The first issue of ShoreLines included an advertorial from Todd Property Group about the “sustainable community development and innovative urban design” of Long Bay. A great deal has happened since last June, as the area continues to evolve into a vibrant suburb, with strong focus on family and the environment.
When New World Long Bay opened its doors in May, it was a significant event in more ways than one. Not only does it mean that the village has its own supermarket, but it is the first Foodstuffs premises where customers can – indeed, are actively encouraged to – bring their own containers for produce, deli and butchery items.
Marcus Te Brake and Ally Manion are the store’s owners. They moved nearly 300 km south from Four Square in Coopers Beach to take up this opportunity, bringing their two young children and Marcus’ 16-year old sister with them. “It was too good a chance to miss!” says Marcus. “Our vision statement at our last store was ‘Making Coopers Beach a better place’, and so opening a new store which had such a strong focus on eco-responsibility made perfect sense. We’re delighted that we were chosen to do so.”
Marcus’ company, under which New World Long Bay operates, is called Manaaki Tangata 2019 Ltd. “It essentially translates as ‘taking care of people’, because we believe in kaitiaki or stewardship. It’s about investing in, recruiting from and looking after our local community.”
In addition to BYO containers, the supermarket offers incentives for coffee lovers to purchase KeepCups, and provides paper bags for loose mandarins. There are no plastic straws on sale! There are however efforts to offer more free-range NZ produce, especially eggs, poultry and pork.
This is all part of Foodstuffs’ larger eco commitment, which includes its private label and instore packaging being 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or home compostable by 2025. Marcus feels they’re well on their way to achieving this. “Banana leaves are being used as packaging in some overseas territories now. It’d be cool if we could find a NZ equivalent,” he says.
Marcus and Ally say they love living in Long Bay, with its easy access to the ocean and the regional park. “We only live just over the hill, but I do sometimes take the long way home through the park, just to enjoy the scenery,” smiles Ally.
Their children are enjoying life here too, and their son attends a local kindy – with a difference. Long Bay Nature Kindergarten is run by Play and Learn Early Education Centres.
Operating year-round, the children spend their days outside, in nature. They go for walks, watch animals, discover plants, look at the clouds to forecast the weather, and sometimes just sit silently and take in the sounds around them.
“Oscar loves his days there,” explains Ally. “He’s learning about trust, confidence and safety, and kindness and respect for the environment.” He’s learned some practical lessons too. “In autumn he learned that you don’t leave your lunchbox open, because birds are hungry and stocking up for winter,” she laughs.
Some of the Tuesday morning clean-up crew: (from left to right) Anna Leclercq, Jeff Oakley, Roger Carson, Colin Sandford.
The Long Bay Residents’ Association began in 2014 and is now administered by a board of seven local residents who meet monthly. “We’re here to represent the interests of the people living in Long Bay,” says secretary, Karol Helmink. “This includes liaising with local authorities and other relevant organisations to raise questions or concerns about the development of our neighbourhood. For example, we’ve been involved in long-term and ongoing discussions with Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and Todd Property Group regarding the poor visibility for traffic exiting side streets onto Te Oneroa Way due to the height of the plants in the median strips.”
The board continually monitors the weeding of the rain gardens, liaising with the council, when appropriate, and ensuring that residents’ concerns about potential rubbish dumping from the building works are heard. “A small group of residents have started a weekly clean-up on a Tuesday morning as a lot of rubbish is blown out of the large skips located on new building sites,” explains Karol. “We’re trying to encourage contractors to take their rubbish home or deposit it safely in the skips provided.”
The Long Bay Residents’ Association AGM is at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 14 August at Long Bay Baptist Church. “We extend the warmest of welcomes to our neighbours,” Karol confirms. “Please come along, learn more about what’s happening in the area, and maybe you’ll even be tempted to get more involved!”
What’s occurring in Long Bay?
There is a special screening of Mamma Mia on Saturday 17 August at Long Bay College. Log on to the LBRA Facebook page and sign up, or email longbayra@gmail.com to RSVP.
The association requested a community notice board be established in the village. This has now been erected by Communicate Media Ltd, and is located at New World Long Bay. Community notices can be written on the cards provided, and added to the display.
To find out more about Long Bay Residents’ Association, visit longbay.org.nz
Todd Property Group (through its subsidiary Long Bay Communities Ltd) has been progressively developing and planting out the Long Bay wetlands since 2011, starting with the Awaruku Wetland on Beach Rd, and then moving north to the wetlands in the Vaughans Stream floodplain.
Three wetlands are planned for the Vaughans floodplain, and thus far Todd has developed and planted two, with one central wetland still to complete.
