Ngaio Crofton Downs Residents Association

This update about the construction in Thorndon Quay has come from Wellington City Council (abridged).

The Thorndon Quay upgrade stretches from the Bunny St intersection to 87 Hutt Road (near Gun City). We’re working in sections so it will be less disruptive for businesses and traffic.

We will finish in June 2025. This map (below) shows how we have divided the route into 13 areas.  We’ll usually be working in two areas at a time during the day and in other areas at night. There will be signalised pedestrian crossings in areas 4, 6, 8, 9 and 13. These need cabling and power to operate the signals and integrate them into the city-wide traffic monitoring system, so there’ll be more work here than in other areas.  

In area 11 (at the intersection of Tinakori Road and Thorndon Quay) there will be all-new traffic signals, and in area 2 at the Mulgrave Street intersection we will upgrade the existing signals and crossings.  

There will be some temporary bus stops during construction, but services won’t be affected.   

The new cycle way on the seaward side of Thorndon Quay connects to the existing cycleway on Hutt Road. You’ll use the seaward side to go both north and south. You’ll need to keep a good lookout and be courteous to pedestrians as they cross the cycleway from cars into businesses.    

A priority bus lane will operate in peak weekday commuting times – from 6.30 to 9.30am heading into the city. A bus lane outbound is planned to start operating about two years later. This would likely be from 4.00 to 6:30pm, but we will assess this closer to the time.

Read more about consultation on this project and how decisions were reached.

This Saturday is first of the month – so its recycling time again, from 10am to 12 noon at Ngaio Union Church.

Good news – we can recycle shaving products again – all brands of disposable shavers, including blades and razors (refillable and disposable products, replaceable-blade cartridge units), and rigid plastic packaging. Please not cardboard packaging – that can go kerbside.

We are also collecting Nespresso coffee capsules each month as these go to a recycle collection station in Wellington City. Other capsules remain on the schedule to be collected every few months, as I need to have a few kg to courier to their respective programmes. Another addition is on the months that we collect the other coffee capsules, Robert Harris is now included.

Remember too that we are always looking for cardboard cartons in good order. We use these to drop our collection to the sustainability trust, and increasingly to courier collections to Terracycle. An ideal size is a box with sides of around half a meter. Boxes that meal kits are delivered in (Hello Fresh or My Food Bag for example) are handy too.

Here is the full and updated list of what we collect each month.

• Plastic lids type 2. These lids must be marked with the type 2 recycling symbol.
• Plastic lids type 5. These lids must be marked with the type 5 recycling symbol.
• Metal Lids etc –including for eg Crown caps, metal screw tops, sparkling wine wires, metal jar lids, ring-pull caps.
• Household and hearing aid batteries.
• Oral care products and packaging from Colgate (is sent back to Colgate, so please – Colgate mteril only). Does not include electric toothbrush heads.
• Shaving equipment – disposable razors and plastic packaging
• Curtains – must be mould free so they can be re-purposed.
• Nespresso aluminium coffee pods
• Wool – balls of wool which Crafty Volunteers, can use in their knitting for charity.
• Rubber bands from delivered The Posts – which are returned to The Post

Each month we have one additional collection so plan ahead for these collections for the rest of the year. This month we are taking car batteries, The complete schedule for the rest of 2024, is below:

This update on Te Ara Tupua has come from Waka Kotahi

If you’ve been traveling on rail or road, you may have seen the first of six vertical seawalls on the western end of Pito-One foreshore. These vertical seawalls are part of the 3.5km stretch of new coastline being constructed to improve the resilience of the road and rail. Work on the entire new coastal edge is progressing well: out of the 6,700 x-shaped units required to form parts of the new coastal edge, we have placed 1,898 units.

Last Friday we finished installing the 56 reef units. This initiative mitigates the loss of rocky reef habitat caused by constructing the new resilient coastal edge, and is required to meet conditions imposed on the project.

Last week was also National Volunteer Week. Our teams caught up with various community groups who volunteer within the Hutt Valley, to understand the mahi that they have been dedicated to, to protect the natural environment including Friends of Petone Beach and Keep Hutt Valley Beautiful.

