Latest news with #HuttCityCouncil
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Sounds By The Awa In Lower Hutt To Celebrate NZ Music Month
Local artists will be the stars of the show in Sounds by the Awa - the first outdoor concert organised by Hutt City Council to specifically celebrate NZ Music Month. The family-friendly event will be held at the new Te Tōpūnga Hapori i Daly Street community space from 11am-3pm on 31 May (rain day 1 June). Entry is free. On the bill are Valley Kids, Ras Judah, DJ Kaysee Savali, Kiridox, DJ Stefrose and legendary vocalist Lisa Tomlins. Economy and Development Director Jon Kingsbury says Sounds by the Awa is a perfect event for the Daly St site. "It's all about bring the community together for a fun day out in the heart of the city. To be able to do that whilst celebrating NZ Music Month, and local Hutt musicians, makes it extra special." It's a unique event where you can combine live music with some cycling action on our pump track or enjoy some kai from a local food truck. But the new Daly St community space is only a one-minute saunter away from the Hutt River and a two-minute walk from High St and its amazing offering of local cafes. You may even want to take the time to do your weekly veggie shop at the Riverbank Market. Valley Kids will bring their collective experiences with Kiwi heavy hitters such as Katachafire, Tomorrow People, Sons Of Zion, NLC, and Creative Nātives in their acoustic set at Daly St. Guitarist/vocalist Daniel Sugrue says Valley Kids are into "groove based" music incorporating soul, RnB, Reggae, rock and three-part harmonies. "All of us are kids from the Hutt Valley, hence the band name. A couple of us lived together and a lot of the songs were written in that house. We really wanted to reflect the environment the band was reared in. "We are going to be doing a few our songs and a few covers that we really enjoy. We think people will enjoy them too." Valley Kids have released six singles, including their latest Stuck in your Head.
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Local councils and the battle for money
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry speaking at the opening of Te Ngaengae Pool + Fitness. Barry became a councillor at 19, and New Zealand's then-youngest mayor at 28. Now, at 34, he's leaving politics for something different. Photo: Supplied / Hutt City Council / Elias Rodriguez When you vote in this year's local body elections - and you should vote - be wary of the candidate who promises zero rates increases. "Zero rates increases are of course possible," says Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry, "but they do have serious consequences on local services and infrastructure delivery. The low rates approach - and our council suffered from it for a couple of decades - is the reason we're in the infrastructure deficit we have now. "Across the country, I think it's about $52 billion in backlog of infrastructure deferrals that have happened, and those candidates who come out and say they're just going to slash the rates... they need to be upfront and tell people, 'well, that also means our pipes aren't going to be renewed, we're going to look at closing libraries, we're going to obviously get rid of staff and the services they provide in local communities.' So they can't have their cake and eat it too, they need to be challenged and explain actually how they plan to do it." Barry can speak frankly because he is not standing again. Having become a councillor at 19, and New Zealand's then-youngest mayor at 28, serving two terms at the top, the 34-year-old is off to do something different. Today on The Detail he talks about local body revenue-raising options, the balance between rates rises and paying for infrastructure, and the level of central government interference in councils that is seeing the bills mount up on political whims ... while politicians rage about how much councils charge households to pay for it all. But one of the biggest problems is voter turnout. While about 80 percent of eligible voters turn out in central elections, the figure for local elections is half that. "It's such an important part of people's everyday lives, but there doesn't seem to be that level of interest," Barry says. "Voter turnout has been poor for some time. That's why we need to talk about it... people do need to take an interest and know who's representing them and making decisions of their behalf." Barry points out that ultimately New Zealand is a very centralised country - most of the decision-making does come from central government and that's where the focus is. Councils would like some of that decision-making, involving government mandates that councils end up funding, to be backed off. A classic example is traffic calming safety measures introduced by Labour, only to have National promise in the lead up to the election it would have speed bumps ripped up. "Local government is asked to deliver on such a wide breadth of issues across their local area. The unfunded mandates that we get from government are significant, they are continuously asking us to do more, and to do more while also receiving less revenue." In Lower Hutt it cost about $400,000 to implement speed calming measures - a few short years later it cost another $400,000 to take them away. The National Policy Statement on Urban Development, allowing for more intensive housing development, cost the