Latest News

This page has the content from the latest media releases or news issued by Porirua City Council.

For previous media releases in pdf format, please refer to the Media Releases page.

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6 July 2010

GST Changes

As part of the Budget 2010, the Government announced that Goods and Services Tax (GST) will rise from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent.  This will take effect on 1 October 2010. 

Council is currently working through implementing Porirua City Council's charges, levies and fees, including the rates charged to residents and businesses which will rise on 1 October 2010 in line with the change in GST.

This new GST rate will impact on the expenditure incurred by the Council - and the Council's projected incomes.  Rates invoiced before 1 October will carry GST at 12.5%; after that date, 15% will be paid to the Government. 

The Council's first two rates instalments will be invoiced before 1 October. However, the third, fourth and fifth instalments will occur after 1 October 2010 when the 15% GST charge will apply.

The effect on your rates

The change in GST comes part way through the Council rating year, therefore could have an impact on your rates, depending on when you pay them.

GST has been calculated at the prevailing rate at the anticipated time of supply. The first two instalments will be invoiced before 1 October 2010 at the current rate of 12.5% and the remaining three instalments will be invoiced after 1 October 2010 at 15%. GST will apply at the current rate of 12.5% to any additional payments made before 1 October 2010. Any additional payments made on or after 1 October 2010 will attract GST at 15%.

Which situation applies to you?

I pay my rates in one lump sum when I receive my first rates notice for the new financial year in July.

GST will apply at the current rate of 12.5% to the full balance paid before 1 October 2010.

I pay my first instalment when I receive my first rates notice for the new financial year in July and then decide to pay off the balance before 1 October 2010.

GST will apply at the current rate of 12.5% to the full balance paid before 1 October 2010.

I pay my first instalment when I receive my first rates notice for the new financial year in September and continue to pay my rates in instalments, in November 2010, January 2011, March 2011 and May 2011.

The first two instalments payments include GST at 12.5% and the remaining three instalments payments include GST at 15%.

I pay my rates via automatic payments

You will need to adjust your payments as soon as you receive your third rates notice in December 2010.

  • Further detailed information about the change and how it affects you and what you pay to Porirua City Council, will be published on this website over the next few months.

 

1 July 2010

PCC ADOPTS 2010/11 ANNUAL PLAN

Mayor Jenny Brash and Councillors signed-off Porirua City Council's Annual Plan for 2010-11 last night. The average rate increase has been set at 5.7%, as proposed in the draft Annual Plan.

"Council worked hard to keep rates as low as possible and having kept them at just 2% last year, at the height of the worldwide recession, this year was always going to be a challenge. After much deliberation, the 5.7% increase was decided as necessary to enable Council to continue to deliver the city's core services and to meet resident expectations. The amount projected for 10/11 in the 10year Long term Plan was 5.3%."

Mayor Brash says Council listened to feedback from the 77 submitters on the draft plan and some of their requests were incorporated into the final Annual Plan.

"These included changes to proposals at Cannons Creek Pool in particular looking at options for programme and casual use and as the cost of entry to the pool. We also added $20,000 for the Te Araroa Wellington Regional Trust to seed funding towards forming a walking track between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki."

A commitment to make greater use of the wide range of historical material Council has collected for a permanent display on the history of Porirua was also added to the final plan.

Mayor Brash says other key features of the Annual Plan include high-priority water supply and waste water improvements and investment in emergency management, transport planning and facilities, road safety, District Plan review and city centre revitalisation.

"This year sees continuing investment in city infrastructure, such as renewal of aging water supply pipelines, expansion of the Waste Water Treatment Plant and network to cope with population increases, and enhancements to Spicer Landfill to increase the number of years it will remain open.

"We are not a big spending council, being in the bottom third of similar councils for operating expenses per capita. However the Council faces significant challenges in keeping property rates from increasing. This is because we have a higher dependency on rates for income in comparison to other cities that have non-rates income such as airport shares, port shares, forests and trusts."

The Council has just undertaken a review of its services and costs to:

  • identify different ways to reduce costs – short, medium and long term
  • look at other ways to provide income apart from property rates
  • be sure that Porirua residents receive the best possible value for their rates

Through this review, Council identified savings of $261,000 in 2010/11, forecast to increase to $535,000 in 2012/13. These savings will help offset additional investment in priority services. Further investigations will be conducted during 2010/11 to identify possible savings in upcoming years.

View the Annual Plan information and files.

 

PORIRUA ROAD NAMED AFTER FORMER COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE

16 June 2010

An existing street in Porirua's CBD has just been officially named John Seddon Drive.

The street off Heriot Drive, opposite Lyttelton Avenue, is the main road into Central Park, formerly the plant site of Mitsubishi Motors.

John Seddon was Chief Executive of Porirua City Council for 20 years from 1980 to 2000 and served with all the city's Mayors to date; namely Whitford Brown, John Burke and Jenny Brash.

Some years ago, the road was unofficially named John Seddon Drive when it was in private ownership. However, in 2000 a 19-lot subdivision was granted and the road was vested in Council but the name was never officially established.

Mayor Jenny Brash says it's appropriate that the road now be formally named and signposted.

"This recognises John for his service to the city during his time as Chief Executive when major physical, economic and social developments took place. They include the building of North City Shopping Centre, the Waste Water Treatment Plant, the development of the Megacentre, Aotea Block, Pataka, the aquatic centre and Porirua Park."

Mr Seddon set up the Porirua Business Development Society (now the Porirua Chamber of Commerce), and established a social services centre under one roof at Pember House.

