Upper Hutt

HUTTNZ WEEKLY VIDEO REVIEW 17 MARCH 2020

My, what a difference a week makes. The social distancing now required due to COVID – 19 alert, means the week proceeding which had a host of large scale events in the Hutt Valley, will no longer occur as residents distance themselves from social interaction to avoid the virus.

The Weetbix Tryathlon was held at the Hutt Receation Ground on 11th March. The Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon helps kids stay active and healthy through a programme of participation. It’s about getting out there, giving it a TRY, achieving a personal best, improving confidence and self-esteem. Numbers were huge as footage of the bike area alone indicates level of participation. Unfortunately the swim leg was cancelled due to a power outage Hutt Valley wide on the morning, closing the pool.

COVID -19 caused panic buying across Supermarkets chains for toilet rolls and hand sanitisers, but calm prevailed later in the week.

Local MP Chris Bishop incurred wrath of residents as he put himself into self isolation following a weekend trip to Australia. One would question the prudence of this trip given the world wide travel and health alerts, as comments on his Facebook page illustrate.

Brewtown Upper Hutt held on Saturday 14th March the BBQ & Beer Festival 2020, which beside the best BBQ also held a heat of the NZ Chilli Eating Championships. Huge crowd in attendance.

Street artist Block Vandal has paid tribute to the Islamic community & Police by installing 2 further murals in memory of the Christchurch shooting one year ago.

Wainuiomata Pool had a dogs allowed day on Sunday 15th March opening it’s doors to the local K9s after closing for the season to the human swimmers. Set in a beautiful backdrop amongst rose gardens and surrounded by native bush the event was very popular with locals.

HUTTNZ WEEKLY VIDEO REVIEW 10 MARCH 2020

NZ$5.00 Contribution

The Great Petone Beach Dig was held on Saturday 7 March. Hosted by Petone Beach Clean Up Crew and supporting HuHaNZ (Helping you Help Animals NZ) Animal Welfare group. Participants paid $5 for a chance to win great family prizes.

The Great Petone Beach Big Dig

On the same day, held at Eastbourne Williams Park was the Eastbourne Local Wild Food Challenge 2020.

A fun community festival involving a Cooking Challenge, educational workshops, wild food demos, food stalls, live music and more..

There was the opportunity to enter a dish with at least one wild ingredient in an entry of your choice or to come along as a spectator & enjoy seeing & tasting wild dishes created by locals.

The event has been run since 2008, starting with the small contest in Eastbourne, and grown to 7 challenges in 5 countries across the world.

Wild Food Challenge Eastbourne Days Bay

HUTTNZ WEEKLY VIDEO REVIEW 25 FEBRUARY 2020

HuttNZ Weekly Video Review 25 February 2020

NZ$5.00 Contribution

The great Wellington Truck and Transport Show was held on Sunday 24 February at Trentham Memorial Park. Hosted by the Silverstream Lions, saw 175 Rigs pre register for the day. Gold coin donation for entry, and prizes for the top Rigs from throughout NZ. Earlier in the day a convey from Gracefield to Trentham Memorial Park was staged by a drive through the Hutt Valley enjoyed by many residents and children.

Empire Skate hosted its 2020 competition at Riddiford Gardens Park on Saturday 22 February. Great crowd in attendance each year gets stronger this being the third time the event has been held.

Bike the Hutt 10 days of biking events throughout the Hutt Valley, hosted 2 events, a cycle race in Upper Hutt, Tour de Hutt a 25km, 50km, and 100km option and each 25km lap will include a start at Brewtown. The roadrace goes through Silverstream, over to the Whitemans Valley and back over Wallaceville Hill. A more family orientated activity is Bike the Trail an opportunity to ride the beautiful Hutt River trail with great company, and really is a family activity. You follow the flow of the water to the mouth of the Hutt River at Seaview. In all there are in all 20 events, covering all form of bicycle activites and learning opportunties.

HuttNZ Weekly Video Review 18 February 2020

NZ$5.00 Contribution

Petone Rotary Fair was held on Jackson Street on Saturday 15 February from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Lots of stalls and entertainment for the family. As always a popular fair drawing people from around the region.

Local residents whose property has been purchased as part of the Melling Interchange development are upset that local MP Chris Bishop released a newsletter, while they remain unaware as to the next step from government agencies involved. Mr Bishop has undertaken to contact residents directly impacted.

