Upper Hutt

Upper Hutt: Farmers Market to open on November 1st

An authentic farmers’ market in Upper Hutt, operating on Sundays in Russell St, is set for a November 1 opening.

Organised by the Experience Upper Hutt promotion group, the market will operate for four hours from 8.30am every Sunday, north of Thomson Ln, in a street area closed to traffic, Experience director Hellen Swales says.

“It has been organised and will run as an authentic farmers’ market, one of about 40 in the country,” Ms Swales says.

“Upper Hutt Farmers’ Market  A Fresh Xperience,” is already approved as a member of the Farmers’ Market Association New Zealand, she says.

The association describes the venture as “a food market where local growers, farmers and artisan food producers sell their wares directly to consumers”.

“Vendors may only sell what they grow, farm, pickle, preserve, bake, smoke or catch themselves from within a defined local area.”

“We’re hoping the market will act as an incubator for small businesses that need to grow,” Ms Swales says. By COLIN WILLIAMS – Upper Hutt Leader

Location of Thomson Lane beside Russell Street,  Farmers Market will be next door to Carpark.

This is great news, if you are a foodie (who isn’t) it really does need the support of people who live in the Hutt Valley, as the initial stages are always tough going for these ventures.

Having visited the Farmers Market in Hawkes Bay, you have to be early, so I guess November the 1st will be an early rise to arrive at 8.30am.

There are other Farmers Markets around like the Wairarapa Farmers Market  at Solway Showgrounds which I haven’t attended, but as a side note is hosting the NZ premier of the Movie “Food, Inc” (see trailer) on Wednesday 1st Oct at the Regent Cinema in Masterton, if interested see their website for details.

Upper Hutt: Spring Festival 2009 highlights

What a beautiful day, with just a light sprinkling of snow on the Tararuas overlooking Upper Hutt for this years Spring Festival.

Thanks must go to the Upper Hutt Womans Centre  and the Rimutaka Trust for organising the event. The Womans Centre estimated profits from this years event would be around $12,000, which would help fund courses, counselling and operating costs. The centre is among the many organisations running community education classes whose funding has been axed by the government from next year.

Many other local community and business groups did a roaring trade as entertainment of all sorts was provided to what must have been a record crowd in attendance. It still was difficult to travel down Main Street at 2.30pm, just shows what great weather can do.

Just some video highlights below of the activities and entertainment offered :-

The huge crowd in attendance

More of the entertainment on offer

Vintage cars from Wellington Classic Car Clubs including vintage Hazelwood Delivery vehicle

Upper Hutt Police grateful for CCTV

Upper Hutt Police are grateful for the CCTV cameras which helped them identify and catch a group of young thieves who had stolen from a 14 year old autistic boy.

The incident occurred at approximately 4pm on the Wednesday 2nd September 2009 at the Upper Hutt Railway Station. The boy had been waiting at a bus shelter when a group of youths formulated a plan to steal his school bag.

While the boy was not looking, one of the youths threw the victim’s school bag across the station subway area into the waiting arms of two others. Two of the group rifled through the boy’s bag taking a cell phone and wallet, items which he depended on for communicating with his family.

After removing the items, the group threw the bag back across the railway station towards the victim.

The boy became very distraught when he noticed his bag missing. He was visibly shaken and vulnerable and was comforted by a bus driver at the time.

Upper Hutt police conducted area patrols of the railway station and surrounding streets. Members of the public provided information regarding the youth’s whereabouts and they were apprehended by Police. Two youths have been referred to Police Youth Aid for their offending.

“The combination of evidence from CCTV footage, members of the public has helped us to track down these youths and return this boy’s property. CCTV is very a valuable tool and we’re very grateful that we have it”, said Constable Dave Higgins, who was one of the attending officers.

Constable Higgins commented that with further advances in the CCTV technology in the city, apprehensions of offenders for similar type offending could be greatly enhanced.

Via NZ Police

Upper Hutt: Residents blame possum bait stations for pet poisonings

Residents blame possum bait stations for pet poisonings

by ANTONIO BRADLEY – Upper Hutt Leader

Last updated 05:00 02/09/2009
Maxine Robb with her cat Bouffey

ANTONIO BRADLEY
NINE LIVES: Riverstone Terraces resident Maxine Robb with her cat Bouffey, who she believes was poisoned by possum bait stations near her property. Behind her is the pole where moreporks once perched before GWRC installed bait stations.

 

Veterinarian Andrew Cassells says it is “quite likely” brodifacoum poisoned the cat, but he did not test for poisoning because it was too expensive for the owners.

Some Upper Hutt residents claim the regional council’s possum bait is poisoning their cats and native birds, causing some to die and others to disappear.

