Weaving movie magic in Petone

Trying a touch of magic by wearing Gandalf’s Mystical Silver Scarf woven on traditional looms by Petone- based textile company Stansborough, was quite an experience. The Warner Brothers decision to commission Stansborough to design and weave textiles for the Hobbit movies was a significant achievement for a local company.

They have worked hard to gain success and we are very proud of their achievements. This is great for the company and great for Lower Hutt city.The company also produced the Fellowship Cloaks and other fabric for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Top score for Pomare school

Pomare Primary School was the winner from a Hutt City Council Charity Golf Tournament played at Wainuiomata Golf Club in November.

I presented a cheque to Pomare School principal, Chris Worsley, for $10,500 following the sponsored tournament. Additional fund-raising icnreased that total.

It was a great day for golfers and will provide a real boost for Pomare School. Students from the school got involved in the tournament and made for a great day.

Organiser of the event, Adam Wheeler, said there was good support from sponsors and players. Another charity tournament is scheduled to follow next year.  

Pictured is Mayor Ray Wallace, right, and Hutt City Council organisers with parents and staff from the Pomare Primary School.

Mayoral congratulations to Wellingtonian of the Year

Wellingtonian of the year for 2012 Neville Jordan is an inspiration to a rising generation of young people with an eye for success.

I presented the science and technology award to the Petone-born Neville Jordan who is Executive chairman of Endeavour Capital, prior to him being named supreme winner at the Wellingtonian of the Year event.

On behalf of Lower Hutt residents, I congratulated Neville who has maintained strong links with Lower Hutt through his successful business career.

He has long supported and encouraged innovation and new ideas and actively engaged in helping  emerging enterprises.

We are growing as a progressive science and technology valley with more than 800 businesses working in these sectors and contributing heavily to the $5 billion science and technology pumps into the economy.”

Neville Jordan justly deserves his title of Wellingtonian  of the Year after a lifetime of commitment to the region.

He is a true inspiration for people with good ideas which will benefit New Zealand in the future.

I also congratulated Irene Livingstone, from Petone, who received a community award for work with the Hutt Rape Counselling Network.

One Hutt Valley preferred option in any local government change

Democratic representation is important for people living in our valley.  I have told readers of the Vibrant Hutt magazine that we need to have our voice heard.
As Mayor of Lower Hutt, I look at proposals to amalgamate councils in our region and I’m concerned about the potential loss of open democracy and regional representation. 
A reputable Colmar Brunton research study came back and said 61 per cent of people living in Lower Hutt want to keep the existing boundaries. We tested the findings by conducting our own consultation. There were nearly 1000 responses and the majority view was to keep our current boundaries.

The people of the Hutt have a number of concerns:

·         We don’t want to be liable for the high debts of some councils in the region.

·         Other councils have published plans to increase spending and rates by double that planned for the Hutt.  Our residents don’t want to fund those spending plans.  A Supercity could lead to higher rates for the Hutt.

·         We don’t want to lose control of our future.  Under a Supercity  Hutt residents would need  to get  support from Wellington and Porirua councillors to secure funding for local initiatives and important infrastructure projects.

·         We don’t want a council that could be dominated by party politics

If change is to happen, community feedback strongly favours a merger of Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt councils into one Hutt Valley Council. We have much more in common with Upper Hutt than we do with the rest of region, including areas such as the Kapiti Coast.  The Valley councils have a similar culture, similar debt and rate levels and similarly prudent plans when it comes to future expenditure.

The two Hutt cities already work well together. Our Silverstream landfill initiative is a great example of two local authorities working together to provide a top facility that is one of the best in New Zealand. We share an efficient wastewater system and work together well to deliver many other quality services.
Of course we would have key issues to work through if the two councils were to become one Hutt Valley Council.  This includes matters like where staff would be located and details of elected representation.
As Mayor of Lower Hutt, I will discuss these matters with Upper Hutt City Council over the coming months with an open mind. I will also ensure that any decision is discussed with out community. 

               

Community round - up

This has been a busy month with a wide range of activities being undertaken by various communities across the city.

Ultra Fast Broadband

Chorus have been working in Jackson Street installing ducting and junction boxes for the laying of Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) since around August. They will be finished in Jackson Street by the end of November with other work around Petone due for completion by the end of December. The contractors have done their best to minimise disruption. Petone residents will benefit from being one of the first to have UFB installed.

McKenzie Pool Plans

Final plans for the McKenzie Pool project are expected to be available later this month and construction work will get underway once the plans are approved. The upgraded pool will be a real benefit to the community and I am very pleased at the strong community interest in this project.

JSP gets new committee

The Jackson Street Programme has been doing a great job and new members have joined the committee following the recent annual meeting. This is good to see and reflects the significant achievements in the past year under leadership of chair Leonie Dobbs and Jackson Street Programme Coordinator Robert Hutton.

