Proudly Napier December 2022

Word from our Mayor Kirsten Wise

Kia ora koutou.

As the year draws to a close, we have an opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months. It’s a chance to look at our challenges and our successes, the projects that were completed and those that were started and will become a focus for the year ahead. It’s a time to take stock of what’s going well, and where there’s room for improvement. At all points of a project it’s important to remember why we do what we do: Our community and their wellbeing - economic, social, environmental and cultural.

We work for our community, but almost as important is the work we do with our community. Council has an ambitious work programme that touches many parts of the community in many ways from significant projects to initiatives that affect a single neighbourhood. In every one of them, people from our community are right there beside us.

For all the work we are involved with there are groups and individuals who roll up their sleeves to partner with us in various ways. They may be the voices we consulted, or the neighbours who brought an issue to our attention. It could be a community group that’s initiated a project we then help them expand. Or it may be an organisation who drives a programme that we get behind and help resource.

The festive season is a great time to thank everyone out in the community who has participated in our work this year. Thank you to everyone who voted in the local body elections, to everyone who engaged in our consultation programmes or presented their submissions during hearings. Thank you to the people who helped clean up waterways and beaches, who worked on safety projects, or came along to planting days. Thanks to everyone who came along to events, or provided food trucks or entertainment for the many gigs that take place in Napier. Thanks to everyone who wrote a letter, or gave us a call, or commented on our social posts. Thanks to everyone who helped keep our streets safe by letting us know about roaming dogs (or goats!). Thanks to everyone who used the libraries or visited our facilities. Thanks to the people who enjoy our parks and look after them, and thanks to the kids for loving our playgrounds! Thanks to the clubs who provide such great opportunities for people to connect, and thanks to the volunteers who put the needs of others ahead of their own.

Every day, in lots of ways, our community is getting stuck in to make our city a better place to work and live, a more vibrant place, a place we can all be proud of.

Council has achieved a lot this year, but council and community together have achieved much, much more. Thank you for your hard work and your dedication, for your energy and determination. Thank you for loving Napier as much as we do. May you have a wonderful festive season, with plenty of time to recharge with family and friends.

Hoops in Parks is an initiative led by Basketball New Zealand, Basketball Hawke's Bay and Sport Hawke's Bay. It focusses on getting more basketball courts in to more communities for tamariki and rangatahi to enjoy, while encouraging people to get outdoors and keep active! This year we’ve enjoyed working with Hoops in Parks to create a brand new basketball court in Essex Street Reserve, Tamatea.

The programme gives communities more places to shoot hoops in their local communities, using existing council land and green space. A lack of suitable facilities (indoor and outdoor) remains one of basketball’s toughest barriers. Currently many local communities are unable to support the growth of the sport, because they don’t have basketball backboards and courts in outdoor recreational areas. Hoops in Parks provides sustainable, long-term participation opportunities for communities and another outlet to increase physical activity outside of a school setting.

Anderson Park is a special place for many in Napier. For the Greendale Tamatea Scout Group, and its members both past and present, it is home to their headquarters.

Now, not far from their den, is a flourishing community garden they’ve helped plant, with the blessing of Napier City Council, which looks after the park. The group was the recipient of a grant from Te Puawaitanga-Green Communities Together Fund, a Council fund established after the first pandemic lockdown to support locals. Hundreds of plants, from harakeke (flax) to mingimingi (coprosma) have been planted. It is a work in progress, with further signage and seating planned. A special feature of the garden are three pou designed by local artist Chris Bryant-Toi. The clay tiles were made from material collected from the bush, the rivers and sea shore. They were pressed by the group, then pit fired on the beach at the mouth of a nearby river.

In July, inaugural Matariki public-holiday celebrations came to life in Napier thanks to high tech, creative nous and community spirit.

The central theme of the event was gathering together with whānau and friends. MTG and Herschell Street hosted a light show. The latest tech was also used to create a community-led collaborative art project through ‘strea.ma’. This technology enabled people to post images about Matariki on a collective social media wall projected on Hershell Street. The free evening event also featured a projection of stars including stories associated with Matariki. This was one of a number of Matariki celebrations that happened across Napier and Hawke's Bay.

Every year, banded dotterel raise their young on a rocky Bay View shoreline. They face danger from seagulls and hawks, and from being injured by quad bikes or dogs.

Save The Dotterels Hawke’s Bay helps this threatened species through monitoring nest sites and raising awareness. Ensuring people know of the birds and their behaviour is important.

For example, a bird that is dragging its wing is distracting a predator away from its nest. During the season, it’s good to leave driftwood where it lies to create hiding spots for dotterels. Napier City Council has fenced off 300sqm of the breeding area. Building a fence is a small thing that could make a big difference to the dotterels.

When the season is over, Save The Dotterels will compare the site to an unfenced area to consider its effectiveness.

We have waterways all over our city that are like streams but are treated like drains by some. Everything that goes into the waterways ends up in Te Whanganui a Ōrotu (Ahuriri Estuary) and then goes out to sea. Together with members of the public and contractors, we are making a concerted effort to keep our waterways clean and clear. One of the regular tasks is pulling rubbish out of the waterways as the team did at Douglas McLean Avenue recently (pictured). Traffic cones, shopping trolleys, bikes, and a laptop are some of the items that have been collected from the stream.