Greater Wellington regional council’s business unit BioWorks placed the poison brodifacoum in Riverstone Terraces in April to decrease pest numbers.

Since then, Maidstone Veterinary Clinic has treated three poisoned cats – one of which was euthanised last month – and two poisoned dogs, all from Riverstone Terraces, a vet says.

Depending on the dose, brodifacoum can kill large animals such as dogs, he says.

But BioWorks contracts co-ordinator John Hopkirk says he doesn’t believe its brodifacoum is poisoning cats or native birds.

However, resident Maxine Robb believes her cat, Bouffey, was poisoned by brodifacoum in April after BioWorks installed bait stations on her and her partner’s property.

Within days the couple found shaking, half-dead rats within metres of their house, she says.

Soon after, Bouffey started bleeding from his gums.

Ms Robb took him to Maidstone Veterinary Clinic, believing he had eaten a poisoned rat.

via stuff.co.nz

Well heres my two cents worth…..

As a young lad, I run all over Craigs Flat as it was called then (now Riverstone Terraces) and it was farm land with encroaching regenerating native bush. The area was generally used for sheep and cattle grazing.

While we shouldn’t have been on farmland without permission, we loved the rabbits, possums and the wildlife and equally used it to gain access to Whakatiki Stream where we went swimming etc. The area though had huge possum numbers with sign everywhere.

Time moves on, and the River Terraces as a surburban development was built there right up against this regenerating native forest, no wonder given the appeal of the location and the splendid views.

But the problem was and still is Possum numbers, they are endemic. The difficulty lies in how we go about controlling them and the methods used.

I’m either or on this and see the difficulty GWRC has, and well as the concern of the residents.

But I have a solution, one that was on offer back 30 years ago when I roamed up there, bring back a tally for dead possum numbers paid by Regional Councils, killed humanly (no Gintraps like we used). Is it not valid employment in this recession.
Or perhaps the answer lies in that we as humans need to stop developing native bush buffer zones? Isolate, control, monitor and let nature take its course away from human beings and their pets

Posted via web from HuttNZ’s posterous

Upper Hutt BNZ bank robbed

27 August 2009

Upper Hutt Bank Robbery

At about 1.35 pm today the BNZ Bank in Upper Hutt was robbed by a male.

The offender did not have any weapons with him but handed over a note to the teller.

He escaped with an undisclosed sum of money but was seen by a bank employee and followed to his vehicle. The employee took a photo of the vehicle which he was able to give to police.

A short time later police located the vehicle at an address in Upper Hutt. It was stopped by armed police after it left the address around 2.45 pm.

A 41 year old male from Lower Hutt has been arrested and charged with robbery. The cash has been recovered.

The male will appear in the Upper Hutt District Court tomorrow.

He has also been charged with the Upper Hutt Westpac Bank robbery of 4 August 2009.

Mike Hill
Inspector
Area Commander: Upper Hutt

via nzpolice

Ok that now makes it 3 bank robberies in as many months, not resolved. This one, Westpac in Upper Hutt last month, and the Kiwi Bank at Queensgate Westfield. At least the offender was caught which goes some way toward justice. My concern is for the staff impacted. I have been involved in seeing the repercussions of an armed robbery and the impact it can have on those involved, not just now but several months or years down the track, it is not pleasant.

Equally the incidents of robbery of this type are on the increase and there is no denying that some parts of our society are being impacted far greater by the economic recession. I fear that more of these will occur as unemployment figures continue to rise.

Upper Hutt – Rimutaka Prison to get 60 bed container unit

Rimutaka Prison to get 60 bed container unit

1:05PM Thursday Aug 27, 2009

A 60 bed container unit is to be established at Rimutaka Prison as the Corrections Department seeks ways to house a burgeoning prison population.

The Government previously announced it would use containers as cells to boost capacity and Corrections Minister Judith Collins said today the unit would help the department evaluate whether they can be used in other prisons.

“This project is the first of its kind at a New Zealand prison and we hope it will point the way to how we can build extra prison capacity faster and much cheaper than in the past,” she said.

“Corrections is forecast to run out of baseline beds early next year. We have to take immediate action to ensure that prisoners are securely locked away and the public is kept safe.”

A tender process had started and cells would be used from March.

Each bed would cost between $53,000 and $63,000 which Ms Collins said was far cheaper than for a new prison.

– NZPA

via nzherald.co.nz

Well Rimutaka Prison, its not as though they dont have enough problems on their own without shackling them with this. Probably the only reason its here rather than anywhere else is the close proximity to Corrections Head Office in Wellington.

