Proudly Napier - October 2023

Word from our Mayor Kirsten Wise

Kia ora koutou.

One of our core Council functions is planning. We plan our budgets and finances. We plan projects, services and activities. We plan for growth and change. Much of this planning involves making choices to go in one direction, or another. Often, each choice presents trade-offs; there is rarely, if ever, a perfect choice.

Part of Council’s role in deciding between choices involves taking our community on a journey. This is what community consultation is all about. It could be a formal consultation with submissions put before elected members. Or it could be something informal, such as an online survey, or sharing an opinion with Council staff at a community pop-up event.

It’s important that our residents understand not only the ‘what’ but also the ‘why’ of many decisions Council has to make. The more our community understands the reasoning and rationale behind the choices that need to be decided on, the better equipped they will be to make the choice they feel is right.

We’ve held a number of formal consultations this year. These have ranged from playground upgrades, to the Easter Sunday Trading Policy, to the most significant one this year – amending our Long Term Plan to enable us to buy residential properties zoned in Category 3.

Coming up next is an online survey that opens on Monday 2 October. It’s for you to share your views on our new priorities and how they will affect Council’s planning as we begin to develop our Three-Year Plan 2024-27. The Plan will outline our finance and funding strategy, the environment we’re facing, our cyclone recovery actions and other key projects in the pipeline. The Three-Year Plan will focus on what really matters. We need to carefully prioritise our budgets and activities in the coming years to ensure we achieve what we set out to do, and work hard to keep rates increases affordable. I encourage you to take the time to read about the challenges we’re currently facing, and let us know if you think our priorities are on the right track. Another important consultation currently open is on the Proposed District Plan. This consultation is significant in that the District Plan is only updated every ten to fifteen years. It’s Napier’s ‘rulebook’ – how we govern the city’s development and land use. It sets out how we manage our natural and physical resources, and the social and economic needs of the community. The District Plan impacts everyone in Napier in some way. It’s an important document because of its long lifespan. The Proposed District Plan consultation will be open until mid-December on sayitnapier.nz

Be a part of Napier’s journey by educating yourself on the issues, and then get involved by making your views known. It’s your city, so say it, Napier!

Hoop-h p- hooray!

Possibilities for play in Bay View have expanded, with Petane Domain now boasting a new basketball court.

At the opening held late last month, Eskdale School students enjoyed taking many successful shots at goals, boosted by participation in games and drills led by Basketball NZ.

Bay View locals Lisa Clark and Paula Nicol wanted to do something for older kids in the area. They successfully applied to the Napier Mayoral Relief Fund for $25,000 towards the court.

It is a small yet important part of a popular and well-loved community asset, says Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise, who officially opened the court with Lisa Clark.

“Other courts Council look after are very popular, so providing one for this area has the potential to bring enjoyment to so many people, particularly young people.

What do you think about retailers opening on Easter Sunday?

Easter Sunday trading has been a part of Napier’s retail scene since 2018. The policy granting Napier retailers permission to trade on this public holiday is now up for review, with community consultation open now.

Easter Sunday is a significant trading day for Napier’s retailers, given the high number of visitors over Easter weekend. That said, it’s important that the policy strikes the right balance to ensure that employees’ right to have this day off work is also respected.

Council’s current policy allows individual retailers to open if they choose. The policy refers to the Workers Choice Provision in the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990, which grants employees the ability to refuse work on Easter Sunday without repercussions to the employment relationship.

The consultation opens on Thursday 14 September and closes on Thursday 12 October. Submissions can be made on sayitnapier.nz, or paper submission forms are available at Napier Libraries and NCC’s Customer Service Centre.

It is one way Council is able to give back to people who are working hard to keep their community connected.”

It is awesome to have something to appeal to older children, says Lisa. “I’m so excited by this. We have had a hard time, and it’s great to have something positive happen.”

As Lisa stated in the application to Mayor Wise, while the community was devastated, many Bay View families saw wonderful connections being made between younger people.

The 10ha Domain is an area where families can meet and mingle with ease. Last year Napier City Council installed a new cricket wicket. The Domain is also home to many sporting codes, such as rugby, football, bowls and tennis.

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the Napier Mayoral Relief Fund. Thank you to every individual, every business, every school group, every organisation, known and anonymous, from Raumati Beach School to the Napier RSA, and all the 100 donors in between.

Whether it was $50 or $5,000, every person - and every centmatters and has made a difference to our community.