The expansion of Porirua City to include Whitby and Pauatahanui also occurred in his time along with the construction of the Mungavin Avenue/SH1 interchange which opened in 1989.

"John also oversaw the widening of the Mungavin Bridge and the replacement of the northern bridge out of the CBD. These were major improvements to the flow of traffic into and out of the city centre and also helped the flows onto SH1," says Mayor Brash.

TEMPORARY SPEED REDUCTION, SIGNAGE AND MARKER POSTS TO IMPROVE SAFETY ON GRAYS ROAD

1 June 2010

Porirua City Council will start work next week to help make Grays Road safer.

The Council is introducing a number of safety measures following a recent Crash Reduction Study on Grays Road and Paekakariki Hill Road.

"Taking into account the recommendations of the study as well as advice from our own technical experts, we will first address a number of initiatives along Grays Road and later look at Paekakariki Hill Road," says Asset Management and Operations General Manager Peter Bailey.

Works will include introducing a temporary speed limit of 60km per hour, installing highly visible threshold markers near danger hot spots, increasing the number of speed advisory signs near other curves and adding "High Crash Area" signs prior to other dangerous areas.

"The report recommends a number of engineering solutions, which will take further analysis and we want to act now. Because the majority of speed related crashes involve drivers entering curves too fast, we believe the temporary speed limit of 60km will reduce the risk of accident while we analyse the best engineering options for the road," Mr Bailey says.

"We are also changing the road environment near particularly dangerous corners by installing closely set edge and centre posts to give motorists the feeling that they are going through a gateway. This will send a clear message to slow down."

Mr Bailey says marker posts will also be added near the Waterski Club where currently, at night, there's a lack of backdrop for motorists approaching the inlet.

Kapiti-Mana Area Commander Inspector John Spence says the safety initiatives are good news.

"As we all know engineering takes time and we all agree something needs to be done now.

"This can be an unforgiving stretch of road and these measures will help remind motorists to drive to the conditions. The police will offer a grace period for people to adjust to the speed reduction but after that we will enforce the temporary 60km per hour limit while the Council completes its further investigations."

 

PORIRUA CITY CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO LEAD PLANNING AT NEW AUCKLAND COUNCIL

31 May 2010

Porirua City Council Chief Executive Roger Blakeley has been appointed Chief Planning Officer at the new Auckland Council.

This is one of three second tier positions in the new Council, the others being a Chief Operating Officer and a Chief Financial Officer.
Porirua Mayor Jenny Brash says she is very pleased for Dr Blakeley

"The Chief Planning Officer is a second tier position, and as the new Auckland City is so big (1.4 million people) it is one of the biggest jobs in local government. Roger is well qualified for the task. This is a very challenging position and it's a feather in the cap of Porirua City Council because of the work Roger has achieved here in the past 9 ½ years. His energy and commitment to Porirua is huge and his input into the Council's strategic thinking has made a big difference to the city. He will be greatly missed.

"Over the last few years it's been wonderful seeing all the awards that are a testament to his leadership. PCC is seen as perhaps the most innovative Council in NZ. It was a historically unprecedented achievement last year when PCC won the top management award for the whole NZ Public Sector (the IPANZ / GEN-i PM's supreme award) for the Safer Porirua project in partnership with other government and community agencies, and the top management award in the Local Government sector (the NZ Post/SOLGM supreme award for local government excellence) for the Villages project."

She says his work prior to coming to Porirua will also serve him well in the planning role at Auckland.

"As Secretary for the Environment he was involved in conceiving and developing the Resource Management Act 1991, and while Chief Executive at the Department of Internal Affairs initiated work on the Local Government Act 2002, in particular its vision and strategic framework with the focus on community well-being."

Dr Blakeley's principal tasks will involve the development of a Regional Spatial Plan for Auckland which sets out the long term vision and framework for development over the next 30 years. This will include a picture of future development and growth including "greenfields" development, urban intensification, rural residential, industrial and business growth, waterfront master plan, transport and other infrastructure, landscape and environmental protection and heritage management. It also involves the development and integration with the Regional Policy Statement, District Plan, Long Term Plan, Local Board Plans and Regional Land Transport Plan.

Dr Blakeley says he will be sad to leave Porirua City Council.

"I acknowledge the leadership of the Mayor and Council. Porirua is lucky to have a passionate and activist Council who want nothing but the best for Porirua City. I have greatly enjoyed my time here. Porirua is such an exciting city to be part of – it's vibrant, dynamic and a city of unlimited opportunity."

Dr Blakeley will take up his new position on 1 September 2010.


18 May 2010

Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards 2010

Recognising Voluntary/Not for Profit Groups working in the community

Nominations Close Friday 30 July 2010.

Wellington International Airport Limited, in partnership with the Community Trust of Wellington, and the five local councils have joined together to recognise the work carried out by community groups in the wider Wellington region. The focus of the awards is to reward the valuable contribution made by volunteers.

  • Any not-for-profit group or organisation working in the interests of the community is eligible
  • An individual may nominate an organisation of which they are a member
  • The awards are designed to recognise past achievements
  • The awards do not exclude community groups who use professionals to support the delivery of services undertaken by volunteers

Nominations should be submitted under one of the following categories: heritage and environment, health and wellbeing, arts and culture, sport and leisure, education and child/youth development. A nomination form is attached below, or you can download it from www.comtrustwn.co.nz or contact one of the following:

Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards Nomination Form (153KB 4 page pdf)