I’m not for them or against them, but I know one thing that they better insulate them well given how cold it can get in the Hutt Valley in mid July. In fact I think they are already insulated, or so are some of the containers I see on the wharfs, or is that refrigerated, which is probably the likely outcome on an inmates being in these in the middle of Winter.
I’m going to be prophetic here and say that they had better get world class advice on this issue to avoid the human rights debacle that will befall Corrections if they dont construct them well (anyone else using them?).
My guess is they wont, we will end up being chastised on the world stage, and in the long run it probably would have been easier to have a new private enterprise prison built from scratch.
Better keep my nose clean, Rimutaka container unit in July holds zero appeal for me.

Posted via web from HuttNZ’s posterous

Trentham: Army staff may decamp to Hutt

Army staff may decamp to Hutt

By HANK SCHOUTEN – The Dominion Post

Last updated 05:00 27/08/2009

The proposals are outlined in papers issued under the Official Information Act to Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins, and would have wide-ranging consequences for the Hutt Valley, Waiouru, Porirua and Wellington.

As many as 1000 more defence staff could be moved to Upper Hutt, as the Defence Force considers spending up to $110 million to redevelop the old Central Institute of Technology campus at Trentham.

via Stuff
The establishment of Trentham army camp last century certainly has heralded development opportunities for Upper Hutt for many years. This latest news will no doubt bring broad smiles to the UHCC, firstly that the old CIT buildings are been reused for a practical purpose and secondly the influx of people and families to Upper Hutt city as a direct result of this relocation.

The economic benefit to Upper Hutt is vast with the number involved around 1000, and the relocation of high paid defence personal from Wellington to Upper Hutt alone being significant.
No doubt a fair piece of logic was applied in this move, given Trentham Army base across the road. Unfortunately no time line is placed on this development and a lot of work will have to be undertaken on the old CIT campus to bring it up to speed, having been vacant for many years.

Upper Hutts gain unfortunately comes at other regions loss, but the benefits ongoing in the years ahead is vast, something that could only be akin to the old manufacturing factories that populated the city in the seventies which in recent years have closed down, downsized or moved away, General Motors and Pacific Tyres (Dunlops) coming to mind.

All we need now is confirmation, but Upper Hutt will be a buzz over this news.

Posted via web from HuttNZ’s posterous

Upper Hutt: Major Fire accident

According to the NZ Police site:

“At approximately 12.45 pm Police and Fire emergency services attended an explosion in a garage at an address in Upper Hutt.”

We retweeted earlier about this incident in Te Marua courtesy @esquirescoffee

“A 20 year old male, an 18 year old female and a young baby were present in the garage at the time.

The 20 year old male is in a critical condition in Middlemore Hospital suffering extensive burns to his body.

The female and young baby escaped with minor burns and are to remain in Hutt Hospital over night.

It appears that the explosion was the result of a welding accident.

Fire Service and Police are still investigating”

No further details will be released until Sunday

Upper Hutt: Akatarawa Road Bridges to be replaced

The Upper Hutt City Council has programmed the replacement of the three wooden bridges on Akatarawa Road (situated a short distance either side of Staglands) over the next five years. Just yesterday one of our readers witnessed and accident at this very bridge.


Those that use this road regularly are well aware that these bridges pose traffic problems on what is already a dangerous road to travel.  The first bridge will be replaced in mid to late 2010.

The bridges are believed to have been constructed in the 1920’s. During a routine inspection two years ago they all showed signs of deterioration within the wood work. While a considerable amount of structural repair work has been undertaken on the bridges all three have reached the end of their economical life and need to be replaced.
The new bridges will be built to a more durable design and have two lanes, providing some width for pedestrians, cyclists etc. Disruptions may occur, but wherever possible the City Council will try to to minimise the impact on residents and motorists. Retaining one of the bridges as a heritage structure will also be investigated.

The bridge for replacement in the 2009/10 financial year is the first one from Upper Hutt, just before the Wellesley Country Club, and is the most critical for access to residents and businesses past this point.

The middle (weight restricted) bridge and the bridge at the foot of the summit will follow in 2011/12 and 2013/14 respectively.
The Council is very aware that these bridges provide essential access to the residents and businesses along Akatarawa Road and whilst every endeavour will be made to keep disruptions to a minimum during the construction there may be times when it is not possible to maintain full vehicle access. If this should happen contingency plans will be discussed with residents/businesses affected.

Upper Hutt: 1080 drop closes Water Supply

Wellington Regional Council has stopped taking water from a catchment area north of Upper Hutt because of a 1080 poison drop.
Helicopters dropped the baits on Friday in parts of the Kaitoke Regional Park and the Akatarawa saddle area to control possums.
Half the water supply for the Wellington urban area comes from the Hutt Water Collection Area, drawn at the Kaitoke weir.
Water for Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Wellington and Porirua cities is now being drawn from the water storage lakes at Kaitoke.
Taking water from the Hutt water collection area will resume when the Medical Officer of Health gives the all clear.