Our AGM was held on Wednesday, 19th July 2023, 7:00 PM at the Pegasus Bay School Hall. The meeting had over 80+ people attending including PRGI members and the wider community for an annual PRGI update.
Here is a summary of the key points discussed during the AGM:
Welcome and Apologies: The AGM began with a warm welcome from the President, Matt James. He acknowledged everyone present including Waimakariri District Council Mayor Dan Gordon, Councillor Brent Cairns and Council staff including Gerard Cleary, Manager of Utilities and Roading.
Also present were Woodend-Sefton Community Board Members Shona Powell, Mark Paterson, Rhonda Mather, Andrew Thompson and Philip Redmond.
Apologies were noted for individuals who were unable to attend.
Minutes of AGM 2022 The minutes from the previous year's AGM were presented and moved to be accepted as read by Matt James.
Matters Arising from Minutes AGM 2022 Concerns raised during the previous year's AGM were addressed, including the 70Km speed limit on the road into Pegasus and updates on the location of the new Pegasus Community Centre.
Update from the Waimakariri District Council Mayor, Dan Gordon:
Mayor Gordon provided updates from the Council, highlighting exciting news for the Pegasus community in the coming days and confirmed that the Council has finalised its annual plan.
He also mentioned ongoing efforts to improve safety on State Highway 1 between Pegasus and Ravenswood.
General Business: PRGI Members were invited to bring up general matters - the discussion revolved around traffic speed reduction and pedestrian crossings, with clarification provided about the legality of different crossing points in Pegasus.
Cars speeding on infinity drive - Is there a way we can reduce speed going down that road? Gerard Cleary said the Council will investigate options for signs to reduce speed.
The pedestrian crossings – are they legal crossings? Gerard Cleary advised that there are two legal crossings in Pegasus: one on Solander Road, and the other on Pegasus Main Street. He advised that the small crossings without lines on the road are not legal crossings, but are designed so that cars slow down, and often cars will stop as a courtesy. Cars have the right of way at these courtesy crossings.
The need for a crossing on Whakatipu Street also came up, and WDC said they will talk to the school about whether there is a suitable location for a pedestrian crossing there.
President's Report: Matt James discussed the vision of the Pegasus Residents Group Inc., focusing on the community centres' management, community watch initiatives, and ongoing advocacy for the Pegasus community. He shared statistics about PRGI membership and highlighted the various activities and events organised by the group.
Community Watch and Community Centre Update Pegasus Community Centre (PCC) Sub-Committee Lead and Community Watch Team Liaison, Peter Johnston, provided an update on the Community Watch program and the current status of the community patrol vehicle. Regarding the PCC, he advised the PRGI committee had recently negotiated a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Waimakariri District Council. He gave an update on the centres' usage both in terms of centre users (hires) and visitors. The centre is in the process of becoming an Emergency Community Hub for community support during major emergencies.
Residents Survey Feedback Matt James did a comprehensive update on the PRGI activities over the past year that addressed PRGI survey key topics such as lake trials, CCTV implementation, youth activities, green space maintenance, and community events.
Lake trial – a stakeholder meeting is being arranged.
CCTV – public meeting in September to discuss the implementation of CCTV in Pegasus
Activities for Youth –the first event will be held on the 4th of August 2023
Maintenance of Green Spaces – Matt encouraged the use of the WDC ‘Snap, Send Solve’ App
Community Events – PRGI has held some great events this year. Notably the Matariki Events, Christmas by the Lake, and two Local Government ‘Meet the Candidate’ sessions. There are plans in place for a General Election ‘Meet the Candidates’ event.
Animal Control – the dog park is being upgraded. Community Board is helping with this.
Community Centre – Great group of volunteers. The PRGI hosted a WDC drop-in session for consultation around the new community centre
Internet fibre– Largely reliant on Enable. Nothing is planned at this stage for fibre in Pegasus. Technology is advancing rapidly – alternatives may come about that are better options.
Community Advocacy – Matt went through a list of activities PRGI has been doing to advocate for the Pegasus Community.
Drinking Water Quality – Matt advised the PRGI can’t do much as a Residents Group and that it is largely reliant on ECAN.
The President's Report was accepted without objections.
Treasurer's Report: Treasurer, Kathy Gutberlet, provided an overview of the annual financial accounts and the proposed budget for 2024. The treasurer's report was accepted without objections.
Life Membership Election: Matt spoke about the opportunity to offer a PRGI 'Life Membership’. He discussed the qualifying criteria and this was all accepted by members.
As part of this, two Life Membership Nominations were put forward and accepted.
Worthy recipients of the Lifetime Membership were Roger Rule (right in the photo), and Don Smith (left in the photo), who have both dedicated many, many years volunteering for the PRGI.
Appointment of Committee
Members and Officers: Roger facilitated the appointments of Committee Members and Officers.
The officer roles are:
President – Matt James
Vice President – Heidi Wood
Secretary – Joel Mclachlan
Treasurer – Kathy Gutberlet
Departing committee members were Roger Rule (Vice-President and many other roles), Sharon Divall (Membership) and Wayne Graham (Secretary role). Matt thanked each of them for their contributions and hard work and acknowledged they would be sorely missed by the Committee.
Closure of AGM: The 2023 AGM was officially closed at 8:00 PM.
Guest Speaker: The AGM was followed by a presentation from the guest speaker, Paul Croft, CEO of Infinity Investment Group.
Attendees were reminded that PRGI memberships could be obtained or renewed for $20 per household per year.