Consultation feedback

Results of the consultation on local government amalgamation have been considered by the various community boards and committees and a recommendation will go forward to the full council on 11 December. There was a good response to consultation across the city with 960 submissions received.

New traffic lights

Good progress is being made on new traffic lights being installed at the intersection of Hutt Road and Jackson Street. The change is to improve an expected increase in traffic flows pending completion of the Countdown supermarket which is being built in Jackson Street.

White Ribbon campaign

The New Zealand White Ribbon Campaign to end men’s violence against women has been launched across New Zealand. I been made a White Ribbon Ambassador and to me, violence against women or anyone, is unacceptable.  On average, 14 women die and more than 3500 men are convicted for assaults on women every year. As a community, we must take responsibility to end this violence. A very successful special breakfast was held at the Hutt Union Community Health Centre in Pomare and a locally – produced White Ribbon song was presented as a gift to the community. It was great.

Alcohol survey

I urge readers to visit our libraries and fill out a Hutt Valley Alcohol survey which is being conducted in response to the Alcohol Reform Bill. The survey is important and will guide council in developing a Hutt Valley Local Alcohol Plan. Give us your thoughts on how to combat alcohol problems in our community.  Binge drinking, particularly among our youth, is becoming a major issue. It is simply not acceptable for a 12-year-old to be out in the community at night drunk. The parents, in the first instance, need to be held to account. If for various circumstances they are not coping, then responsible government agencies need to provide them with support. We must work together as a community to help solve this problem.

A good job, well done!

The Eastbourne Community Board has worked well with the community to support the upgrade of the C L Bishop Park including construction by council of a new toilet block, installation of new play equipment, and extension of the grassed area around the Eastbourne pool. It was great to be there and see all the children having a lot of fun. Residents of Eastbourne have put a lot of work themselves into the park including volunteers who helped build the swimming pool. The park is an example of a strong community working together. The park will benefit the community for many years to come.

Vibrant Village

The Vibrant Village project for Eastbourne will enter its third stage with a number of community groups including the Eastbourne Rotary Club considering how they can be involved. The Vibrant Village project is moving forward and will gain momentum as community groups come on board and lend their support.

 

Work of public art trust praised by Mayor

Dowse Square is a place for people to meet and mingle and explore interesting things and the E Tu Awakairangi Hutt Public Art Trust is making it even more interesting.

The trust funded the Ronny Van Hout Fallen Robot sculpture which occupies a special space in the Dowse Square and is partially immersed.  This adds to its intrigue and stimulates interest.

I have publicly acknowledged the excellent work by the E Tu Awakairangi Hutt Public Art Trust for funding the sculpture. The trust is planning further purchases which will enhance the city and the square

Technology Valley marks the future

Lower Hutt continues to emerge as a science and technology heartland within the Wellington region. This is where it happens – innovative, hi tech, product development and manufacturing with the potential for sustainable economic growth.

Government’s commitment to the city by deciding to locate one of three ATIs here confirms our place as a key player in growing New Zealand Gross Domestic Product through science-related industries I told Vibrant Hutt.

We already have more than 800 businesses that are based on science and technology. Most are reaching out globally to sell products which have been developed locally here, in Lower Hutt.

Organisations like business gold award winners Mesynthes built their business on a new technology product for wound and tissue repair that is being marketed around the world. They work with leading surgeons, clinicians, nurses and researchers throughout the world.  There are many other organisations that have been equally successful.

The long-term growth of our economy in Lower Hutt demands fresh thinking and an entrepreneurial attitude, expert input, and involvement and support from the whole community.

The Hutt City Council is already working with companies to assist them in their growth by easing the way for business in the form of resource consents and a business stimulus package designed to encourage developers to our city.

We are also working with the technology valley working group which has a mission to transform the valley through regional engagement in research, technology and engineering.

One of our shared projects was sponsoring scholarships through the Open Polytechnic for primary school teachers to undergo intensive study in science. The objective is to develop skills so that they can ignite a passion for science among young people.

Capturing the interest of young people is one way of developing a life-long interest in science.

There has also been support for creating clean environmentally friendly energy converting oxygen and water into hydrogen from electricity generated by solar panels and wind turbines. This was demonstrated to Pacific Island leaders at their forum held in Rarotonga. The Pacific leaders were impressed.

There are also lots of new ideas outside the mainstream of science and engineering manufacturing.  This is our community working together across all levels to deliver on science and technology in our city with people from all walks of life to make a difference in our city.  

The opportunities for new technology to make an impact on our city are huge. We need to have confidence in our future in the knowledge that we have a potential in the field of science and technology.

We need to continue to bring forward ideas that can be nurtured and developed into business enterprises which will provide the opportunity for jobs in science and technology  for our young people and build prosperity for our city .