Consent for water take in Refreshment Place
I have been working with Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Paul Swain to learn more about what is happening with the resource consent in Refreshment Place and as a result I am backing his call for a review of the consent that was granted to the water bottling business there.
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) administers resource consents for extracting water from the aquifer in the region and from those that have engaged with me so far, our community clearly has no appetite for consents being granted where copious amounts of water are extracted for export.
Apart from the serious environmental concerns, its just not right that there is a consent to extract nearly 180,000,000 litres a year from the aquifer and pay as little as a $349 annual consent fee.
Today, I have found out that the consent was granted in 2013 and after consulting iwi, one of whom said that they wanted the process to be publicly notified, GWRC felt differently. There seems to be anomalies regarding environmental effects in other parts of the decision that I am yet to get my head around so when I have answers I will update this post.
I believe GWRC should review all of the resource consents granted to extract water from Upper Hutt’s groundwater. This review should check whether allocation is too much, given the impact on water quality, recreation values, environmental impacts and any economic benefits to Upper Hutt.
Unfortunately we are hamstrung as a community because there is no avenue for us to manage the consent or charge, for example, a royalty per litre extracted and exported. Christchurch City Council are seeking support from the Government which, I believe, is necessary.
It’s time for a change and I am looking forward to a review, support from the Government and more protections for our water and communities.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please do comment below or contact me.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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49.7% Yes
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48.4% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Tai Chi October - December 2024
Hi, I'm Andrew Hardwick, Tai Chi Instructor and member of NZ National Tai Chi Chuan Association Incorporated (NZNTCCA). The name of my wellness-focussed Tai Chi class is Not Strictly Tai Chi. The quirky name is a humorous twist on the name of shows like "Strictly Come Dancing", and from the fact that (a) I'm not strict and (b) If I see an exercise I think would provide a health benefit to my Tai Chi students, I will add it to my class offerings.
My Upper Hutt venue is Te Kupenga o Rongomai - Maidstone Sports Hub. Classes are in school term times only, and are open to all ages.
So far in 2024 we've had ages ranging from Mums attending while their kids are at school, through to retired people looking for healthy exercise.
No experience necessary. Experienced and beginners equally welcome
School Term 4 classes will be on the following dates
Wednesday evenings, from 7pm - 8pm
October 16th
October 23rd
October 30th
November 6th
November 13th
November 20th
November 27th
December 4th
December 11th
December 18th
Thursday mornings, from 10am - 11am
October 17th
October 24th
October 31st
November 7th
November 14th
November 21st
November 28th
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Enquiries welcome on 021 153 2508
Andrew Hardwick - Tai Chi Instructor
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