Heretaunga, Upper Hutt

1934 days ago

ISLAND BAY OUTAGE UPDATE

The Team from Wellington Water

The water will be restored by 5pm. We will update this post again if this changes.

1934 days ago
1934 days ago

Flat for Rent in Trentham

Matt from Pukeko Rental Managers - Hutt Valley

Freshly decorated unit in Trentham for rent. It's in a quiet company-share community with awesome neighbours - a good mix of owner occupiers and other renters. Brand new heat pump. Be in quick!

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1934 days ago

Gibbons Street wastewater pipe renewal complete

The Team from Wellington Water

Thanks very much for your support and patience as we’ve been working away on our Gibbons Street Wastewater Renewal project.

There has been disruption with traffic control and limited accessibility at times, but the community has coped really well with all of this and it’s certainly helped in … View more
Thanks very much for your support and patience as we’ve been working away on our Gibbons Street Wastewater Renewal project.

There has been disruption with traffic control and limited accessibility at times, but the community has coped really well with all of this and it’s certainly helped in us getting our work done in good time. The pipe laying is complete, but we will be returning to site in a few months for some minor road surfacing repairs.

We’ve tried our absolute best with this project but know that there will always be things that we can do better next time. If you’ve got any suggestions, please let us know what you think through our quick survey on our website.

J
1934 days ago

Pinecones for Sale

Judy from Pinehaven

Last of Winters Pinecone bags for Sale
Silverstream Christian School Fundraiser
Very dry
$10.00 large bag
BULK BUY DISCOUNTS
Free Delivery
Contact Ingrid 0212632631

Negotiable

1934 days ago

⚠OUTAGE⚠

The Team from Wellington Water

Multiple streets in Island Bay are without water due to a burst water main. Crews are out resolving the issue, as well as providing bottled water to the area for residents.

Affected streets include:
15-125 Severn St
Liddel Gr
Southern Cross Cres
Wye St

1934 days ago

Ideas for creative teens

The Team from Resene ColorShop Upper Hutt

Using just paint and wallpaper, transform boring shelves into something even your teen will love.

Combine your favourite Resene colours and wallpapers. Make the most of this weekend with this easy step by step project idea from Resene.

Find out how to create this quick and easy project … View more
Using just paint and wallpaper, transform boring shelves into something even your teen will love.

Combine your favourite Resene colours and wallpapers. Make the most of this weekend with this easy step by step project idea from Resene.

Find out how to create this quick and easy project yourself

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1935 days ago

Intelligence Specialist (Case Officer)

New Zealand Intelligence Community

Are you naturally inquisitive and curious? Good at quickly building rapport with people? Looking to transfer your skills to a whole new career?

If you are interested in all walks of life, cultures and environments, then this might be the career you never knew existed!

The … View more
Are you naturally inquisitive and curious? Good at quickly building rapport with people? Looking to transfer your skills to a whole new career?

If you are interested in all walks of life, cultures and environments, then this might be the career you never knew existed!

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service is looking for Case Officers to join their team and help keep New Zealanders safe.

If this sounds like you and you want to join our diverse team and do amazing work, then apply now!
Join now

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1935 days ago

Vote for Get Growing!

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

NZ Gardener's ezine Get Growing is in the running to win the Magshop People's Choice Award. Click through to their website to help us win, and you could nab yourself this De'Longhi espresso machine valued at $1,099 or an Icona Capitals kettle and toaster package valued at $369. … View moreNZ Gardener's ezine Get Growing is in the running to win the Magshop People's Choice Award. Click through to their website to help us win, and you could nab yourself this De'Longhi espresso machine valued at $1,099 or an Icona Capitals kettle and toaster package valued at $369. Simply click on the link, register your details once, then vote each day until voting closes on September 4

1935 days ago

Free Market Appraisal

Olly Gollins from Olly Gollins - Ray White

Thinking of Selling your Hutt Valley Property?
Olly Gollins from Ray White Kemeys Brothers has the skills and experience to maximise the value of your home.
Call or message him today to book your free appraisal.
0224008841.

