Greater Wellington News

Let's Carpool - a winning way to travel!

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:19:00 +1200

Let’s Carpool, Greater Wellington Regional Council’s carpooling programme, has won a national award and has received a very positive independent evaluation.

The NZ Traffic Institute, at its annual conference dinner last night (6 September), presented Greater Wellington with a Trafinz Achievement Award for Let's Carpool. The award is for outstanding performance and contribution towards sustainability in transport for New Zealand.

Jane Davis, Greater Wellington’s Strategy and Community Engagement General Manager, says the award is fantastic recognition of the programme. “The judges commended Let’s Carpool especially for its leadership and innovation. We’re thrilled to receive this given the programme is still relatively new, and we certainly have high hopes for it, particularly in terms of extending it to other parts of the country.”

Let’s Carpool was set up in May 2009 and now almost 1400 people have registered with the programme. A breakdown of participants by local council area can be found below.

The programme was set up to make it easier for people to carpool to and from work, particularly for those who don’t live or work near public transport routes. People register on letscarpool.govt.nz by giving basic details about where their commute starts and ends, and a few of their carpooling preferences, e.g. whether they prefer to drive or carpool with people of the same gender. The secure software then finds possible carpool matches for you.

Meanwhile, an independent evaluation of the programme (attached) has found that participants think the best thing about carpooling is the money they save.

Jane Davis says more than 63% of the 634 survey respondents said the main benefit of carpooling was the financial savings. “Travelling to work each day with two or three others can substantially reduce your transport costs. How people share the costs is something that is agreed on by individual carpooling groups. Some people, for example, set a one-way cost for each trip while others have more casual arrangements. It really depends on the individuals involved.”

Almost half of the respondents said one of the things they liked about carpooling was the feeling that they were doing something good for the environment. “Three people travelling together means two fewer cars on our busy highways every working day, which means less congestion and less traffic pollution. It’s great that so many people feel that’s so important.

“People have also given us some very valuable feedback about the Let’s Carpool website. We’re setting up an alert system which will notify people when there’s a new carpooling match available for them. Once people register they can easily forget to visit the website again to check on any new matches. A lot of people would probably be very surprised at how many more carpooling matches they now have.”

Let’s Carpool has prizes available for those people who are registered and have a great carpooling story to tell. “It could be a quirky story about your fellow carpoolers or about how Let’s Carpool has changed your commuting experience. Whatever it is, we’d love to hear about it,” says Jane. Prizes include vouchers from Reading Cinemas, Pak’n’Save and New World.

Find out more about Greater Wellington’s sustainable transport activities.

For more information, contact our media team.

New way to do Total Mobility business

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:13:00 +1200

A large number of taxis in the Wellington region are being installed this month with equipment to read a new Total Mobility photo identification card, for people who cannot use public transport because of a disability.

Snapper Services won the contract for the new system which means the Total Mobility card is also a special Snapper card, and it means that other Snapper cards can be used to pay taxi fares. Customers should contact Snapper directly to confirm which taxis accept Snapper.

The Total Mobility scheme, run by Greater Wellington, provides subsidised door-to-door transport services for its customers.

A pilot of the new system, which replaces the old Total Mobility paper vouchers, was carried out recently by several Wellington Combined taxis. The system is now being rolled out to all Total Mobility transport operators.

Adam Lawrence, Greater Wellington’s Public Transport Planner, said the new card was a far more efficient and convenient way to do business.

“For customers, it means no more mucking around with vouchers, or having to phone in and order more. And for us it makes administration simpler and reduces the potential for abuse of the system.”

All Total Mobility customers are now required to use their new cards. The old paper vouchers will not be accepted after 31 October. The new cards will also be valid in Auckland from 1 October.

Total Mobility customers who do not have a photo ID card should contact Metlink on 0800 801 700.

For more information, contact our media team.

Have a look for rooks

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:29:00 +1200

September heralds the beginning of the nesting season for rooks and Greater Wellington is asking rural residents to be its eyes and ears to help locate breeding populations.

Rooks have been in Wairarapa for about 80 years and were introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800s to control pasture insects.

