Auckland and abroad and members' partners, friends and family members.
More about our guest speaker below, but first a couple of club notices were shared.
- In Tom's absence, Co-President Penny reminded all members that the cut off for RYLA nominations was fast approaching and as we still have sponsorship available for a few more suitable candidates. Please do not hesitate to forward details to Tom asap.
- Peter B advised members that a working bee will be held on July 23rd to prepare areas in the Apirana Reserve for the winter planting, so please put this date in your diary. There may well be an earlier working bee needed and if this is the case Peter will share details as soon as he knows,
- There are several other special events on the horizon with details in the next story - please be sure to diary these now.
Prior to our guest speaker being introduced, member at large Oscar Lyons, was given a very warm welcome and asked to say a few words. His words were few, but he is delighted to be back in New Zealand for a short break, having recently completed his PHD at Oxford University and he is looking forward to returning full time when his work and business commitments in the UK have been met.
In what was very much a role reversal, Sam Lucas was invited to introduce our guest speaker, Simon Jones. On many occasions over the past 4 years, Simon has had the pleasure of introducing Sam and last week Sam had the opportunity to introduce Simon. He came to talk to us about "Sea Waiheke" (SW), and the challenges he has faced over the last four years as he, and a small group of investors and entrepreneurs have endeavored to get the necessary approvals to get SW up and running.
He wanted his talk to be the story of a project, a process and an ending. Apart from having many skills, not too long ago Simon was the CEO of Sea-Link and he is passionate about the Waitemata Harbour and would not be involved if the project wasn't going to deliver a positive outcome for the harbour, Auckland and Aucklanders as well as residents of Waiheke.SW's goal is to launch a new ferry service between Orakei Landing and Kennedy Point. The ferry would be fully powered by electric batteries and the ferry would dock, load and unload primarily vehicles, but also foot passengers and bicycles onto a floating pontoon. This pontoon would not impact negatively on the current marina, Tamaki Drive, the surrounding suburbs, or the established Orakei Landing. All SW are seeking is "7" existing car parks to enable a simple access driveway to be constructed between Tamaki Drive and the floating pontoon. This is only 1% of the Orakei Landing facility.
The approval process to date has taken 4 years and approvals from the Land Owner, Orakei Board, Auckland City, Auckland Transport, Orakei Landing and others are still required. The recent submission supporting the project recorded a result of 90% in favour which is not surprising considering the benefits outlined to the city, commuters, residents of Waiheke Island and Aucklanders.
One of the significant concerns that some interested parties have, relate to increased congestion in the area. SW have argued that there will be virtually no congestion as vehicles will hold a booking for the hourly service and they will be accommodated on the floating pontoon, as will foot traffic, not on the surrounding roads.
SW are also keen to point out that the addition of a new and additional service will bring to the consumers all the benefits associated with increased competition.
There was a very lively Q & A session at the conclusion of Simon's talk and if any members still have questions regarding any potential impact of the project, don't hesitate to contact Simon directly . 