Recent 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.
News on this page:
Wellington Airport Regional Community Award Nominations now open
Nominations for this award are now open. You can view information about these awards on the Wellington Airport website, and download the Nomination Forms in Word format, or pdf format. Nominations close on 28 June 2013.
Visit the Wellington Airport website for more information, and there is an online form also available.
Reserves Management Plan – Submissions Close 23 May
Porirua City Reserves Management Plan submissions close next week. If you want to have your say about how we manage our parks and reserves, send in your submission by 23 May.
The Reserves Act sets out how some rules about how we must protect these reserves for the environment, for heritage, and for recreation. The Act also tells us we must have management plans to guide our day-to-day management, as well as the decisions we need to make about a variety of things like whether to let a certain activity happen on a reserve – like building new clubrooms.
The plan can say “we don’t want this sort of activity or development on this reserve” or it can say “we would like people to be able to do this activity here”, or “yes, you can do this under certain conditions”. Have we got it right for the reserves you know and use?
There are new guidelines for how we manage activities and make decisions for activities that have to be authorised by Council. Have we got this right?
Can you help us?
There are a few reserves we don’t have a lot of information about.
Go to the Reserves Consultation pages to see where these reserves are. Tell us if you like these places, if you use them or how you’d like to see them. Make your submission now using our online form.
PORIRUA HARBOUR STRATEGY WINS BEST PRACTICE AWARD
2 April 2012
Porirua City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington City Council and Ngati Toa Rangatira received a NZPI award last night for the Porirua Harbour and Catchment Strategy and Action Plan.
Their joint efforts were recognised by the New Zealand Planning Institutes as deserving of the Best Practice Award for Consultation and Participation Strategies and/or Processes.
“These key parties adopted a multi-agency approach to addressing the poor health of Porirua Harbour and tributary streams,” says Porirua Harbour Strategy Coordinator Keith Calder.
“This approach involved a total of 14 agencies working together over a four-year period to develop the Porirua Harbour and Catchment Strategy and Action Plan (the Strategy). It also involved a wider four year public consultation and engagement process.”
The Strategy which was adopted by the key parties in December 2011 recognises that the Porirua Harbour estuary is a unique and treasured natural environment and specifies prioritised actions to implement the three key objectives:
• reduce sedimentation rates
• reduce pollutant inputs
• restore ecological health.
Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett says that the development, commitment, adoption and funding of the Strategy by the 14 agencies, as well as the wider public, ensures that its implementation will be a success.
"Porirua Harbour is a natural treasure and a focus of beauty for our city. Having the commitment of these groups to protect and restore it is important to us. It’s also great to see regional collaboration working so well and this being recognised in this way.”
Porirua’s 800ha harbour is the largest estuary in the lower North Island, has the only sea grass (a critical spawning and nursery plant) of any significance in the lower North Island and includes the nationally significant Pauatahanui Wildlife Management Reserve. The 175km2 catchment is home to over 80,000 people.
PCC INVITES PUBLIC TO ONLINE DISCUSSION ON ALCOHOL IN PORIRUA
2 May 2013
Public feedback on an issues paper to develop a Local Alcohol Policy for Porirua can now be made using a new online tool called Inspire Porirua.
The Local Alcohol Policy Porirua issues paper was released today by Porirua City Council.
David Rolfe General Manager Environment and Regulatory Services says since the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act was adopted late last year, local communities have the ability to manage the supply of alcohol in their neighbourhood through a Local Alcohol Policy (LAP).
“This issues paper is the first step in the development of an LAP for Porirua. To facilitate discussion on the effects of alcohol on the lives of Porirua residents we simultaneously launched a trial online community engagement website called Inspire Porirua.”
The Inspire Porirua project is a comprehensive community engagement website, where citizens can engage, communicate and collaborate with community decision makers and other residents on issues facing Porirua.
“The first topic for discussion using this trial website is the issues paper and the development of an LAP. The trial of Inspire Porirua will last two months when the Council will review whether to use it for other public engagement and consultation.”
Feedback from this engagement website will be used by councillors to decide what should go into a draft LAP for Porirua. The draft is expected to be available in October this year and at that time residents will have an opportunity to provide formal submissions on the draft.
“Now is the time to join the discussion on alcohol in Porirua and influence what sort of Local Alcohol Policy is best for our communities,” Mr Rolfe says.
The Inspire Porirua project is now live at www.inspireporirua.co.nz where people can download the issues paper, use interactive maps of Porirua and join the discussion!
STREAMSIDE WORK KICKS OFF FIRST STAGE OF CITY CENTRE REVITALISATION
2 April 2013
Changes taking place by the streamside on Lyttelton Ave in Porirua City Centre over the next couple of months are paving the way for the development of the city’s new streamside plaza.
The streamside plaza is stage one of Porirua City Council’s City Centre Revitalisation redevelopment.
Porirua City Mayor Nick Leggett says development of the streamside plaza is pivotal to plans to revitalise the city centre.
“The plaza will connect to the railway station, the harbour, the new entrance to North City Shopping Centre and back through to Cobham Court. It will be clear to people they have found the centre of town and it will be clear how to find their way around from there. It is being designed to attract food and beverage outlets to locate streamside and take advantage of the increased hustle and bustle the redevelopment will bring.
“We’d envisage coffee carts and other mobile food outlets down by the stream. Office workers will be able to grab some lunch and dangle their feet in the water. Alternatively people can enjoy a more upmarket dining experience, and take time to appreciate the art,” says Mayor Leggett.
“In order to help create this streamside plaza there’s a few things the Council needs to put in place first and that’s what we are doing now.”
The following work will cost $210,000, begin in April and is expected to be completed before the end of June:
o Timber wall panels installed around the existing pump station and transformer buildings to screen these from the streamside plaza area
o Removal of the carpark opposite the bus shelters in Lyttelton Avenue and replace it with chip seal to produce a zone for pedestrian use that will eventually link into being part of the plaza
o Back lit information board to provide information on the project, hardstand area, potable water and electricity incorporated into the removed carpark to make the area attractive to mobile food outlets
o Improving pedestrian access around the area with widening the footpath and installing better lighting
o Bollards to block off the entrance to the car park behind No 2 Lyttelton Avenue. This is a service area for the buildings not a public car park
Jonathan Custance, a Spatial Designer and member of the City Development Sub-committee, which is overseeing the revitalisation project, says this is a small package of work that will get the ball rolling and will help people became aware and start using this important future area.
“It’s about improving the pedestrian flows within the city and turning the city around to link with the waterways without reworking existing buildings and infrastructure. Future new buildings will start accelerating this shift but it’s about evolution to a future masterplan not revolution.”
Mr Custance says improving pedestrian and cycle access into and around the city as well as integrating public transport more visibly are also key strategies in the revitalisation project.
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