news from the greater wellington regional council no place for … · 2015. 3. 31. · news from...
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gw.govt.nzNews from the Greater Wellington Regional Council
GWRC hosts night time walks though Pakuratahi Forest’s Tunnel Gully Recreation Area and provides perspective on what goes on in the bush under the cover of darkness.
GWRC runs several active travel programmes that encourage people to use sustainable or active modes of transport to get around Wellington.
Contact your regional councillor
KAPITI COAST Nigel Wilson 021 284 3339 [email protected]
LOWER HUTT Sandra Greig T 04 586 0847, 027 640 8681 [email protected]
Ken Laban T 04 971 8982, 029 200 0044 [email protected]
Prue Lamason T 04 566 7283, 021 858 964 [email protected]
PORIRUA-TAWA Jenny Brash T 04 233 8217, 027 354 4233 [email protected]
Barbara Donaldson T 04 237 0773, 021 976 747 [email protected]
UPPER HUTT Paul Swain T 04 528 7830, 021 270 9113 [email protected]
WAIRARAPA Gary McPhee T 06 372 7020, 027 457 5363 [email protected]
WELLINGTON Judith Aitken 027 769 6424 [email protected]
Paul Bruce T 04 972 8699, 021 027 19370 [email protected]
Sue Kedgley T 04 384 9123, 021 270 9088 [email protected]
Chris Laidlaw T 04 934 3143, 027 425 4668 [email protected]
Fran Wilde, Chair T 04 830 4246, F 04 384 5023 021 888 075 [email protected]
Some dates are liable to change. For updates, see www.gw.govt.nz/committee-meetings-calendar
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Council Council Chamber, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea, Wellington
Te Käuru Upper Ruamahanga River Floodplain Management Plan Subcommittee Choice Room, Greater Wellington Regional Council, 34 Chapel Street, Masterton
Regional Transport Committee Council Chamber, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea, Wellington
Wellington Regional Strategy Committee Council Chamber, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea, Wellington
Council Council Chamber, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea, Wellington
COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGSThe public can participate at all meetings, except hearings
Meeting agendas are available two working days before each meeting from:• GWRC, Shed 39, 2 Fryatt Quay, Pipitea,
Wellington• GWRC, 34 Chapel Street, Masterton
Fancy feet, fancy school gates, fancy that? It must be Movin’March – a celebration of children and families who walk, scoot, skate or cycle to school.
“Travelling to and from school on foot or on a bike, skateboard or scooter is not only fun, freeing and makes you feel good, it also gives you the chance to learn essential road safety skills and be independent,” says Melanie
Warm temperatures and low rainfall have affected river flows and water supply this summer, with calls for residents to ease back on water use.
Wellington’s water supply rivers have been flowing at roughly a quarter of normal February levels, and at the Wainuiomata water treatment plant, rainfall over January and February was the third lowest since 1890.
Rainfall records have been collected at Karori Reservoir since 1880 and the 30mm of rain received during January and February make
Move it for Movin’March
Small savings make a difference
Bus Stop
SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OUR REGIONConsultation on the 10 year plan 2015-2025 is underway from 16th March to 20th AprilFind out how you can get involved at www.gw.govt.nz/have-your-say
Thornton, Wellington Regional Council’s Sustainable Transport Manager.
Schools throughout the region are taking part in Movin’March week, from 23-27 March, that involves a range of fun activities in and out of the classroom, from charting how students get to school through to learning how bicycle gears work. School gates and kids’ footwear will be transformed into bright,
it the driest start to a year since 1908, and the third lowest on record.
Tips for Wellington residents to reduce water use include:• Water by hand around the main
stem of plants• Water slowly, so it enters the soil
instead of running off• Put off outdoor cleaning jobs
like cars and windows • Try filling the sink a bit less than
usual• Trim a minute from your shower• Fix any leaking taps and report
any leaks you see in the street
Greater Wellington Regional Council wants your views on our draft climate change strategy.
impacts of climate change?How do we protect the region from the
For more information visit haveyoursay.gw.govt.nz/climate-change
Submissions close: 10 April
We’d like to know
what you think.
Wellington residents are being urged to have input into decisions being made about what major projects should be funded in their community over the next 10 years.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council needs to decide what projects it is going to include in its 10 Year Plan, and how it will pay for them.
Top projects on the list for Wellington include improving the bus system and getting more people using it, making it easier and safer to walk and cycle, and improving our ability to cope in a major emergency.
GWRC Chair, Fran Wilde, says six main projects have been identified as needed to be carried out in the Wellington region over the coming decade. They are:
• Investing in public transport infrastructure to improve service levels
No place for complacency in 10 Year Plan
• Implementing major initiatives to increase the number of public transport users
• Increasing programmes aimed at getting more people walking, cycling, carpooling and using public transport
• Taking a strong leadership role in ensuring improved water quality across the region
• Investing in flood protection infrastructure to protect the community from flood risk
• Increasing the region’s ability to withstand an emergency (through a number of projects to provide emergency water following a major event).
“We’ve identified what we believe are the priorities, locally and regionally, and included them in the Draft 10 Year Plan. Now we need our communities to tell us what they think,” says Ms Wilde.
To pay for the initiatives included in GWRC’s Draft 10 Year Plan, the regional council is proposing an average annual rates increase of about $38 for the average residential home in the 2015/16 financial year.
That’s 9.8% and equates to 73 cents a week for the average home. GWRC is proposing maintaining the cost of its ‘business as usual’ – or existing services – with a 1.1% rates increase.
Wellington residents can find out more about what is proposed in the plan by attending an open day at Harbourside Market between 9am and 12pm on Sunday 29 March or at Johnsonville Mall between 11am and 2pm on Tuesday 14 April.
Submissions for the Draft 10 Year Plan are open from 16 March to 20 April. For more information visit www.gw.govt.nz/have-your-say
Fare FreezePublic transport fares look set to be frozen for another year, if approved as part of GWRC’s 10 Year Plan.
The proposed fare freeze for 2015/16 is, in part, due to the success of the new Matangi train fleet and savings realised through an increase in people using the trains.
By keeping fares at the same price, the regional council is hoping to encourage more people to take trains, buses and the harbour ferry.
funky works of art as part of the celebration.
All students will be encouraged to walk, scoot or cycle to school on “All In Day” on Wednesday 25 March. “Even kids who get driven to school each day can get dropped off a few blocks further away and join the others on foot for the rest of the way.”
Find out more at www.schooltravel.wix.com/movin-march
Spotted any unusual visitors in your back-yard? GWRC is hearing reports of two locally-rare species turning up in new locations across the Wellington region. Numbers of yellow and red crowned parakeets, or kakariki, are booming following predator control and unusually heavy flowering and fruiting of native trees over the past year. Help us understand more about these gorgeous natives, which are often confused with the more common introduced eastern rosella. Kakariki are smaller, have mostly green feathers and a chattering call.Send details of the location, date and number of birds you have spotted to [email protected].