Question 1:
What is the actual plan to complete the so-called ‘Shared Pathway’ through Days Bay?
HCC’s official map still shows a string of dotted lines and zero details. Is it a route? A rumour? A riddle?
And where’s our famously silent Community Board? Still auditioning for Crickets: The Musical?

Question 2:
The Government proudly declared a “War on Road Cones” — but has anyone told the Shared Pathway contractors? Or are we staging a tribute to orange plastic obstruction? Cycleway or Coneway?

Question 3:
Is it just us, or has the Seaview stench found a new escape route via Windy Point and other mystery vents along the coastal sewage line?
Has the core issue been fixed or simply replumbed to Eastbourne?
“You can’t polish a turd,” said one local. Perhaps Mayor Campbell Barry has a more fragrant response.

BONUS ROUND:

Why do stalled cars now block the road on the new shared path edge near Rona Bay? Answer: because HCC added a line of concrete dragon’s teeth — brilliant if you’re parking a medieval warhorse, less so for breakdowns.

And is it true that the long-awaited Pōhutukawa Parade crossing will now be completed in 2027, once the paint dries on all the reports?

Eastbourne deserves answers, not just dotted lines, stinking vents, and silent boards.

Is the Eastbourne Community Board a functioning body—or just a well-catered book club with a Council letterhead?

Once marked for disbandment by Hutt City Council (a rare moment of clarity), the ECB was miraculously saved at the eleventh hour. Not by a groundswell of community support, mind you, but by the familiar chorus of entrenched interests crying foul. The result? A board that meets, minutes, nods—and quietly fades into irrelevance.

Meanwhile, Eastbourne residents are paying some of the highest rates in the city, yet receiving representation that’s thinner than a Windsurfers’ AGM.
When real issues hit—like the Shared Pathway debacle, the cone plague, sewage venting at Windy Point, or cycleway cock-ups—where’s the ECB? Holding a workshop? Writing a letter? Watching the traffic from a safe distance?

Mayor Campbell Barry [soon to be departed] and our local councillor do resurface occasionally—like cicadas in an election year—only to vanish into the hills of Hutt once the polling booths close.

So let’s ask it plain:
Does the ECB serve Eastbourne... or just itself?
If it’s ignored by Council, invisible to residents, and ineffective in advocating for us, why does it exist at all?

What Eastbourne actually needs is:

A dedicated local representative who lives here (yes, we’re looking at you, north-of-the-roundabout absentee candidates).

Someone who knows the issues, walks the streets, and doesn’t need Google Maps to find Windy Point.

It's time to stop accepting local theatre disguised as governance.

Join the MEGA Facebook Group. Speak up. Speak out.
Because Eastbourne isn’t going to fix itself—and the ECB certainly isn’t going to do it for us.

We’re on a mission to dream up the most unforgettable events Eastbourne has ever seen—some will happen once, some may become annual cult classics, and others might be so outrageous they live on only in whispered legends and recycled memes.

But here’s the twist: we need YOUR brainwaves.
No idea is too wild, too weird, or too worryingly undercooked. If it makes us laugh, cheer, or shout "We’ll need a permit for that!"—you’re onto something.

Here’s what the M.E.G.A. Crew’s been cooking up so far:

1. Banksy on the Beach
Got a stick and some snark? Write your wittiest or weirdest thought in the sand, snap a pic, and submit it. Eastbourne’s beaches become our temporary art gallery. Bonus points if it gets washed away by a rogue toddler or divebombed by a gull.

2. Bikes by the Bay
Wellington has Supercars. Eastbourne has e-bikes, tandems, trikes, unicycles and basket-clad retro cruisers. Let’s celebrate them all in a rolling carnival of two-wheeled glory.

3. A New ‘Groundhog Day’—The M.E.G.A. Way
Forget the groundhog. What’s our version?
• A yearly sock-on-hand parade?
• A town-wide 1999 flashback?
• Everyone only speaks in rhyming couplets?
Pitch us your best. Or worst. Or most disturbingly brilliant.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!
Got an idea that’s just waiting to cause a stir, start a tradition, or at least confuse the neighbours?

Drop it in the comments.
Send us a message.
Stick a post-it on a fish and toss it toward the ferry terminal.

We promise to read everything. We might even do some of it. The rest? Well… there’s always the scrapbook.

Let’s get legendary. Let’s get ludicrous. Let’s get M.E.G.A.

From the RSA and EESC to local sports teams, hobby clubs, and service legends like Lions, Rotary, and the Men’s Shed—our town hums with energy because of those who roll up their sleeves and get involved.

We’ve got brilliant resident associations, passionate arts groups, creative performances, quiz nights that pack the house, and even our very own community newspaper. And let’s give a shout-out to the fantastic schools in Eastbourne and Days Bay that help shape the next generation of locals.

While the MEGA website isn’t your typical noticeboard, we’ll keep spotlighting local activities and champions doing good work. And our Facebook Group? That’s your go-to for sharing, promoting, or just seeing what’s on.

So get amongst it.
Support local. Show up. Pitch in.
Let’s keep Eastbourne vibrant, connected—and just a little bit legendary.