council $700,000. "There are continuous policy changes from government which have that type of impact. And often councils look to try and just suck that cost up without putting additional burden on rates, but there is always a cost, because it means that your council officials are often having to re-prioritise and not do other things as well. "So that is a constant battle." Barry also talks on the podcast about the blunt tool that is rates, and the need to remove the restrictions on revenue-raising that would spread the burden. "All of the levers when it comes to revenue or tax relief or support, sit with government. But they refuse to have that conversation with us around how do we look to do things differently... how can local government have that tool box approach to different ways of raising revenue, more flexibility, more user-charge options. "While we had some good conversations with the previous government, nothing really happened there, and not much is happening at the moment with the current government. "That's something that needs to change otherwise we are going to have this spiral which I think is already causing major problems with trying to fund these things purely through rates." A possible change could be handing back councils the GST on rates - a tax on a tax. But "there is a $1.5 billion dollar reason the government won't do it," says Barry. "Councils across the country collect around $10b in rates each year. If they were to take that tax-on-a-tax off, it would be around about a $450 to $650 decrease in the average residential ratepayer's bill, instantly. So it would make a really big difference for councils across the country and I think it's something the government absolutely should consider." The government also does not pay rates on property it owns, such as schools and hospitals, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is one of the civic leaders who've asked for that to change - for Auckland Council alone, it would put an estimated $40 million back in the coffers. In Lower Hutt the number would be $20-$30m a year. "That would make a significant difference," says Barry. Local election voting opens at the start of September and we will have new councils around the country by 11 October. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
Scoop
20-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Bringing Two Critically Endangered Native Plants Back From The Brink
Press Release – Hutt City Council Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta Mangaweka not only survive but thrive. Hutt City Council is playing a key role in bringing two of Aotearoa's rarest native plant species back from the brink of extinction. Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' not only survive but thrive. The leafy, white-flowered Myosotis petiolata – a native forget-me-not – once flourished in the limestone-rich soils of Hawke's Bay. But it has dwindled to near-extinction. Thanks to a collaboration with Downer Greenspace, Council is helping make a small miracle unfold. Last year, staff at Percy's propagated 60 plants, and a further 440 cuttings are just beginning to root, each one a tiny green shoot of hope. Downer's Percy Scenic Reserve-based horticulturalist, Cliff Keilty, says the forget-me-not is easy enough to grow but can be tricky to keep healthy. 'They're prone to fungal disease and need specific conditions. We mimic their natural limestone habitat by adding lime to their pots-it seems to make them happy.' To come off the endangered list, at least 2000 established, flowering plants need to be growing in the wild in Hawke's Bay. Hutt City Council aims to contribute by propagating around 500 more plants each year for the next four years which will eventually be planted in Hawke's Bay. Alongside the forget-me-not, native daisy Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' is also making a tentative return from extinction in the wild. The last known specimens of this distinctive and delicate alpine plant were saved by the Department of Conservation around 1999. Staff at Percy Scenic Reserve and Wellington City Council's Ōtari-Wilton's Bush are working to propagate this plant which is functionally extinct in the wild. They divided these into multiple smaller plants to reduce the risk of losing one individual plant. Only two genetically distinct parent plants remain in ex-situ collections, and one plant is known in the wild. Hutt City Council Neighbourhoods and Communities Director Andrea Blackshaw says the Rautaki Kanorau Koiora Taketake Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy 2023 provides a focus for this sort of work. 'Council is motivated to safeguard ecosystems, species, and habitats so they can be treasured for future generations. Helping save these two endangered plants is a part of that valuable work.' Downer Greenspace Contract Manager Justin Arthur says the collaborative efforts of Downer Greenspace, Hutt City Council, and Wellington City Council are a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together for the greater good of our environment. 'This initiative highlights the value of long-term partnerships. By combining resources and expertise, we're making a tangible impact – one that benefits communities and ecosystems alike. 'The Hutt City community can be proud to know the important role their council is playing in the conservation of our nationally critical and endangered plant species.'