Christopher Bishop Hi there. I’ve been keeping people informed through letters for two years, this was the 4th one that went out.
Absolutely no intention to be insensitive to anyone impacted by the project. My office has been helping people affected by the project for over four years now. Always ready and willing to assist and I’ll be sitting down with Chanelle soon
Facebook Comment on HuttNZ 14 Feb 2020

No doubt Chanelle will be awaiting to hear from her local MP

Tiny house builder loses court battle. In a ruling on Jnuary 31 by the Environment court the tiny house requires a building consent, as it could not be easily moved. However the HCC also “mucked up” by not giving the owner Jono Voss enough time to remove the tiny house

HuttNZ Weekly Video Review 11 February 2020

NZ$5.00 Contribution

British and European Car Rally 2020 was held at Trentham Memorial Park on Sunday 9 February. This is the largest gathering of these cars both modern and vintage in the North Island.

Hutt City Council is predicting a rate increase of 8% for residential properties. With some areas looking at 15% (Wainuiomata). This is after years of low increases from 2000-2018. The council is trying to reduce a $17.9 million budget deficit.

By their nature, residential property rates are always a point of contention but an increase of this size has lite up local social media, with residents questioning how this has come to pass, and how unacceptable this is to many.

Wellington Water has asked residents to conserve water. One could suggest that given infrastructure projects are on the long term HCC agenda meeting today, than an approach to Wellington Water (Wellington Water is jointly owned by the Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils, South Wairarapa District Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council) about residential water capacity needs to be asked, given the so called growth of both Hutt cities.

Ever February we hit a water hump, yet in 20 weeks time it all will be pouring down our drains. We are missing something here.

Sunday February 9th night saw the most beautiful Super moon rise over the Hutt Valley.

And finally, as they say “Only in the #Hutt” this bloke found the best way to move his sofa was via shanks pony – on his back – to the err of many motorists in Eastbourne.

HuttNZ Weekly Video Review 4 February 2020

Melling Interchange development announced.

Te Rā o te Raukura 2020 held at Te Whiti Park. on Saturday 1 February. For 27 years this event has been held at this location. It is the premier cultural experience on the Wellington calendar and celebrates a strong community spirit.
It featured a whole array of arts and crafts, health and education exhibitions, live bands, cultural and dance groups, amusements rides as well as a huge range of food stalls. Full video coverage of the stage events can be found here

$30m sports science and training facility with the opening of Upper Hutt’s NZCIS development. Based out of the previous CIT Campus at Trentham and purchased by developers in 2015, has been extensively renovated. Wellington Rugby Football Union will be shifting to the hub in 2021. Wellington Phoenix said the club had a memorandum of understanding with the NZCIS and planned to base its operations out of the hub pending finances.

The hub provides an opportunity for different sporting brands to interact, it would not only cater for traditional sports but would have applications for the rapidly growing e-sports, or video game, industry.

American Vehicle Day 2020 was held at Trentham Racecourse on Sunday 2 February.

Lower Hutt will need to spend an estimated $270 million over the next decade on its aging water infrastructure. Wellington Water’s report completed at the request of Mayor Campbell Barry following his election last year, showed 60 per cent of the city’s water infrastructure needed to be renewed in the next three decades – in which time the population is expected to grow by 20 per cent.

Melling Interchange Project and Debate

Well at last the funding for the Melling interchange has been approved as part of the Labour infrastructure spend up announced yesterday.

Roughly 108,000 people live in the Hutt Valley region, and with a steady increase in population, a more resilient transport system is vital for the region’s continued urban and economic growth, Melling interchange is an essential part of that.

The Melling Interchange is but one part of the RiverLink programme, which is a multi-organisation programme of three separate but interdependent projects relating to flood protection, urban development and transport improvements. Together this project will spend around $260 million. This is the biggest development project in the Hutt Valley, I believe. The flood protection that goes hand in hand with the Melling bridge intersection with this project is paramount, and we need protection from the river, as the Hutt Valley is one of the largest urban areas in a flood plain.

Of course everyone is claiming political mileage out of this spend, and given the size of the project it is no wonder, after all with nothing else on the horizon this is the number one issue, front and centre.

Chris Bishop National MP for Hutt South , while at the front in his eyes of this campaign to progress the Melling interchange, no doubt will have a somewhat hard pill to swallow, now that the green light has been given by Labour, and to be honest has little in the can, now this has occurred for his upcoming election campaign this year.

There is no debating the issue that this spend was under Labours watch, no matter how Mr Bishop views it. Pledges by previous governments carry no weight, as they simply are promises if elected.

Both the people protests and no doubt the work behind the scene by all concerned has ensured that the NZTA changed its view.

This is great for the Hutt Valley, but it is a long way to completion in 2026.