Ngaio’s BP petrol station closed at the end of April.

The Independent Herald (2 June) reports that BP is negotiating with a third party to take over the site.

Read the Independent Herald story (republished with kind permission of the Independent Herald).
NPA has heard the “third party” is another petrol company.

Overhanging vegetation

Members of Ngaio Progressive Association are checking local streets  for pedestrian hazards.  This is our  regular  “street audit”.

Potholes, drainage problems, overhanging vegetation, broken steps and non-working street lights are all on our hit list.

Once we know what  the problems are, we will let Wellington City Council know.

A new bus route through Ngaio began at the end of February.

Route 47 runs between Johnsonville and Newtown.  It passes through the Khandallah and Ngaio shopping areas, Otari Wilton Bush,  Zealandia, Victoria University’s Kelburn campus and the dance school on John St.

Buses operate during university trimesters 1 and 2 on weekdays.  They do not run on the weekend.

Download the No. 47 timetable (PDF)

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)

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.

The Ngaio community now has an even greater chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, thanks to the generosity of the Freemason’s Charity and  Homewood Lodge 447.  They have donated a defibrillator to the  Cummings Park library.

This is Ngaio’s second defibrillator.  Earlier in the year, Wellington North Rotary donated one to the Ngaio Medical Centre.

People who have just had a heart attack in Ngaio Village are now a lot safer,  thanks to a defibrillator kindly donated to the Medical Centre by Wellington North Rotary.

A defibrillator greatly increases the chances of survival if used within the first few minutes of a heart attack – and is much more effective than CPR alone. It is easy and fast to operate and can be used while waiting for the ambulance to come.

Wellington North Rotary Club President Jeremy presents a defibrillator to Ngaio Medical Centre. President Jeremy and Dr Joelon Hayes are holding the defibrillator. Jeremy is standing between Richard Allan of Ngaio Pharmacy and Dr Denis Delaney.

The defibrillator will be housed and maintained by the Ngaio Medical Centre.

Doctors at the medical centre have sent notices to local businesses asking if their staff would like training on how to use the defibrillator. St. John’s Ambulance trainers will conduct these free sessions.

For further information and/or donations please contact:

Ngaio Medical Centre, telephone: 939 9393

dd@ngaiomed.co.nz

Local chemist Alan Fraser has now retired after 49 years at the pharmacy.  Ngaio Progressive Association joined him for a farewell morning tea at  at Cafe Villa.

Alan has always supported community meetings and proposals which have helped to make Ngaio the thriving community that it is.

He has also taken a personal interest in the maintenance of the village shops, and created the car park to help shoppers.

Retiring Ngaio chemist Alan Fraser's farewell morning tea at Cafe Villa.