Wellington City Council is commencing development of a new Coastal Reserves Management Plan to provide direction for the management, protection, and enhancement of Wellington’s coastal reserves, parks, and beaches.

The scope of the plan is proposed to cover the majority of Wellington City’s urban coastline from Oriental Bay to Karori Stream, focusing on coastal reserves, beaches, rocky areas, and public parks, as well as recreational and nature-based assets in reserves and marine areas.

NCDRA is concerned that the estuary of the Kaiwharawhara stream is not included in the scope of the plan (which ends at Oriental Bay), and we will be submitting that this area should be included.

The Kaiwharawhara stream is Wellington’s biggest stream system, and the only remaining open estuary in Wellington Harbour. There were extensive plans to protect it during the construction of the proposed new ferry terminals, but the environmental work in this area has been left uncompleted, and we can see no plans for future protection.

The Kaiwharawhara stream also provides a rare spawning area for Inanga, one of five native freshwater fish species that are known as whitebait. Inanga are found in the Kaiwharawhara Estuary and the lower reaches of the stream. 

NCDRA is submitting that the scope of the Coastal PL\lan should be extended to include the Kaiwharawhara Stream estuary, because of its importance to the ecology of wellington, and the need to plan for its future protection.

If anyone else wishes to submit on the plan, this can be done quickly by pinning your ideas directly to a map on the Council’s website here Splash your ideas across our coastal map, or adding your ideas at this page (scroll to bottom) Coastal Reserves Management Plan.

We are making some improvements to our recycling collections.

Firstly, we have found a place to recycle shaving products – including blades and razors (refillable and disposable products, and replaceable-blade cartridge units). A poster showing what can be recycled is available here Gillette accepted waste poster. Shaving product recycling will be added to our collections from the next collection on 6 July 2024.

We will collect Nespresso and Starbucks coffee capsules each month from now also (don’t seperate, they can be in together) –I take these into the recycle collection station in Wellington City, so they can be passed on straight away.

Other capsules will remain on the annual schedule to be collected every few months, as I need to have a few kg to send to their respective programmes. These do need to be seperated into the 2 groups – more info on each is here L’OR Moccona illy JEDs accepted waste) (note these are aluminium only) and NESCAFE_Dolce_Gusto accepted waste) (plastic capsules only).

Did you know that the Crofton Downs Vet at 4 Thatcher Cres has a Royal Canin recycling box where all brands of dry pet food bags or wet pet food pouches  can be left – see Royal Canin). Please respect the Royal Canin programme by making sure the packaging is clean dry and empty, and do not include pet food tins, toys or accessories

To keep collections manageable for our volunteers, we will continue to collect larger items less frequently and to an annual schedule that is provided at the start of each year (2024 annual schedule here). Our next collection is 6 July 2024, 10am to noon at Ngaio Union Church and this month we will be collecting any car batteries (clean and dry) that you want to get rid of.

Please note too that we are alwys now looking for cardboard cartons in good order. We use these to drop our collection to the sustainability trust, and increasingly to send  some of the collections to Terracycle. An ideal size is a box with sides of around half a meter. Boxes that meal kits are delivered in (Hello Fresh or My Food Bag for example) are handy too.

Wellington City Council has engaged Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) to undertake a Pindone rabbit control operation from 6 May 2024 across key sections of the Outer Green Belt Skyline.

Rabbit numbers have soared on the Skyline and are causing significant impact on the environment. This operation aims to reduce the increasing rabbit population in the area.

Pindone is a slow acting anticoagulant toxin. The bait will be distributed by hand across the area in the form of diced carrots coated with Pindone solution and dyed blue green (see image). It is predicted that the rabbit population will be reduced in the treated area by up to 90%.

You can still go into the reserve and enjoy your recreational activities. There are no changes to public access to the reserve as a result of this operation. The operation is low risk for humans, dogs, cats and other pets provided you follow the standard reserve rules and advice.

Precautions:
The operation will begin on 6th of May 2024 and rollout is due to be completed by the end of June. Warning signs will be displayed at all main access points to the operational area. The bait will not be laid in any off-leash areas. Extra precaution is recommended for 8 months from last application and warning signs will remain in place for this period.

