At the Creative Café, Marama Arcade, Taupo 7:00PM

1. PRESENT: Gerry Dance; Thomas Schwarz; Else Tutert; Pete Masters; Lisa Rowland; Neville Peach; Jonathan Garlick

2. APOLOGIES: NIL

3. CORRECTIONS TO LAST MINUTES: Committee agreed that the minutes of 24 March 2003 were a true and accurate record save for a couple minor spelling errors. Accepted by committee (Else/Thomas)

4. INCOMING/OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE

• Letter in from Mark Burton undated received on 24 March 2003 responding to our letter of 11 February. Letter enclosed information on Tourism Facilities Development Grant Programme.

• Letter out to Timi Te Heu Heu regarding Spa/Huka Cycle Way proposal

• Letter out to all members inviting to attend a Special Meeting to accept and formalise constitution.

5. TREASURER’S REPORT

Now that constitution has been accepted Lisa is now to sign application as Secretary and Alan Vane will send all documents for registration with fee of $100. Once officially registered and notified a bank account will be opened on behalf of Bike Taupo and funding applied for.

6. MATTERS ARISING:

Constitution:

See above (Treasurer’s Report)

7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:

Media and Promotion:

• Jonty has been sending out letters to the editor, latest one to go in soon is regarding the response to cycle lanes in Heu Heu Street. There has been lots of talk on this subject by negative and positive. Jonty received an article on obesity in NZ, which will be used for ammunition in the letter to editor. It was noted that any interesting articles like this with statistics or which relate to encouraging people to cycle due to health or environment reasons should be passed to Jonty for future use.

• Else said the cycle strategy team has sent out a media release on the new cycle lanes.

• A question was raised how close the cycle symbols can be on roads. Else said the standard guideline is 100m apart but they can now be put closer together such as 50m.

• Where the cycle lanes end at Kaimanawa Street intersection is was raised whether cycle signs (ie. be aware cyclists) can be put at intersections along the rest of Heu Heu Street and Mere Road since symbols cannot be put on the road due to it being also parking. Else will look into this - there’s no reason why not.

• Thomas mentioned a CANZ link involving a PowerPoint presentation on improving roads and footpaths, which seemed very valuable. Else said she had seen this site and agreed.

• CANZ newsletter also told of the English NHS (National Health) paying trainers to teach people to cycle again to encourage healthy living.

• Lisa provided the group with a draft Bike Taupo postcard to be used for future membership. It has website details for registering on line or the option of sending the post card with details upon it. Just need to add the age group categories, which will be useful for statistics. For the front of the post card we need to think of a catchy phrase. We are now thinking that the ‘Look twice for bikes’ slogan is too well used and we need a new one. Perhaps ‘ ON YOUR BIKE ’ with the bike taupo website and ‘advocating cycling in Taupo’ arranged thereon with a background of a bike or something similar. These postcards could be placed in shops, cafes and cycle event packs. Neville said that San Michelle has cycle artwork they have used in the past for t-shirts that could be tapped into for ideas on a background.

Website:

• Thomas has been looking into funding for the website and has been in contact with Paul Kennett.

• There is a new edit menu on the website for submitting articles etc which should make it easier to use. There are two areas for submitting information. A public area, which prior to going live is checked by the webmaster (to avoid unwanted and/or irrelevant info going on the site) and the other is through admin, which the whole committee has, access to and can submit live.

• Need to put as much on website as possible. Its important to have new things on all the time to keep people checking it out. All media releases, letters to the editor and other info should be put on as soon as available.

• Thomas mentioned Chris Todd of the Mountain Bike Club is looking at creating a website . The committee would like to encourage the Club to use the Bike Taupo website by having their own page/s. They could still have a domain name but it would mean that their members and others could access either through the Club or through Bike Taupo. This could advantageous to the Bike Taupo Group as well as the Mountain Bike Club and would be more cost efficient for them. In the future we would like all cycle related clubs to be closely linked to the Bike Taupo website. Thomas is to send out a proposal on behalf of Bike Taupo to the Mountain Bike Club.