Unfortunately, they also enjoy crop seed, crop seedlings and mature grains, says Greater Wellington pest animal officer Steve Playle.

“They can wreak havoc in summer when they band together in large flocks and arrive in crop paddocks en masse. In these circumstances rooks can wipe out newly sown or emerging crops, costing farmers time and money.”

From left - a rook, a magpie and a blackbird

This is exactly the sort of rook activity Greater Wellington wants to stop.

Mr Playle says the rook problem peaked in Wairarapa in the mid 1990s, with entire crops in South Wairarapa and Whareama being wiped out.

“Years of annual control have substantially reduced the rook population across the region but it does mean that it is becoming harder to identify and treat the remaining populations,” says Mr Playle.

“There are still populations in the eastern hill country and north of Masterton, but rooks are cunning birds and move the nesting sites if they feel threatened.

“Any sighting of a rook or rookery is important. It doesn’t matter if you have called us before, we are still very interested to hear from you.”

Typically, breeding rookeries will be located in stands of mature pines or eucalyptus trees. Often they are in close proximity to houses and other farm buildings.

Mr Playle says people should not attempt to control rooks on your property by poisoning or shooting.

“This will cause them to disperse and establish more rookeries. Call Greater Wellington and we will destroy them free of charge.”

Rooks are larger than magpies and are black all over, and can be identified by their call, “KAAH”.

Any sighting of a rook or rookery is important. Greater Wellington will destroy them free of charge.

For more information, contact our media team

GW investigating new water storage options at Kaitoke

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:07:00 +1200

Greater Wellington has secured an option to buy land owned by AgResearch at Kaitoke, adjacent to State Highway 2, with the intention of investigating the land to find out if it’s suitable for a water storage lake.

“The size of the proposed lake will be determined during the investigations but it could have a capacity of around 5,000 million litres – making the volume around 50% larger than the two Stuart Macaskill water storage lakes combined,” says Greater Wellington’s Utilities and Services General Manager Murray Kennedy.

Water for the proposed lake would be piped from near the Te Marua Water Treatment Plant, using the existing Kaitoke weir resource consent. The lake would allow Greater Wellington to capture more of the water when there is high rainfall but would not affect river levels at times of low flow.

The investigations are likely to begin in November and could take up to 12 months. They will include investigations into geological/geotechnical and civil works as well as environmental, social and cultural issues.

Murray says that if the site is seen as being suitable for a storage lake, it will be evaluated along with other options that Greater Wellington has previously investigated for future water supply.

“If the proposed lake is built, a dam or another water storage lake probably won’t be needed for about 20 years. If a new storage lake isn’t built soon, it’s likely that a dam would need to be built within 10 years. However, timing will depend to some extent on household and commercial water usage, with Greater Wellington remaining committed to reducing per capita water consumption.”

Murray says that if a decision is made to proceed with the project, the public would have the opportunity to have their say on the project through Greater Wellington’s Long Term Plan process and the Resource Management Act’s resource consent process.

If the project proceeds, construction is likely to take two to three years to complete after the necessary consents and approvals are obtained. The cost of purchasing the land would be determined through Greater Wellington’s negotiations with AgResearch.

Greater Wellington is responsible for supplying bulk water to the Upper Hutt, Hutt, Wellington and Porirua city councils.

Click here and scroll down to "Investigation into a potential water storage lake" for more information including a diagram and Q&As.

For more information, contact our media team

Repeated pollution incidents in Takapu Stream cause for concern

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:47:00 +1200

Milky white discharges, iron oxide-coloured liquid and foam have been entering the Takapu Stream recently and Greater Wellington is keen to hear from anyone who may know more.

“The Takapu Stream is receiving these pollutants from a stormwater outlet at the bottom of Jamaica Drive where it meets Takapu Road near the industrial zone in Grenada North,” Greater Wellington Environmental Protection acting team leader Naomi Middleton says.

“We are pretty sure that the foam is from a cleaning agent, and the milky white discharge could be paint or cement washwater, but we have been unable to locate the source of either.”

