Ros Connelly - Greater Wellington Regional Councillor
This is my second year as Upper Hutt’s representative on the Greater Wellington Regional Council, so here is my second annual report.
It’s been a challenging year, as we face the changes COVID will mean for our foreseeable future. COVID has affected Greater Wellington
Regional Council – especially our public transport operations. It meant a return to virtual meetings, which I still haven’t learned to love.
But despite the challenges, this year has seen many successes for Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
• The appointment of a new Chief Executive
• A Long Term Plan that will reduce regional council emissions by two thirds
• The creation of a $10 million dollar low carbon fund with over $2 million allocated this year to restore wetlands and forests in Raumati and Kaitoke
• Funding for a Living Wage base rate for all bus drivers and support for better driver pay and conditions
• New train stations at Trentham and Wallaceville, plus the installation of four new Upper Hutt bus shelters and the enhancement/renewal of 13 other Upper Hutt bus stops
• Restoring a cheaper public-run airport bus service, ready to roll by July 2022 (I proposed this service be extended to the Hutt Valley but this motion was not passed)
• A trial with Snapper on rail to be delivered by the end of 2021 ahead of integrated ticketing
• A Council commitment to pursue a threatened-species sanctuary in Wainuiomata
• An aerial predator control operation to protect the ecosystem (ancient rata in particular) in the Akatarawa Forest
• The purchase of 98 new electric buses
• A plan for our regional parks that commits to the phasing-out of animal grazing
• Consents lodged for the Riverlink project (the Greater Wellington, Hutt City and Waka Kotahi project to improve access and flood protection at Melling)
• Completion of the Whanganui-a-tara Whaitua – a plan for Fresh Water Management in the Hutt Valley and Wellington
• Fast response and action to restore the riverbank and river trail between Heretaunga and Trentham following flood damage
• The opening of a new, wheelchair-accessible bridge in the Kaitoke regional park
• Awhi for the development of Te Matarau a Maui – a Wellington regional Maori economic development strategy
• Helping with the COVID vaccination drive (through provision of the Delta BUSter mobile vaccination bus and supporting Kokiri Hauora to vaccinate the Hutt)
Please contact me if you want to talk about anything in this report or have questions or issues with which I can help.
Email: ros.connelly@gw.govt.nz
Facebook: fb.me/rosconnellyforupperhutt
Instagram: @rosconnelly
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
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