A big thank you to the team who were involved in the clean up. These waterways are an important part of our stormwater network. Keeping our waterways clean and clear of rubbish means we are helping protect the estuary and the ocean, and all the biodiversity that lives in it. If you see rubbish that has been dumped, or people dumping rubbish, please let us know so we can investigate on 06 835 7579. Napier is a beautiful city, and we want to keep it that way.

A new covered barbecue area at Te Karaka marks the 50th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Ahuriri and honours the late Mike Smith who spearheaded the project.

(Mayor Kirsten Wise with Sue Page president of the Rotary Club of Ahuriri)

Look out for 200 BEAM e-scooters that have hit the streets offering a new, climate-friendly way to get around our beautiful city.

Kororā burrows are dotted throughout the rocks at East Pier. At this time of year, the penguins are often at sea but it’s still important to keep dogs away from the area.

NAPIER highlights of 2022

NAPIER WAR MEMORIAL

This project is well on its way to being completed. The site has been cleared, survey pegs installed and first pour of concrete finished. The Perpetual Flame, Roll of Honour and Floral Clock are all being cared for off-site.

The Roll of Honour plaques are being cleaned and restored by specialists, and the clock mechanism is being completely refurbished by expert horologists in Taupō. By Christmas, all of the foundations will be complete and the blockwork will have been started. The contractors, led by Atkin Construction, will be working right up until Christmas before taking a well-earned short break and getting back into it early in the New Year. The project is due to be finished by Anzac Day 2023.

TWO NEW BORES

Napier now has two new low manganese bores feeding its drinking water network. The bores are an integral part of ensuring Napier’s drinking water is kept clear and clean. Naturally occurring manganese reacts with chlorine to turn water murky, resulting in ‘dirty water’ issues for Napier’s community. The new bores are capable of supplying about a quarter of the community’s water needs during warmer weather. The bores mean the network will have more resilience during peak-use times. Each bore treatment plant has UV treatment and chlorination. The bores and treatment are compliant with the new standards set out by Taumata Arowai (water services regulator for Aotearoa). This is the first time Napier City Council has installed UV treatment within its supply.

MCLEAN PARK

SIX60 CONCERT

The Six60 concert, held on 5 November, was McLean Park’s first full stadium concert. The event was a huge success with 15,000 in the crowd, meaning this venue is now on the radar of music promoters for future concerts.

The cricket block on the turf was protected by flooring during the concert, keeping it pristine for the T20 Black Caps vs India clash held a few weeks later. We are looking forward to potentially hosting more concerts like this at McLean Park in future.

NEW PARKING METERS

Pay-by-Plate parking meters came to Napier and Taradale in May and June.

The new machines replaced the blue payand-display machines and deliver a better service to parking users.

They are user-friendly, using a vehicle's number plate to record parking time and payment. Napier City Council staff were out and about around the time of installation in Napier and Taradale to help people use the meters for the first time.

MOBILE LIBRARY

In September, Napier Libraries hit the road in a brand new library van, taking its services out to the community. The van has scheduled stops at Anderson Park, Marewa shops, Maraenui shops, Westshore and Ahuriri. Getting out into the neighbourhoods makes Napier Libraries’ services more inclusive for the whole community. As well as regular stops, there will be ad-hoc visits at community hubs or facilities such as the National Aquarium of New Zealand, local RSAs and clubs, Napier Aquatic Centre, Nelson and McLean parks, the Sunday Napier market and schools.

CIVIC BUILDING

The final stage of demolition of the old Napier civic building is nearly complete. Large excavators have been working on the shell of the building for the last month, demolishing the building’s outer structure from the top down.

Around 80 to 90% of the building is being recycled. The eventual new building will achieve Green Star 5 rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council, which represents excellence in healthy and sustainable building.

For the new building to achieve ‘five stars’, the demolition of what previously stood there must be taken into account. Demolition is expected to be fully complete by March 2023. The new building will be a central hub for the community with versatile spaces including the Council chamber and library.

AHURIRI REGIONAL PARK

A Joint Committee was established this year to oversee the Ahuriri Regional Park, which will be a vital component in ensuring the health, wellbeing and protection of Te Whanganui a Ōrotu (Ahuriri Estuary). Located at Lagoon Farm, which is managed by council, the regional park will be a platform for climate resilience and city sustainability, delivering flood mitigation, stormwater quality, biodiversity and estuarine habitat restoration. The Joint Committee is key to promoting the protection and enhancement of the estuary’s environmental, economic, social, spiritual, historical and cultural values. It is comprised of representatives from Napier City Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Mana Ahuriri Trust. The Joint Committee will provide a vehicle for co-governance of the project, leading it through community consultation and making recommendations on the park’s development.

NAPIER ASSIST

Napier Assist/Āwhina Tāngata launched in June, focusing on the Napier CBD. It will expand to other commercial centres in Napier as the service evolves. Napier Assist officers actively engage with businesses and the public, and provide a social connection for visitors. They also work to de-escalate issues and reduce nuisance behaviour. Napier Assist works closely with Napier City Business Inc, Police and other support agencies to make Napier safe and attractive. The team also keeps an eye on areas of interest through monitoring Council’s CCTV Cameras and other surveillance equipment.