1957 days ago

Export of Upper Hutt aquifer water

Tracey from Silverstream

www.rnz.co.nz...

Locals are furious a consent granted six years ago to bottle water in Upper Hutt went unnoticed because the Wellington Regional Council refused to publicly notify it.

The consent, granted to Heretaunga Water Ltd in 2013, allows up to 180 million litres of water to be drawn from … View more
www.rnz.co.nz...

Locals are furious a consent granted six years ago to bottle water in Upper Hutt went unnoticed because the Wellington Regional Council refused to publicly notify it.

The consent, granted to Heretaunga Water Ltd in 2013, allows up to 180 million litres of water to be drawn from the ground each year for the purposes of water bottling.
The site at Refreshment Place in Upper Hutt sits out of view from the main road. Only if you drive down the small cul-de-sac do you see the processing plant and tanks behind an electric fence.

Previously, the site hosted the Coca-Cola bottling plant.

The 2012 consent application states the Tauranga-based company's intention to take water for the purposes of bottling.
A later email in 2016 from one of the company's directors Jeffrey Colby to the council confirmed it planned to begin a "long and expensive development" selling water to the international market.

Upper Hutt city councillor Angela McLeod said locals should have had a say.
"The community is very clear that they're not happy about this. Very, very clear. I did my own poll [on Facebook] and it was 95 percent saying that they didn't want water being bottled here and sold off overseas.
"I mean, it's a no-brainer to me."
At the time the iwi's spokesperson, Teri Puketapu, who was notified because of an agreement between the iwi and council, asked for the application to go out for public consultation.

This was because the company had asked to take more water per second than what was permitted in the council's freshwater plan.
The council decided this was not necessary and the approval went ahead, largely under the radar.
Ms McLeod said that was not acceptable.
"For a start I think that that's a slight on the mana of the iwi, but also because public notification should be given for such a thing as taking water out of our groundwater zone."

Although the consent was granted in February 2013, extraction has only happened once - for about a month in November 2016 - however local resident Tracey Ultra noticed the roof of the plant being worked on recently and after making some inquiries learned what was going on.
She has since started a petition, which has gathered more than 5000 signatures, calling on the council to revoke the consent.
She said water in the Hutt Valley was vulnerable and more care needed to be taken.
"We already have very low river flows and toxic algae in the summer and if there is more water taken from the aquifer, then there'll be less coming up from the springs from the aquifer to feed the river during long dry spells. If we upset that balance then we don't know what will happen."

Regional councillor Paul Swain, who represents Upper Hutt, said despite the opposition the consent was legal, did not need to be publicly notified, and there were no grounds to review or revoke it.
Mr Swain, who is part of a working group looking at water quality and quantity in Wellington, said the rules around which extraction consents were given needed to be tightened.
"We mess with our water supply at our peril, and in my view if we're going to be taking water from something like an aquifer we need to be pretty clear that we know what the impact of that is going to be on the environment.

"And this is what the real question is now, do we know sufficient enough about this and will we regret it in the future?"
In 2013, Greater Wellington Regional Council gave resource consent to extract 180 million litres of water per year from an existing bore in Refreshment Place in Upper Hutt.In 2013, Greater Wellington Regional Council gave resource consent to extract 180 million litres of water per year from an existing bore in Refreshment Place in Upper Hutt.
He said the consent was issued at a time when people were not as concerned about climate change.
"People are really worried about this, we're worried about water, we're worried about water shortages and in my view, we need to be able to make sure that the rules are tougher."
"There may be a requirement for changes to the Resource Management Act. We're at the early stages of all of this ... but it's clear that there's a lot of public concern about this. We know that climate change is one of the big things facing us, we've got to make sure that our water supplies and the environment are protected and that the rules are in place to do just that."
The council has stated on its website that Heretaunga Water have recently advised they hope to be operational soon, however it must give the council 48 hours' notice.
The consent is valid until 2023.