We’ve been supported, cared for, fed, fuelled up, tooled up, been given some fun and some practical help thanks to the Mayoral Relief Fund. The grant has been used for things like diesel for machinery used during the clean-up, meals and accommodation for helpers, new CCTV and new GPS units, events for our most impacted communities, a brand new basketball court in Petane, and specific grants for the homeowners and tenants of red and yellow stickered properties.

Cyclone Gabrielle had a big impact on our region. What’s had an even bigger impact is the power of people to get behind those in need, give a little or a lot, and help out wherever they can.

Wagging Walkabout

Whether you saunter or sprint, jog or plod, if you mooch with a pooch you need to know the places to go! Here in Napier we have lots of off-lead dog walks to choose from. You can find lots of information and maps at napier.govt.nz/dog-exercise-areas.

Here’s a few of our faves: Dolbel Reserve is a tranquil spot, Prebensen Drive has nice wide footpaths and is relatively flat, Karetoki Whare is a delightful spot at the top of the Hill, Marine Parade provides a mega-long walk with beautiful sea views and lots of space to really stretch your legs.

Your four-legged friend loves Napier as much as you do, our off-lead dog walks offer great places for a decent run-around and a satisfying sniffari. Off-lead is not for everyone, so if you prefer your canines on leashes then stick to on-lead dog walks, that way everyone gets the most out of their walkies!

Proposed District Plan now open for feedback

Once every ten to fifteen years Napier people have the chance to provide their views on how and where development in the city should take place through the District Plan review process.

The Napier City Council Proposed District Plan is now open for public submissions until 15 December 2023. The Proposed District Plan sets out the rules and policies needed to achieve sustainable management of natural and physical resources, protect the environment, and address the social and economic needs of our community.

The District Plan is a requirement under the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991. It has a rolling review cycle that takes many years. This Proposed Plan has been prepared over a five-year period and will be adopted and used from 2025.

People can find more information and make a submission on the Proposed District Plan through sayitnapier.nz or in person at the Napier and Taradale Libraries or the Napier City Council Customer Services Centre on Hastings Street, Napier.

The project will start with community engagement including a survey on Say It Napier. From there we will do initial designs for the Street before works begin in late 2024. The work will be carried out in four stages over a few years.

We want to help reinvigorate the street through high-quality streetscape design. Emerson St is a street that prioritises people over vehicles and we want to support this by creating places to dwell, encouraging vibrancy, and supporting economic viability. To participate in our Emerson Street Revitalisation Survey, got to sayitnapier.nz

Napier has been named a member of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. We are the sixth city in New Zealand to join the global movement of communities and cities that strive to better meet the needs of older residents.

Mayor Kirsten Wise explains that by 2038, a third of our population (31%) will be 65 years and over, compared to 23% nationally. “In just a few years Napier’s population of over 65-year-olds will outnumber children for the first time ever,” Mayor Wise says. “Older people have so much wisdom and experience to offer our whānau and communities and we need to foster that. By joining the Network, we commit, as a city, to implementing age-friendly local environments and sharing our experiences with other members.”

The Emerson St Revitalisation project is beginning soon!

A Seed Library is now being stocked by Taradale Library, made possible by the donation of vegetable, herb and flower seeds from Kings Seeds, a Tauranga-based seed company. The seeds are available for anyone in the community to take away and plant at home, regardless of whether they are library members. The library can support their interest in gardening with information about all sorts of plants, and ways to nurture their growth. In return the library would love keen gardeners to harvest some seeds to replenish stocks.

The seeds have been stored in envelopes library staff made from deleted, damaged books, which would otherwise have been recycled.

Your Council

Eye Spy Curious Stories, on until 13 October at MTG Hawke’s Bay, uses touch, smell, sight and sound to enhance the ways in which people can discover the stories behind 22 weird and wonderful objects from around the world.

It is an opportunity to see a small part of MTG’s collections through fresh eyes, interact with whānau and friends, and perhaps start some conversations.

One of the artefacts on show is a ‘ei constructed from screenprinted, handmade paper, by artist Urari’i’ Ruatoe. It is the inspiration for the collaborative lei visitors can contribute to.

Cr Keith Price Ahuriri Ward

Cr Greg Mawson Nelson Park Ward

Cr Nigel Simpson Taradale Ward

Cr Graeme Taylor Taradale Ward

Cr Maxine Boag Nelson Park Ward

Cr Sally Crown Nelson Park Ward

Cr Juliet Greig Nelson Park Ward

Cr Chad Tareha Taradale Ward

Cr Ronda Chrystal Taradale Ward

Cr Hayley Browne Ahuriri Ward

Cr Richard McGrath Onekawa-Tamatea Ward

Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan Onekawa-Tamatea Ward

Mayor Kirsten Wise