Although I will continue to send out emails to those people who have expressed an interest in discussing the proposed development at Opeke, I have decided to set up this site as a repository for discussions and ideas.
The basic idea is that whenever I have a conversation or meeting, or if I receive an email or see something relevant in the papers then I will try to drop a copy of it here, so that others can see what I have been up to.
I intend to be as transparent as possible in my discussions and opinions. If you disagree with anything I have written, please comment below or send me an email. I welcome discourse on this subject. mailto:l_h_paterson@hotmail.com.
Welcome, Lee
P.S. - If you were wondering what the translation of the Maori word "Opeke" is - as near as I can discern, it means “Our Shoulder” [revision - historically it means "the place to leap over"]
Sunday, May 01, 2005
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Congratulations Lee on a useful and open-minded forum for discussing Alan Dippie's Opeke project. Development I guess doesn't have to be a dirty word ... I was heartened by Alan's assurances about the minimisation of environmental impact of any houses that may be built.
I live in Dunedin and stumbled across Opeke quite by accident while I was walking past a few weeks ago (Aug 07). I marvelled at the scope of the landscaping and was pleased to see that mature trees, both native and exotic, had been retained. This guy, who I now know to be Alan, was walking around marking spots to plant more trees. He told me he had already planted 60,000 and told me about the coastal walkway he had established 'because there aren't many places where the public have access to the water at Doctors Point.' I walked around the track and again was amazed at the amount of planting, the thoughtful placement of seats and steps etc. In a few years it will be very beautiful and a wonderful community asset. Even if this was guilt money or a token gesture it's still a win-win in my opinion.
I was a bit concerned about the erosion. In places bare clay banks were falling into the water, and there was a stain of yellow all around the shore. I didn't see the site as it was before but I imagine the bulldozing has been fairly brutal.
I would like to see the old wooden sheds near the road retained and restored. Alan said they were built about 1880 - at a glance I would have said even earlier perhaps. Yes, they are in poor condition but these links with the past are important.
Alan told me he owned Nichols Garden Group(which is where he got all the plants!) but didn't tell me his name or that he is a director of Willowridge Developments, which I now read hopes at some stage in the future to get resource consents for a residential subdivision here. I understood it was his alpaca farm!
Good luck to the people of Doctors Point as you keep an eye on developments here. Let's hope the Opeke story has a happy ending for everyone.
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