Huka Falls/Spa Park Track

• Pete reported that there is to be a meeting with Timi Te Heu Heu this weekend which will include a flight as part of the meeting plus we are hoping to get a 15 year right of access and to simply ‘cross the t’s and dot the I’s’. Its all go to use along the edge of the Patuiwi land (where it has a boundary with the Gun Club) Pete has taken Patuiwi for a couple of flights showing the entire proposal by air.

• Rotary Club has also been shown this. Rotary are keen to fund two bridges at a total cost of $16,000 provided they having naming rights to the whole track (eg. ‘Rotary Ride’). A motion was made by the committee: That Taupo Moana Rotary pay for 2 new bridges @ $8,000 per bridge for naming rights of the cycle track. (moved Pete, seconded Lisa - all in favour).

• Pete reported that Paddy Gordon of DOC is taking over the Taupo Field Centre and is totally behind the track going in especially if the emphasis is on encouraging family use. DOC is also looking at changing area over the Aratiatia Dam so cyclists can cycle across Dam and then back along river left to complete a full circuit of the Huka/Waikato River. Some tracks on river left will need to be changed to accommodate cyclists.

• Gerry mentioned the width of the track and possibly making it 2m wide. Pete said that DOC standards for all tracks were 1.5m wide and that this cycle track would have to be the same. This may make it a little difficult for walkers but all agreed that cyclists and walkers must be aware of the standard etiquette. Also since it will be an encouraged for family use all cyclists should be cycling at a reasonable speed to avoid risky incidents.

• In summary the next step is to go back to Rotary which our acceptance of their offer; and meet with Patuiwi Trust - eventually there will be an agreement drawn up for 15 years for the use of this part of their land.

Submissions:

• Gerry’s general business item fits into submissions and so was brought up. There is to be a review of the Bylaws Government Act effective in July 2003. Also in the future all bylaws will be reviewed again in 2-3 years and will last 5 years which will then be revisable again. Of particular interest to us would be the ‘no cycling on reserves’ bylaw. When the time comes a letter from Bike Taupo will be very valuable, changing this bylaw.

• An additional $40,000 has been allocated in the draft annual plan to the Cycle Strategy Team which relates to the Bike Taupo submission made.

• Neville will follow up on application for grants from the Hillary Commission. Mark Burtons information on the Tourism Facilities Development Grant Programme was also given to Neville to read through and look into.

Membership:

• Membership is up to around 150 now so it looks as though everyone is talking!!

• Mountain Bike Club will hold their winter series starting soon and Bruce Jaine of the Club is to make it a part of registration to join Bike Taupo if not already joined.

• Aim to have the postcard memberships ready for the Day Night Thriller registration packs.

TDC Cycle Strategy Team:

• Else reported that prices have been identified for the change to the roundabout on Taharepa Road (it will be widened to make road way around it narrower which will decrease the traffic’s speed and allow cyclists to merge safely) and the Kotare Street island adjacent to the Kimberley Reserve path end.

• New bike racks have been installed outside the White House in Paora Hape Street.

• Lisa and the team are working on a brochure featuring Cycling in Taupo. Destination Lake Taupo is keen to come on board with funding etc and a meeting is set up with them next week. The brochure will be a 3-fold size opening out to A3. It will feature the current cycle facilities in Taupo town as well as training rides on roads in the area, directions and some off road cycling, the off road cycle/walk etiquette and will have contacts of clubs, the cycle strategy team, and cycle shops.

• The team is also working on an annual fun family event to be held the weekend prior to the Cycle Challenge in November. Event is to be called ‘Freewheeling Fun Day’ which the team has organised the previous two years as part of the Festival of the Environment. It was decided to separate the event from any kind of ‘festival’ week.

• Else has communicated with Road Safety Division and there is now a separate cycling section with Mal Kernot more involved.

3. GENERAL BUSINESS

• Gerry’s general business was covered in Submissions Report.

9. NEXT MEETING:

The Creative Café Marama Arcade

Wednesday 18 June 2003

7:00pm

8. CLOSE OF MEETING: 8:30pm