Samples have been sent to a laboratory for analysis. Capacity Infrastructure Services is also investigating whether the iron oxide coloured liquid could be leachate, and is currently trying to identify a source.

Naomi says Greater Wellington ran a Take Charge pollution prevention programme in the area a couple of years ago, so the repeated incidents of pollution are cause for concern.

“We would like to remind businesses that it is illegal to put anything other than water down the stormwater drains and under the Resource Management Act offenders can be fined or prosecuted.

“River and stream health is a major issue for the Wellington region and discharges of pollutants like these make it harder for our aquatic animals and plants to survive and flourish.

“The Takapu Stream drains into the Porirua Stream, which contains a whitebait fishery and is an important habitat for the giant kokopu, a threatened native fish species.

“Naturally we are very keen to hear from anyone who may know more about these incidents.”

Greater Wellington operates a 24-hour Environmental Protection Hotline (free phone 0800 496 734).

This year's final push for QEP northern wetland

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:53:00 +1200

Calling all Kapiti residents – this Sunday is the last Queen Elizabeth Park northern wetland planting day for this year and many helping hands are needed.

Greater Wellington and the Raumati South Residents Association are having one final push to get 1,500 plants in the ground in order to provide a buffer for the fragile northern wetland, says Philippa Crisp, Greater Wellington’s Strategy and Environment Team Leader.

“We’re hoping to see some new faces this Sunday – it’s a great outing for the family and it’s pretty special to come back year after year and see how well your plants have grown.”

The wetland restoration project is a Raumati South Residents Association initiative. Funding for the plants was provided by the Department of Conservation’s Community Conservation Fund.

Queen Elizabeth Park northern wetland planting day

When: Sunday 29 August, 9.30am

Where: Meet at the Queen Elizabeth Park entrance opposite the intersection of Matai Rd and Poplar Ave, Raumati South

What to bring: jacket and warm clothing, sturdy footwear and a spade

For more information, contact our media team

Pollen blooms are back

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:40:00 +1200

Have you seen a fine yellow dust along the coastline or in your local stream recently?

You could be forgiven for thinking that it’s pollution but it is most probably pollen released from the flowers of plants and trees, especially pine trees, and it can accumulate in quantities large enough to discolour waterways and other damp or wet surfaces.

Pollen can cause misery for many people at this time of year, but it’s a natural and harmless occurrence in our rivers and streams and should not be confused with actual pollutants such as paints or chemicals.

“Tree pollen is not a threat to the environment, aquatic animals or water supplies. The resulting yellow mess is often misinterpreted as a chemical spill or industrial pollution, but in fact the pollen is a good protein for aquatic organisms,” says Greater Wellington's Environmental Protection acting team leader Naomi Middleton.

“About this time our environmental hotline starts receiving complaints and call outs about pollen and other natural occurrences such as smelly seaweed along beaches, discoloured streams below wetlands or slips, foam in streams near waterfalls, and floating scum on the harbour due to jellyfish.

"Although such things are harmless, Greater Wellington is always happy to receive all reports of suspected pollution”, says Naomi.

Greater Wellington operates a 24-hour Environmental Protection Hotline (free phone 0800 496 734).

For more information, contact our media team

New Matangi train on show

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:57:00 +1200

People will be able to get on board and take a look around the first of Wellington’s new trains next month.

The train will be available for public viewing at Platform 9, Wellington Railway Station, from 1.15pm – 3pm on Thursday 9 September, after a formal launch by Transport Minister, Steven Joyce.

Wayne Hastie, Greater Wellington Regional Council’s General Manager, Public Transport, said the public viewing time was limited because of the train’s rigorous testing programme. “We know that people are really keen to get up close to the train and have a look inside but the commissioning process for the train is very comprehensive and we’re working to a very tight timeframe. The top priority is to ensure that the new trains are fit for service as soon as possible.

“I’m sure that those people who do get to look around the new train next month will be very impressed. They really do represent a new era for train travel in the region. The stainless steel exterior is shiny and sleek and, inside, the train feels very comfortable and modern.”