It is one of three approved consents for water bottling in the region. The other two in Petone allow for a combined take of almost 950 million litres a year, however according to the council's website, neither are being actively used.

RNZ.CO.NZ

1939 days ago

Upper Hutt Local Body Elections

Jan from Ebdentown

THE MAYORALTY

Some of you may remember that I have been engaging with Mayor and Council since 2017 in relation to the changes made to our Library.
My opinions are based on actual, factual, events and personal experiences, all of which are documented and were explained at length in my posts on… View more
THE MAYORALTY

Some of you may remember that I have been engaging with Mayor and Council since 2017 in relation to the changes made to our Library.
My opinions are based on actual, factual, events and personal experiences, all of which are documented and were explained at length in my posts on Neighbourly/Facebook from 2017 and if read should answer any questions as to why I feel the way I do.

You of course will have your own experiences and perspectives, at least I hope so!
Don't waste your time attacking me, I don't care and I won't reply or defend my point of view. This is a statement not an invitation to a conversation.

I am happy to see that we have at least three people standing for Mayor.
Nobody should stand unopposed in a dynamic and vibrant city which embraces community led development.

I am not at all interested in which political party any of candidates may vote for in a National election. I only care that they live in and have a passion for our city, and keep the oath they take to serve, represent, facilitate ratepayer engagement with council.

I am looking forward to a more diverse, younger, progressive, future thinking Mayor going forward, a person who respects ratepayers, is inclusive, open to change, who is creative and responsive to the fast changing climate, both figuratively and literally, who not only has a vision for now, but also a sense of the legacy that our younger citizens will inherit in their turn.

Firstly the Encumbent encumberance – Wayne Guppy, who has not yet shared his vision of Upper Hutt going forward, in which issues such as, recycling, safe drinking water, selling our water, transport, climate change etc are addressed, but tells us he is giving us more of the same old boy network, old school tie, tired old white men, in the box, backward thinking that have him and many of the males on current council thinking themselves superior and entitled, and worst of all exclusive and not accountable.

The Mayor gave me the direct impression that we ratepayers are a nuisance! That he need not represent us, but risk assess us and then turn it over to someone else in administration to fob off, in a condescending and patronising manner with the hope that they will wear you down and you will go away.
He then made it near to impossible for me to be represented in council by a councillor, interfering with my democratic right by telling the councillors not to engage with me.

He does not keep faith with the people who elect him, pay him, trust him.

Steve Taylor to his credit was the only councillor who replied to my first round of emails, he was however, patronising and condescending and only paying lip service. I was and still remain unimpressed.

Angela McLeod, Ros Conelley and Helen Swales responded to my second email requesting help and representation and I chose to deal with Angela going forward.

Angela McLeod
I have been impressed by her respect for the ratepayers and their many and varied concerns, impressed by her unfailing commitment to Upper Hutt, building on the historic family ties that root her in Upper Hutt heart and mind. I have been impressed that she finds the time and energy to attend as many community meetings as she does, while retaining her good humour.
Angela keeps the faith and keeps her oath to serve, represent and facilitate.

Angela and her husband as a couple are committed to Upper Hutt, running his business in Upper Hutt and investing directly in the future of Upper Hutt, purchasing the building where he has his business.

All my dealings with Angela have been straight forward and rewarding and she has earned my unqualified support as a Councillor and a future Mayor.

1935 days ago

Poll: Are you happy owning your own home, or renting?

Paul Reporter from Stuff

Are we happier owning our own home or renting?

It turns out one answer does not fit all.

Some people feel more "grounded" owning their own home, giving them the feeling they're planning for the future and creating a legacy. But there are people who think the opposite. Read more

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Are you happy owning your own home, or renting?
  • 90.7% Prefer to own
    90.7% Complete
  • 9.3% Prefer to rent
    9.3% Complete
1953 votes
Top