Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui / Wellington

A proposal to deal with Wellington City Council’s significant external economic pressures while continuing to deliver for the capital city was today presented to elected members working on the 2024-34 Long-term Plan.

The initial starting point for next year’s rates increase following input from elected members was 26%.

With additional levers being pulled, today's budget proposes significant reductions in planned capital and operating expenditure and would result in a predicted rates increase of around 14-16% for the 2024/25 financial year.

Video credit @Heliogabalus

It's December so that means the Wellington advent calendar.

Personally, though they have this every year I think I've only every used one or two ever.

Two kiwi chicks have been born in the wild around Wellington for the first time in more than 100 years, one year after the national bird was reintroduced to New Zealand’s capital.

Wellington’s ecosanctuary Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne has been named the top tourism operation in Aotearoa New Zealand as winner of the prestigious Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award.

The awards, presented by Tourism Industry Aotearoa, showcase and celebrate the very best of New Zealand tourism’s individual and business successes.

As well as taking out the top award, Zealandia also won the category of the Airbnb Tourism Excellence Award (Small-Medium Business).

It's been a hard-fought effort but Wellington's Miramar Peninsula is predator-free - having eradicated the last of the ship rats.

Fantastic effort, and fantastic news!

Sunday 29th October:

• Diwali 2023, 2pm-8:30pm - TSB Arena and Shed 6
• Diwali Fireworks: 8:45pm - Wellington Harbour

There will be non-stop cultural entertainment, food, and Indian cultural activities for the whole family to enjoy, including Indian fashion clothes and jewellery retail stalls, henna and Indian lantern making, and food stalls.

Enjoy a short fireworks display after the Diwali Festival of Light event.

Regular - 3rd Wednesday of every month - lunchtime street cleanup.

Come join the Sustainability Trust crew on your lunch break and make a difference.

We'll spend roughly an hour out on the streets and waterfront with our litter pickers making the pavements a waste-free zone.

You're welcome to join us for as little or as long as you like, just pop along to Sustainability Trust HQ @ 12 pm and do your bit to help make Welly waste-free. The more hands the merrier!

Remember to wear comfy shoes, bring a hat and plenty of water. We will have plenty of sunscreen and sanitiser available and will provide everyone with litter pickers and buckets.

These litter pickups take place on the third Wednesday of every month.

I was hoping to go along but sick children make that unlikely, but maybe others might be interested?

The Phoenix kick off their season with a home game at the cake tin on Sunday. I believe this will be one of only two games they'll play at the Stadium - with the rest being at smaller venues around the Wellington region.

Be really cool to see a decent crowd there for this first game. I'll be taking my kids who got really into the game during the world cup.

The cost to Wellington City Council for the strengthening and redevelopment of the Town Hall – one of the most complex construction projects in Aotearoa – is projected to increase by between $70 million and $147 million from its current completion cost of $182.4 million.

Great weather for it

TL;DR: road closures starting from tonight until midday Friday

Petition "to create a dedicated, and protected connection for people to cycle along the waterfront quays - from Oriental Parade to Whitmore Street."

The weather's not looking great for tomorrow, so if suck with kids and looking for something to do this could be a decent morning / afternoon activity. I took my 4 year old today and he absolutely loved it.

The official website is a bit light on info but ticket prices are (not including obligatory Lego set tax):

• adult $10
• child (3-17) $7
• under 3's free

Open from 9 - 4 Sunday.

Open for feedback until Sunday 8th October on proposals for:

• a new parking scheme as well as bus, bike, and pedestrian improvements from Berhampore to Newtown
• bus, bike, and pedestrian improvements from Karori to the Botanic Garden

Original title: Report analyses impact of street changes Linked report

Initial findings show that overall, retail spending has not been negatively affected by changes to street layouts.

Encouraging to see that this hasn't significantly affected consumer spend in these areas. Hopefully this would lead to less resistance to other such schemes in the future.

Always good to head up Mt Kaukau on a nice day. At 445m high you get great views over the city and harbor area, as well as over Makara and the South Island beyond.

It took me and my 4 year old about and hour and a half to reach the top (from the Clark Street track), but without kids I'd reckon it'd be more like 30 mins to an hour up.

https://wellington.govt.nz/recreation/outdoors/parks-and-reserves/outer-green-belt-reserves/mount-kaukau

With Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh buying the land, that seems like a surprisingly agreeable outcome...

Thoughts?

My current spectacles are getting a bit bent out of shape, so I'm looking to get some new ones.

My last few pairs have been through SpecSavers, but they've ended up wearing out in similar ways. Could easily relate to a pattern of mistreatment on my part, but I'm keen to try somewhere else anyway.

Where do you guys suggest around the city? Ideally still budget friendly (would like to stick around $400 if possible), but open to all suggestions.

More tickets have gone on sale this morning. I'm don't have a source for this information but I did manage to buy four tickets an hour ago (there were none last night).

(hopefully this is alright to post, meant more as a heads up than a promotional post)

A recent survey shows no native birds are seriously at risk in the capital anymore, and regionally bird numbers are soaring sky high.

Holy shit guys, second Terrace and Mt Vic tunnels! I wonder if trenching SH1 so Taranaki, Cuba, Webb, and Willis can pass overhead is a possibility? Eliminating that series of lights would make life easier for everyone.

I've spent over an hour getting from the airport to the Terrace tunnel before, something had to change.