There is a book fair in the Ngaio Town Hall starting at 10am this  Saturday -  6 March.  Organisers want to raise at least $2500 to support Oxfam New Zealand.

To donate any unwanted books, DVDs, records or CDs  email Iona - or take directly to the town hall between 8:00 and 9:00 on Saturday.

You can also help by coming to the book fair - there will be some great bargains.

A Ngaio historian wants public feedback on a proposal to give the reserve in Tarikaka Street the name ‘Carran Park’. Bruce Carran was the lawyer who played a major role in helping railway settlement tenants buy their homes from NZ Railways in 1989.  However, he was later linked with the collapse of the Druids Friendly Society.

City Life-Independent Herald ran the story this week and sent us a copy.

Scoundrel or Hero? Page 1 Independent Herald 17 February (PDF)

Scoundrel or Hero? Page 15 Independent Herald 17 February (PDF)

The paper wants your feedback.  So do we!  Send your comments to:

editorial@citylifenews.co.nz

Wellington City Council is planning to classify 37 sites around Wellington as reserves to give them more protection.  They are places that most of us already regard as reserve or wilderness  but they lack official reserve classification.

Two of these sites are in the Outer Green Belt near Ngaio.

• Awarua Street Reserves - above Awarua Street and Vasanta Avenue
• Kilmister Tops - part of the main ridge behind Crofton Downs and Otari-Wilton’s Bush

“It is all good news as far as Ngaio Progressive Association is concerned.  We feel passionate about our backdrop and skylines. they are part of our identity.”

The Council wants your ideas, and is calling for submissions by 12 February.

Read more on the Wellington City Council website.  This includes maps of the sites and brief descriptions of them.

Wellington City Council is planning to upgrade two of the tracks up Mt Kaukau -  the Northern Walkway route and the Summit Track from Woodmancote Road.

It is replacing eroded steps, upgrading sections of the track and improving drainage.  This means the tracks will be closed from time to time for safety reasons.

Council says to watch out for signs indicating track closures and alternative routes to use.

Read more: Press release, Wellington City Council, 15 Dec 2009

There is now a new dog exercise area in Ngaio’s Chelmsford Reserve, and an extended off-leash area in Trelissick Park in Ngaio Gorge.   The City Council made changes to its dog policy in early December 2009.

Read more: Press release, Wellington City Council, 15 Dec 2009

The main sewer between the Ngaio Town Hall and 45 Waikowhai Street has a history of blockages.  Tree roots intruded into it and it overflowed during heavy rain.  Manholes popped up and spilled sewage into the streams and into some Waikowhai Street properties.  Sometimes it smelled.

Wellington City Council  decided to renew the existing trunk main sewer by diverting part of the wastewater catchment along Waikowhai Street.  This was easier to construct and easier to maintain.

The work involved laying 660m of 600mm diameter concrete pipe, 50m of 630mm PE (plastic) pipes, 57m of 500mm PE pipes, and 15m of 457mm steel pipes.  This was constructed using open trenching.  The work was started in March 2009.

The existing trunk main sewer along the stream will be relined and will now only serve the local catchment. This work should start in December 2009.

Waikowhai Street sewer renewal

(Photo courtesy of Wellington City Council)

Our Annual General Meeting will be held in the town hall on 15 October at 8:00 pm.

There will be no guest speaker this year so it should be a short meeting.  Local residents are most welcome to join the committee.

The inorganic collection went very smoothly and was finished by midday.  We had the help of of five Council trucks and their drivers - who always make a big contribution.

Residents put out less junk for collection this year and we didn’t hold a second-hand stall because of the complications and delays it causes.  Ten truckloads of rubbish went to the landfill -  not quite as much as last year. However, we were assured that the junk is sorted through at the landfill, with the useable goods going to the Second Treasure shop.

This year’s Junk Drive raised over $1320.  Ngaio  Scouts provided many volunteers and they will receive half of the proceeds - a thank you for their  help in ensuring the success of this eagerly-awaited local event.

The Junk Drive is the Progressive Association’s only fund raising activity so we are dependent on its success to be able to continue our work. It is quite a task because it involves considerable organisation and the recruitment of enough volunteers to do the job. We understand some other community groups have abandoned junk drives because they have not had enough volunteers.

We hope to repeat the exercise in a year’s time.

Ngaio has its 2009 inorganic rubbish collection on 19 September.  So its a good time to have a clean out around your property.

Ngaio Junk Drive, October 2006

Put your junk outside your house (where you usually leave your rubbish) by 8:00 am and leave a $10 donation in your letter box.  If you prefer, you can leave your donation at the Ngaio pharmacy.

Attach the voucher to your junk.  You will find it in the bright yellow Ngaio 2009  newsletter we delivered this week.

No fridges or hazardous waste such as garden chemicals, paint or oil.  You can take them to the Southern Landfill.

There will not be a stall at the junk drive this year. The distance from the tip and the use of covered trucks are the main reasons for this decision - there is too much time lost when “good junk” has to be off-loaded.

16 August 2009 - 4:00 - 5:30 pm

The film matinee was a fantastic success with about 130 movie goers - young and older.  Thank you to all those who braved the elements and were rewarded with a bag and jaffas and an entertaining trip down memory lane.

The Film Archive of New Zealand compiled a fascinating 65 minute programme of film clips of Ngaio and the greater Wellington area.

For full film programme click here.