Please, follow this advice from Wellington City Council:
• Do not touch baits or carcasses
• Always supervise children
• Keep your dog on a lead at all times
• Do not allow dogs to scavenge
• Stick to the official tracks

Dogs must always be on a leash on the skyline walkway. Remain vigilant and do not let your dog eat any bait or carcasses during the operation and following months. We recommend keeping a short lead (2m) and making sure you have a strong hold.

For further information about the operation visit the project webpage, here. Any questions can be directed via email to pest.animals@gw.govt.nz or the WCC contact centre on 04 499 4444.

Formal consultation on Wellington’s 10-year plan and budget – our 2024-34 Long-term Plan – is open until 12 May.

WCC has a very nice interactive budgeting tool which lets you play with Council expenditure, and see what impact your changes have on the total budget. This tool is loaded with Council’s proposed budget as a starting point, and allows you to change the various budget lines. This budget tool is available here How much will the plan cost?

For Councils full information on the long term plan, go to its Lets Talk pages here Let’s Talk | Wellington City Councils. The budget tool is behind the “How Much Does It Cost” tile

When you have finished making changes, you are able to submit your amended budget to the Council so they can receive them, and there is the ability to make notes to explain your reasons.

Here is a very nice 2 page summary of whats in the Long Term Plan for Wellington, just click on this link: WCC Fact Sheet – LTP Summary

Remember consultation on the Long Term Plan is now open, until 12 May. These posts are repeated on our Facebook page (Facebook) which will be a great place to comment, and discuss your thoughts with the community.

Please note that in the advice that we were originally provided with, the dates for Wellington and Khandallah on-line meetings were transposed. Correct details are:

• Online meeting (Khandallah proposals), 22 April, 6.30-7.30pm: Click here for more information
• Online meeting (Wadestown proposals), 23 April, 6.30-7.30pm: Click here for more information

PLEASE NOTE WCC HAVE ADVISED CHANGE IN DATES – WADESTOWN AND KHANDALLAH MEETINGS ARE SWAPPED. THE DATES BELOW ARE THE AMENDED DATES

The Long-term Plan sets out the Council’s priorities. It includes detailed information on the activities, services, and projects we intend to deliver, and therefore what the proposed rates and debt will be for the next 10 years. Wellington City Council (WCC) has prepared some information on what is the Long Term Plan – if you wish to read it, the fact sheet can be downloaded here FactSheet-What is the LTP.pdf

Consultation on the 2024-34 Long-term Plan is open from 12 April until 12 May.  The consultation document and place to submit a long term is at Long-term Plan 2024-34 website.

As part of this process WCC is holdingthe following hui that you may wish to attend:

• Long-term Plan Webinar, 2 May, 6-8pm: Click here to register

• Online meeting (Khandallah proposals), 22 April, 6.30-7.30pm: Click here for more information
• Online meeting (Wadestown proposals), 23 April, 6.30-7.30pm: Click here for more information

• Hapori Māori hui, 5 May, 11am-1pm: More information to come on our website

More than ever, WCC needs to balance the pace of investment with affordability, so some tough decisions do need to be made. Providing feedback is an important way to have your say on the future of our city, and be part of the decision making.

If you require any more information on the Long-term Plan, feel free to visit wcc.nz/ltp. Follow this site – we will post more information through the consultation period, as this is such an important plan for Ngaio and Crofton Downs, and for all of Wellington.

Im aware that we have residents who are in favour of the cycleway along Ngaio Gorge Road, and some who are very concerned about its impact.

Here is an opportunity to easily give your feedback to Wellington City Council – for small design tweeks, now that we have been using the road or the cycleways for some time.

Wellington City Council (WCC) is gathering feedback on how well the Ngaio cycleway is working. They will be talking with people in the community and observing how people are using the route at peak travel times and at particular locations.

WCC has also set up a quick online form where you can let them know how you’re finding the changes and make suggestions about small adjustments you think could be made. Click on the link below to get to the feedback form.

Share your feedback