Scoop
20-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Bringing Two Critically Endangered Native Plants Back From The Brink
Hutt City Council is playing a key role in bringing two of Aotearoa's rarest native plant species back from the brink of extinction. Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' not only survive but thrive. The leafy, white-flowered Myosotis petiolata - a native forget-me-not - once flourished in the limestone-rich soils of Hawke's Bay. But it has dwindled to near-extinction. Thanks to a collaboration with Downer Greenspace, Council is helping make a small miracle unfold. Last year, staff at Percy's propagated 60 plants, and a further 440 cuttings are just beginning to root, each one a tiny green shoot of hope. Downer's Percy Scenic Reserve-based horticulturalist, Cliff Keilty, says the forget-me-not is easy enough to grow but can be tricky to keep healthy. "They're prone to fungal disease and need specific conditions. We mimic their natural limestone habitat by adding lime to their pots-it seems to make them happy." To come off the endangered list, at least 2000 established, flowering plants need to be growing in the wild in Hawke's Bay. Hutt City Council aims to contribute by propagating around 500 more plants each year for the next four years which will eventually be planted in Hawke's Bay. Alongside the forget-me-not, native daisy Celmisia aff. gracilenta 'Mangaweka' is also making a tentative return from extinction in the wild. The last known specimens of this distinctive and delicate alpine plant were saved by the Department of Conservation around 1999. Staff at Percy Scenic Reserve and Wellington City Council's Ōtari-Wilton's Bush are working to propagate this plant which is functionally extinct in the wild. They divided these into multiple smaller plants to reduce the risk of losing one individual plant. Only two genetically distinct parent plants remain in ex-situ collections, and one plant is known in the wild. Hutt City Council Neighbourhoods and Communities Director Andrea Blackshaw says the Rautaki Kanorau Koiora Taketake Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy 2023 provides a focus for this sort of work. "Council is motivated to safeguard ecosystems, species, and habitats so they can be treasured for future generations. Helping save these two endangered plants is a part of that valuable work." Downer Greenspace Contract Manager Justin Arthur says the collaborative efforts of Downer Greenspace, Hutt City Council, and Wellington City Council are a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together for the greater good of our environment. "This initiative highlights the value of long-term partnerships. By combining resources and expertise, we're making a tangible impact - one that benefits communities and ecosystems alike. "The Hutt City community can be proud to know the important role their council is playing in the conservation of our nationally critical and endangered plant species."
RNZ News
18-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Heavy rain, thunderstorms lash North Island, Hutt river floods
Several roads were closed in Lower Hutt overnight due to flooding from the Hutt River. File picture. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King The upper North Island was hit with heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight, but a severe thunderstorm watch for Auckland has now been lifted. A front moved east across the region, bringing downpours and thunder also in Northland, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula. And in the Lower North Island, in Lower Hutt , several roads were closed overnight due to flooding from the Hutt River, after the Wellington region was hammered by heavy rain. Hutt City Council said the rain had eased and its crews were out on Sunday night with all roads expected to be open by 6am today. Meanwhile, a teenager was rescued after trying to cross the Ngatiawa River in Tararua Forest Park when returning from an overnight hike. The boy was swept off his feet after rising floodwaters but managed to get to safety where he activated a locator beacon and was then able to be located and rescued. In the South Island, road snowfall warnings were in place overnight until 7am on Monday for Arthur's Pass and Porters Pass. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