One car of each two-car unit has a low floor area, which greatly improves access for people in wheelchairs and people with buggies and pushchairs. There is no step up to the door of the low floor area.

The new trains have the same number of seats as the Ganz Mavag trains, but there is substantially more standing room. The doors are manually operated, so those wanting to get on or off will have to press a button. This will help maintain constant air-conditioning temperatures inside the train.

All the new trains will have high quality electronic passenger information display and public address systems.

The first of the Matangi trains is due to go into service in December. They will start running on the Johnsonville line next April and will be running on all three lines in July 2011.

The entire new fleet is expected to be in Wellington by the end of next year. Even when all the new trains are running, the Ganz Mavags will be needed to help meet peak hour demand. A decision on whether the Ganz Mavag fleet will be refurbished or replaced will be made early next year.

For more information, contact our media team

10,000 trees planted - in just three hours

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:29:00 +1200

Planting 10,000 native plants seems daunting but yesterday at Queen Elizabeth Park volunteers from around the region proved that many hands make light work, completing the task in just three hours.

The massive planting event was organised to celebrate 10 years of Greater Wellington’s ecological restoration programme Take Care.

It was a great effort from all involved, says Robyn Smith, Greater Wellington’s Community Environmental Projects team leader.

“We were thrilled that so many people – about 270 in all – came to help out. It’s a testament to the support of our Take Care volunteers and to the wider community for ecological restoration.”

The Take Care programme commenced in 2000 and since then 64 groups have been involved, with 36 groups currently funded through the programme - working alongside streams and rivers, in wetlands, coastal dunes and escarpments, and estuaries.

“Our Take Care volunteers are doing an excellent job,” Robyn says. "They’ve planted over a half a million trees since 2000 and if their contribution is put in monetary terms, the gains are astonishing.

“The Take Care Programme costs about $275,000 annually but Greater Wellington and volunteers deliver the ecological benefits of over $930,000 worth of restoration effort.

“It was great to see so many people at our 10 year celebration but we need more people to get involved and be part of one of the care groups making such an incredible difference to our region.”

Find out how you can help - www.gw.govt.nz/takecare

For more information, please contact:

Robyn Smith
Team Leader Community Environmental Projects
Greater Wellington Regional Council
P 803 0367
M 027 466 0362
Robyn.Smith@gw.govt.nz

Get your application in for the ENCORE awards

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:02:00 +1200

Is your work benefitting environmental restoration, conservation and heritage in the Wellington region? Do you want to inspire others to help out too?

If so, why not apply for an ENCORE Award. The awards are open to any group, individual or business in the Wellington region demonstrating a sustained commitment to a project with a positive environmental or conservation outcome.

There are eight award categories:

Community Partnerships Award – honouring the work of community groups and organisations on environmental restoration and conservation initiatives

Community Leadership Award – honouring the leadership and vision of an individual working on environmental restoration and conservation initiatives

Business Leadership Award – honouring those businesses reducing the impact of their own activities and making a positive contribution to environmental restoration and conservation

Emerging Environmental Business Award – awarded to businesses who have recently begun work to reduce their environmental impact and make a contribution to environmental restoration and conservation

Meridian School Sustainable Project Award – honouring projects led by school students that contribute to conservation, to improving the health of their environment and to promoting environmental education for sustainability in their school community

Meridian School Environmental Leadership Award – awarded to individuals within schools (students, teachers and others) leading a school project or initiative that improves, conserves or protects the local or regional environment.

Excellence in Compliance Award - acknowledges Greater Wellington* consent holders exceeding their compliance requirements to reduce or avoid adverse effects on the environment.

Historic Heritage Award - acknowledges groups and individuals engaged in the restoration or preservation of historic and cultural sites and features

The closing date for applications is 5pm, Friday 27 August. For application forms, and information about each award category go to www.gw.govt.nz/encoreawards/

The ENCORE Awards are a partnership between Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Wellington Hawke’s Bay Conservation Board and the Department of Conservation.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Parliament in mid-November.

*The Excellence in Compliance Award is open only to individuals and organisations holding a resource consent with Greater Wellington.