MUSEUM STORAGE

A new Museum Research and Archives Centre – an adjunct to Napier’s MTG - is being built on the corner of Queen Street East and Hastings St North in Hastings. The project creates opportunities for improved access to the regionally owned collection, which has 88,654 items and is valued at over $40 million. It includes a significant collection of taonga, which will be made more accessible to whānau, hapū, researchers, the wider community and visitors. The project was given a funding injection from central government with $9 million from Manatū Taonga-Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Regional Culture and Heritage Fund.

OCEAN SPA

We will be taking over care of Ocean Spa’s operations, staffing and management from 1 February.

Ocean Spa is a real favourite for many of our community and it’ll be wonderful to see it freshened up and cared for by our facilities team.

We’ve owned the pool complex since it was opened 20 years ago but until now it’s been run by a third-party.

The pools and changing rooms will be closed for six to eight weeks from February for refurbishments and upgrades. Gym operations will remain available throughout.

MARAENUI

STORMWATER

Maraenui is set to get the groundwork infrastructure it needs to see new homes built in the area thanks to the Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund set up to jump-start housing developments by funding the necessary services, like roads and pipes to homes.

Maraenui received $12.4m from the IAF for crucial flood management work, which will provide network capacity for an additional 400 new homes, including public and affordable housing.

6-8pm Thurs 12 Jan

Napier Botanical Gardens Suggested entrance Spencer Road

First Fiesta for summer

On Friday 9 December, the Fiesta kicked off the summer season well, despite grey skies. Families and friends spent a wonderful evening together lounging on picnic rugs, boogying to the music, chowing down on delicious eats, treats and sweets from the range of food trucks, and,

The food trucks have a revolving roster so each Fiesta has something different on offer. With five or six to choose from, there really is something for everyone: mini donuts and candy-floss, paella and

It’s a relaxed atmosphere and a great way to wind down at the end of the working week. For many, it’s an easy walk from home. For those driving in, there’s plenty of parking. Kids love the comfortable feeling; for parents and grandparents it’s a stress-free, accessible and affordable

Set midway between Clive Square and Memorial Square on Emerson Street, Napier Night Fiesta gives an opportunity to spend quality time in these well-appointed and beautifully designed inner city spaces. International visitors love the peaceful parklike vibe in the middle of the city. It’s a great way to show-off what Napier is all about.

Project Prima Volta, The Academy Band, and special guest Debbie Harwood

The National Aquarium is offering a journey through the nanoworld this summer with activities, videos and fun facts. There are amazing things to discover and share with friends and family. Build a community of creatures that live on a turtle’s back or get a close up view of the life-cycle of a crayfish. Nano Zoo runs from 10 December to 7 February. Take an even closer look at tiny creatures down the barrel of a microscope at the Nano Lab. This is an opportunity to work with Aquarium educators, use scientific equipment and explore the unseen world.

To find out more visit

nationalaquarium.co.nz

Chill on the hill, or get down with the sounds, free music in a stunning setting

JANUARY

Meeanee Speedway 5 Juicy Festival

Tremain Field, Napier 12 Botanic Beats Botanical Gardens, Napier 13,14 Meeanee Speedway 13 Napier Night Fiesta Clive Square, Napier 14 Nest Fest

Tomoana Showgrounds, Hastings 21 Bridge Pa Wine Festival Bridge Pa Triangle, Hastings 21 L.A.B Concert Tomoana Showgrounds, Hastings 26 Hawke’s Bay Races 27 Napier Night Fiesta Clive Square, Napier 28 Meeanee Speedway 29 Fatboy Slim Concert Tremain Field, Napier FEBRUARY 6 Waitangi Day Celebrations

Mitre 10 Park, Hastings 10 Napier Night Fiesta Clive Square, Napier 11 Meeanee Speedway 11 Outfield Festival Te Awanga 16-19 Napier Art Deco Festival 18 Napier Port Ocean Swim 24 Napier Night Fiesta Clive Square, Napier 25 MCL Construction Triple Peaks Havelock North 25 Meeanee Speedway

MARCH 1,2 Lorde Concert Black Barn Amphitheatre 3 Tuawahine Concert Black Barn Amphitheatre 4 Sting Concert Mission Estate Winery 7-12 Horse of the Year 10,11 Meeanee Speedway 11

Beer Appreciation Day

Duart House, Havelock North 11 Gin Wigmore Concert Black Barn Amphitheatre 18,19 Meeanee Speedway 25 Kiwi Walk & Run Series Church Road Winery 25 Meeanee Speedway

APRIL 1 Harvest Hawke’s Bay Festival Tuki Tuki Riverside 7,8 Meeanee Speedway 8 Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper and Jon Stevens Concert Mission Estate Winery, Napier 12-16 National Age Group Swimming Champs

Mitre 10 Park, Hastings 22 The Exponents Concert Black Barn Amphitheatre 29 Meeanee Speedway