Raroa Park a great location

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“Providing adequate recreational facilities has a major influence in promoting physical activity and meaningful community engagement.”

The JBG reviewed available sites it suggested that the “most appropriate location” would be Raroa Park.

“Sited a minutes’ drive or a short walk from Johnsonville’s Metropolitan Centre, and halfway between our northernmost suburbs and our western suburbs, Raroa Park is ideally located,” the submission says.

“There has recently been an increase in indoor sports uptake by our older age group.

“Having a large retirement home close to this proposed site will increase the meaningful engagement of elderly people in the community.”

There was also a realistic potential for Onslow College and Raroa Intermediate School to contribute via the Ministry of Education to the cost of either funding the new facility or the annual operating expenses or both.

“A reduction in the use of private vehicles is only possible if other modes of transport are available and convenient to the users.

“The suggested location at Raroa park sits adjacent to the existing train line as well as on key bus routes.

“Prioritised cycling networks in the area could easily be extended from Johnsonville to a new facility at Raroa and the grade is easy.

“It is only a short walk for those in the neighbouring schools and retirement home.

“Many of our school students and the large cohort of the community who work or study in central Wellington travel past this location daily, making it widely convenient to the community.

“For visitors that can’t use public transport, the site provides ample space to meet car parking needs.

“The advantage of this location is its proximity to all modes of transport,” the JBG submission says.

“WCC’s current analysis identifies a geographic gap in Johnsonville’s current ability to service the recreational needs of our catchment and further investment by WCC is encouraged.”

Wellington’s northern and western suburbs have no indoor facilities of scale, whereas other regions of Wellington do.

“The lack of available indoor space within proximity to the western and northern suburbs has prevented the uptake of indoor sports in our region.

“Wellington’s challenging weather places a larger need than other centres on the provision of indoor sports facilities. Be it rain or wind, often outdoor sports – especially children’s outdoor sports activities – are cancelled.

“With appropriate indoor facilities these sports would have less cancellations.

“The NZ National Indoor Facilities Strategy indicates that by shifting traditionally outdoor sports indoors there is a notable gain in participation rates.”

The JBD submission also said it was concerned that the Johnsonville community centre was in poor shape “and would benefit from a re-think and a re-build”.

“Locally one of our businesses have stepped in to provide a temporary community facility named the Collective Hub.

“This is a facility which is temporarily leased by a business, is privately funded, and does not have any certainty of remaining.

“The fact the community has had to step in to provide such facility highlights the need for such a premises of adequate quality to support the community needs.

“We have concerns with our lack of local park space,” the submission says.

“There is great need for a central park space in Johnsonville. Other less populated suburbs are better provided for.

“With the plan for higher intensification for Johnsonville, we believe such provision is paramount to the health and well-being of current and future visitors and residents.”

The submission suggested the development in Johnsonville of a central park space similar to Wellington’s Midland Park.

“This will provide a space where someone might walk to eat their lunch, get some fresh air for 5-10 minutes from the office, and/or to take a short break from their busy schedule, or to engage socially/collaborate within the community.”

Lack of green space in Johnsonville “is a poor image, is affecting our well-being, and is impeding our ability to service this catchment.

“For our community to function properly we urgently require a central park space that meets the needs of our businesses, visitors, residents, and our environment.”

The submission also noted that the current provision of public toilets in central Johnsonville did not meet the needs of residents and the business community.

I attended the tangi for a local woman up at the Ngā Hau e Whā o Paparārangi Marae in Newlands last week. It’s located in a great spot overlooking the harbour, and unusually for a Wellington facility, has ample parking, and the folk who run the marae are welcoming to the community. Seeing my friend laid out on the marae, surrounded by whānau and visitors, was a special way for her to be farewelled.

I recently hosted a meeting which included local property developers and representatives from the City and Regional Councils. The background for the meeting was the need to ensure all people involved in providing more housing in our electorate, whether it be those building them or those regulating and permitting that building, understand the issues which govern the ability to build the houses everyone agrees we need.

There are essentially two types of development; greenfields and brownfields. Greenfields means building on currently undeveloped land, typically ex farmland on the edges of current urban areas, where infrastructure like sewers, water supply and other essential services don’t exist are usually built by the developer.

Brownfields development means rebuilding on existing sites, and there has been considerable discussion in recent times around how much intensification should be allowed in existing suburbs, especially changing of height limits to allow for more apartments.

It occurred to me that our burial rituals are probably our closest link to where our ancestors came from, and even non-religious services follow a ritual which originated when most people identified with religion. Society evolves over time, but it’s often our links to the past which are preserved through funerals and weddings. Such links are important in understanding our history and who we are today.

Organisations like the Onslow Historical Society, the Glenside Historic Halfway House group

Both have their advantages and disadvantages; the Regional Council in particular see their role to prevent more runoff and other material ending up in our harbours, especially the Porirua harbour in the case of development north of Johnsonville and Newlands. The Wellington City Council are concerned that the existing infrastructure cannot handle the pressure it comes under when new housing areas are developed. Existing infrastructure is aging and needs upgrading across our city, as evidenced by recent pipe failures. An advantage of intensification of existing areas means more people, therefore more ratepayers to pay for those upgrades. and the Tawa Historical Society do an excellent job of identifying important parts of our history here in Ōhāriu, before it’s too late. As I get around the electorate, I come across plaques and other memorials which commemorate significant events and people. There are a surprising number of books on our history as well, which capture this material. To me, an awareness of this history is an important part of building pride in our communities, a pride which sees us being determined to keep Ōhāriu as the great place to live in and bring up families that it is.

Developers of course need to make a profit, and wish to keep their compliance costs as low as possible. Many believe the Resource Management Act is too cumbersome. We as government for our part have undertaken to rewrite that act.

The feedback was good, but the success will be when there are sufficient affordable houses to meetdemand. That is certainly my goal as your MP.

That, and of course having a vibrant and functioning Johnsonville Shopping Centre we can all be proud of.

And each time I drive out to the Hutt, I note the remarkable progress on the seawall which will become a walkway and cycleway that gives us access to the western side of the harbour, denied to previous generations of Northern suburb residents.

That progress will form a history future generations will be proud of.

There’s plenty to be getting on with.