I’ve talked before about the need for a Tsunami Action Plan for the southern and eastern suburbs.
The latest study shows that if there is a large local earthquake near Wellington, coastal residents may only have 10-12 minutes to get to high ground. In this case, people will need to know exactly what the plan is. Cars may not be the best option; grabbing family members and running may be better. In any event, I believe we could do with more ways (steps etc) to get quickly to higher ground.
In some instances, Council could simply make more steps up to existing roads and signpost them clearly. In other cases Council could work in partnership with private property owners. For example around Owhiro Bay, Houghton Bay, Moa Point and Breaker Bay, property owners may be prepared to cut steps up their hillsides to a safe refuge point, and could receive some Council assistance towards this if they were prepared to let neighbours use these access points in an emergency.
Any comments?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11132261
A few days ago, I asked a Lyall Bay business owner what it would take for his business to grow, and his answer was swift: more space. He happens to be a successful panel beater, and that is his current pinch point.
This simple comment started me thinking about the need for really intelligent urban planning as a means to see Wellington grow. Because the reality is, I do see that if we are to succeed as a 21st Century city, and compete with the likes of Auckland and Christchurch, we do need to be planning literally for growth….more people, more jobs, more businesses and more housing…and this will take space.
Our topography , the implications of climate change, and the need to protect our stunning natural environment mean that we need the very best urban planning.
We need to maximise the use of space; provide excellent transport links (by the way, I’m still interested in light rail from the station to the zoo, if not affordable now, it may be one day), need really good IT services city-wide, need areas of quality high density housing and need precincts for certain types of businesses.
Jack Yan has suggested for example that there could be a technological precinct from upper Cuba Street down to Cambridge Terrace to help focus research and development for Wellington to create more intellectual capital and world-class products and services.
I would also like to see some more niche manufacturing in Wellington- even back on the Miramar peninsula again. Miramar has a wharf (albeit neglected) and a super-close airport. The two main reasons Wellington became the capital was because of its location in central New Zealand and its transport links (back then the port, and then railway). These are still natural strengths for Welllington.
John Key’s now infamous statement that “Wellington is dying” was a challenge to us all. He may not have any idea what to do about it, but I’m glad to say some of us do!
This post isn’t about me and the aims I stand for if elected
It’s about you!
Have you enrolled to vote?
Regardless of who you vote for….
For the council to best represent the people we need everyone to have their say in the next few weeks.
First check your enrolment details are correct here
If they are, great!
Everyone who was correctly enrolled by Friday 16 August 2013 will get their voting papers for the 2013 local elections sent to them in the mail.
If you enrol after August 16, and before October 12, you can still vote, but you will have to request special voting papers from your local council electoral officer.
And finally, if you are wondering who to vote for, type your address into the search bar at http://www.vote.co.nz for a complete list of candidates and their details. If you do this soon, you may even be able to post a question for all of them to answer!
Like many, I was initially enthusiastic about the idea of direct flights from Wellington to somewhere in Asia. After all, who hasn’t arrived back from a long haul flight to Auckland inwardly groaning at the thought of checking through customs, grabbing baggage and having to transfer to the domestic terminal for yet more waiting, before an eventual trip home?
However, as I started to dig deeper, some disconcerting facts emerged. For example, media reports that the Commerce Commission has recently taken an interest in Wellington Airport’s future ability to make profits. So what is going on?
Reading the Infratil and WIAL (Wellington International Airport Limited) 2013 annual reports, I found that the airport assets are currently valued at around $800 million. Wellington City has a 34% stake in the airport, so we collectively own $270 million or so of airport assets. WIAL as a whole made a 6.23% return on investment, well under the maximum of 8% allowed by the Commerce Commission. So far, so good.
But hold on. Wellington City received an annual dividend of $8.8 million for its 34% stake in the airport. Sounds like a lot, until you realize it’s only a 3.3% return.
The Infratil 2013 annual report however (see page 12) , records a surplus for Infratil from the airport of $39 million for their 66 % stake. Am I wrong in thinking there is some imbalance here?
I think there are some fairly big questions to be asked here before we as a city go rushing into giving away our land and sea, changing the face of Evan’s Bay, spending a cool $200 million (which will add half again to our debt), also adding value to the airport assets, which will mean landing fees and other charges can increase (Commerce Commission rules), and all of this only balanced by our dividend from WIAL, and some yet to be quantified wider economic benefits.
I’m not saying it shouldn’t ever happen- just that in my view we need to be cautious.
Colleague David Lee (standing in Southern Ward) and I met with David Wilks, GM at Weta Workshop Wednesday afternoon. The four Weta companies (Weta Workshop, Weta Digital, Wingnut productions and Park Road Post) together employ around 1500 people. We were given insight into the Weta companies, their world class crew, and cutting edge creative design work. Fascinating industry and outstanding level of talent – in our back yard. Their challenges are to maintain their world class reputation and continue to attract film projects, while looking for opportunities to smooth the flow of work to provide steadier employment. Its a very competitive world-wide industry, so central government decisions around the exchange rate and subsidies have a major impact.
It was good also to have chat about broader issues such as ideas for building business on the peninsula and the airport runway extension.
To do our part for Conservation week, some of the whanau organised to do a quick rubbish pick up at Lyall Bay beach.
A few years ago, I did this with my St Catherine’s College Year 10 Science class as part of “Sea Week”, and the rubbish we found then (particularly plastic and polystyrene cups) was quite appalling.
This time, I’m glad to say, it was really quite clean- which is a tribute to the volunteer groups who have been dedicated to restoring the dunes and keeping the beach in good shape.
I’m a real supporter of council enabling communities to look after their own patch. A little bit of funding or other assistance from Council can go a long way when combined with community energy and skills
I stumbled across this specialty shoe shop while visiting retailers in the Hataitai Village. They specialise in womens’ shoes, size 10 and above, and have a great range- smart work shoes, boots, casual shoes….everything really.
I immediately thought of my daughter, who’s quite a bit taller than me and takes a size 10. Its often hard for her to find a well made shoe that’s trendy or a bit different, and still a comfortable fit.
They were having a sale on when I visited, not sure how long that will be lasting, but well worth popping in (27c Waitoa Road, Hataitai) and having a look-
Its great to see suburban retailers providing quality services to niche markets like this!
(Disclaimer: Sarah features interesting businesses that seem to provide a great service. She receives no financial benefit whatsoever. Mention in this blog is not an endorsement as such – people are advised to do their own research into how well the products or services supplied meet their particular needs).
It was heartening to see the number of residents who dropped into Rongotai College on Saturday afternoon to give their views on what could be done with the Kilbirnie drainage land.
I was only there from about 1.30pm to 2.30pm, but in the time I was there , I heard so many good ideas expressed. These ranged from off-road walking/cycling (possibly with linkages to the town belt, the beach, and the runway underpass), to community garden, to a scented garden with sheltered, high- backed seating for older people; a children’s playground, activities for young people such as extra basketball hoops etc around the Rongotai College area; to planting fruit trees and other plants for bees.
There is a some funding available, which will likely be allocated to drawing up the initial plans and then seeking further community input. Hopefully, there would be sufficient resource somewhere to at least get a proper walkway done. After that a lot of it may be up to the community to decide further what they are prepared to commit to, or to seek grant funding for.
Now that the process has been started, it is nice to think that we should see some progress- as this has the potential to be a real community asset.
Sarah Free 