Charissa Snijders

Registered Architect, FNZIA, MDM (1st Class Hons) BArch

As an advocate for the environment I believe we all have a role to play in ensuring that now and in the future we can enjoy the beauty of Waiheke. As most people on Waiheke know, we need to respect our environment, protect its uniqueness and take steps to not see it become just another suburb of Auckland. As a local practicing architect I feel I have the skills and experience to help towards realising a sustainable and beautiful future for our isle.

Over the last 20 years I have served on various committees, including 11 years on the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. Some of the roles being; President of Auckland Architecture Association, Chairperson for Urban Issues Group, President of Urban Auckland, and one of the founding members of Sustainable Building Cluster, an affiliation of Sustainable Business Network.

Top 5 Issues

Create sustainable communities that support and enhance each other.
Promote opportunities for Waiheke to feed itself with locally produced organic vegetables, fruit, meat and fish.
Adopt cradle-to-cradle and biomimicry practice in all stages of the cycle.
I support Waiheke becoming an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Maintain our diversity within the community.
Obtain an independent social impact assessment and strategically set aside areas within our community for affordable sustainable housing.
Assess what is a good balance of urban and rural land.
Encourage sustainable and innovative development for both residential and commercial building.
Protect our environment.
Adopt 'Seven generation sustainability' an ecological concept that originated with the Iroquois, that urges us to live sustainably and work for the benefit of the seventh generation into the future.
Ensure that our water quality is of the highest standard. Exercise guardianship for our water sources, the streams, the bores, the water springs and the sea. Test the water regularly and openly communicate with people the quality of the water.
Restore our natural environment, and actively protect our ecological significant sites, marine reserve, Regional park and revegetation projects. Control pests and noxious weeds.
Encourage economic development and employment opportunities that align with community vision.
Encourage low impact eco-tourism initiatives that celebrate the land and our heritage and simultaneously brings more job creation. Make it easier for organic horticultural and agricultural industries to get started and help them continue to flourish.
Learn from Hawkes Bay and Martinborough and other communities and work towards strengthening our own unique character.
Align our transport decisions towards supporting our unique character and desire towards a sustainable future.
Public transport - introduce smaller buses that run either on electricity or biofuel from our local waste. Investigate alternative fuel options for the ferries, such as LPG rather than marine diesel and slowly upgrade to new hull and propeller design to lower fuel consumption and reduce emissions,
Create safe roads whilst maintaining the look and feel of the island.
Limit car use by promoting better public transport.

Personal Profile

Authorised by Charissa Snijders of 16 Hillside Road, Palm Beach, Waiheke Island

Questions answered by Charissa Snijders

Question

Charissa Snijders's Reply

So you think you should represent Waiheke

Awaiting response

Hi Sue

regarding on-site disposal of wastewater - one of the reasons why I moved to Waiheke was the possibility of living a more sustainable life, one that moved towards self-sufficiency and taking responsibility for my own waste and water use. I think this is important to retain, but at the same time I think we can do better than what we are doing now.

Research and implementing appropriate steps to ensure that we clean up our waterways is imperitive if we wish to continue this approach. Working out size of our sites for future development and best solutions for those sites is also important. Rules that govern Waiheke should reflect our unique character rather than remain status quo.

hope that answers your question

thanks

Charissa

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Have you read Essentially Waiheke?

Hi Jan

I have read \"Essentially Waiheke\" and think it is a great document to which we can work together as a community to agree on a collective vision. What needs to happen now is rather than it being ignored it needs to gain some teeth and become an active document.

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Your vision for Waiheke

Awaiting response

Hi Jan

The vision I hold is around protecting our environment, and making sure that our decisions align to ensure that not only now but future generations can continue to enjoy the beauty of the island.

Part of this will be to ensure that the rules that govern us - whether they are in regards to development, waste, water, employment, tourism are aligned towards this vision.

thanks

Charissa

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Sustainable Building

Awaiting response

Hi Sue

As an architect I am for development, but I am also for development done in a sustainable way. It is important that we do things differently or otherwise we will keep destroying our land, water and community.

So how can we make our development more sustainable? By first having an overall plan that ensures our significant ecological sites are protected and that nothing can endanger them. Than we can define what it is that makes Waiheke unique and ensure that our commercial and residential development aligns with this philosophy. To my way of thinking, there is no point in saying one thing and than having our district plan allow typical development occurring.

How we deal with stormwater, sewage and building is also important - ensuring that we design for the sun and use our natural resources for power would be a good start in the right direction.

I hope this helps

thanks

Charissa

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Waste control

I think we need to take steps now to ensure that we are in a position to take over looking after our own waste once the current contract has expired. I am interested in how some communities are converting their waste into power and on a simpler issue, of course we should retain our green waste for island use. It would be awesome if in the near future we change our way of seeing something as waste to instead seeing it as a useful resource.

Charissa

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Waiheke biodiversity

Awaiting response

Hi Jan

I believe that we need to protect the island\'s biodiversity and ensure that our significant ecological sites are protected and enhanced

hope that helps

Charissa

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Owning our own future

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