N O T E W O R T H Y
AT T H E BA N K The RiverLink project will get under way from next year after the Hutt Valley Council received $98.9 million from central government towards its construction. The project will improve the stop banks at Melling, and build new vehicle and pedestrian bridges across the Hutt River. The plan is intended to turn the central city towards the river, encourage investment in building, and help provide more affordable housing. The funding accounted for over half of the $192 million set aside by the government for infrastructure spending nationwide.
NOT BABE Wild pigs have been appearing around the city suburbs, with sightings in Aro Valley, Brooklyn, and Karori. They have been terrorising dogs and livestock, and even eating young goats. The species was introduced during the late 1700s, and are spread across around a third of Aotearoa. It’s likely that the ban on hunting in these areas during lockdown allowed their unmanaged numbers to skyrocket.
PARKS AND RECREATION
MELLOW YELLOW
Construction work on a new commemorative park in Titahi Bay will begin in 2023. The design will acknowledge the history of the area, including the Marines Hall, which was deemed unsafe in 2012. Porirua Parks and City Services Operations Manager Mark Hammond hopes the mix of wananga spaces, seating, planting, and shaded areas will make up for the ten-year delay while permission was sought to demolish the hall and develop the site.
After missing out on social activity during lockdown, many dogs are now suffering from separation anxiety as their owners return to work. There has been a rise in dog attacks in Wellington, with attacks on people rising from 37 in 2021 to 63 in 2022, and on other animals from 65 incidents in 2021 to 94 in 2022. Earlier this year Wellington City Council launched a campaign to encourage owners to tie a yellow ribbon around a nervous dog’s collar to let others know to give them extra space.
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