17 May Wainuiomata News

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Vaping a big addictive problem

Continued from page 1

P tatau was one of three HashTags who spoke at their presentation to the committee.

The Hashtags last year presented a petition to Parliament asking it to restrict sales of vaping products to licensed R18 specialist retailers.

“Today vaping has become a big addictive problem for rangatahi throughout Aotearoa, and I now also worry about our tamariki,” P tatau said.

The HashTags supported the following recommendations, that:

to licensed R18 specialists and retailers; and

Riana said.

“We are here again, and the number of vape retailers is now 1055.

“That is almost 300 more retailers from the last time we came,” she said.

Youth vaping, Riana said, had “risen rapidly”. 19.1% of 14 and 15-year-old M ori reported vaping daily according to a recent survey.

A 2022 survey found that 10.1% of year 10 students reported vaping daily.

“With the coming change to the sale of cigarettes [limiting it] to 600 retailers in New Zealand, why is there nothing for vape retailers?”

SALES

Les Whiteside les@wsn.co.nz 021 360 008

and limits the number of vape retailers and their location, which means no vape stores near schools, marae, churches and shopping areas where tamariki and rangatahi are gathered.

“Australia is banning disposables. What are we doing?” Riana asked.

A number of Health Committee members spoke highly of the HashTags’ presentation.

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“I’m not sure who quoted this or similar – doing right can never be wrong and doing wrong can never be right,” P tatau said.

When the Hashtags first brought its petition to Parliament [on 28 September 2022] the number of vape retailers around New Zealand was 668, Riana Le’afa Paki told the committee.

When they came back the second time and presented oral submissions, the number of retailers had gone up to 778.

“That’s just over 100 more retailers in under three months,”

“Thank you for your submission,” Stuart Nash said.

“I agree with it and I think we should be doing what the Australians are doing.”

It was a “fantastic submission,” committee member Matt Doocey said.

“Quite rightly you challenged us in your submission and said we are not doing enough.”

Last year National MP Dr Shane Reti brought in an amendment to the smoke free legislation that would have brought in proximity laws for the Director General of Health to stop vape

stores and also to tighten up under age vaping, but the government voted it down.

“So some of us are trying. It’s just that we don’t have the majority in the House.

“My question is around the compliance of under-age vaping.

“What do you think should happen to vape stores who are selling [vapes] to under age young people?” Mr Doocey asked.

“First of all big fines,” HashTag

Joshua Le’afa Paki said.

“They should be shut down.

“If they are doing it for one, they are obviously doing it for more,” Joshua said.

As well as the three HashTags who spoke at the Health Select Committee, two HashTags also attended – Karipori Wanoa and Tumua Sione, one of the original HashTags from 12 years ago.

Kade Le’afa-Paki from Wainuiomata Intermediate School also attended the presentation. Te Ngaroahiahia Fanua Rimoni had planned to attend but was unable to owing to a family bereavement.

The HashTags (Holistic Action Sustainable Health Through All Generations) is a Wainuiomatabased advocacy group of Wellington rangatahi.

New local Youth Coach

By Frank Neill

Youth Inspire has a new Wainuiomata

Youth Coach – former Wallabies Rugby player Pekahou Cameron.

Pekahou made his test debut for the Wallabies when they played Italy in Melbourne on 20 June 2009.

He went on to play 10 matches for the Australian national team.

Born in Wellington, Pekahou moved to Sydney when he was 13 and was selected for the Australian Schoolboys Rugby team in 2003 and 2004.

A prop who played on both sides of the scrum, he signed with the Western Force in 2006, playing 135 games and scoring five tries with the team.

Pekahou played for the Perth Spirit in the 2007 Australian Rugby Championships and also was a member of the top Japanese East League side Shimizu Blue Sharks.

“I have been so fortunate to be given the opportunity to help guide our rangatahi on their journey as part of my role as a youth coach with Youth Inspire,” Pekahou says “I love the fact I can connect with rangatahi on a cultural and personal level as well

as having transferable experiences through my professional sporting career of 17 years to help better equip rangatahi with ways of thinking, habits and mindset for success.

“Doing all of this in a dynamic and varied work environment with a great team around me allows me to be at my best and make doing what we do even more fulfilling,” he says.

The HashTags making oral submissions to Parliament’s Health Select Committee (from left): Joshua Le’afa Paki, Riana Le’afa Paki and Pōtatau Clark. Photo: Supplied.

Pekahou Cameron. Photo: Supplied.

Q: What is your favourite overseas country to visit?

Switzerland. It’s stunningly beautiful. I went to Switzerland [some years go] and it was the trip of a lifetime.

India. When I was 18 years old I started practising yoga. The deeper I dived into yoga, India has been on my mind.

France,

Queen St upgrade nearly finished

The Queen Street upgrade in Wainuiomata is nearing completion, and plans are afoot to celebrate the completion, Cr Keri Brown says.

This extensive project, undertaken in multiple stages, began in February last year following a blessing ceremony.

The new deck in front of the community hall and the basketball court are currently nearing completion.

"The deck is intentionally large to host various community events such as day or night markets, cultural events and festivals," Cr Brown says.

"The upgrade has been designed deliberately to create a strong attraction that will bring locals together, support current business and encourage new business too.

"Our vision has always been for Queen Street to be vibrant, safe, and accessible.

"The street lighting, which is changing to a more modern and robust system, will further enhance the overall feeling of safety in the area.

"The cenotaph will remain at the centre to honour our past service members.

"Reaching this stage of the project has been an eventful yet rewarding journey,” Cr Brown says.

"The past 12 months have seen changing weather patterns [that] have [had] a significant effect on the upgrade, with record levels of rain.

"A significant aspect of the upgrade involved the replacement of underground pipes, which added to the lengthening timelines.

"However, Queen Street now has a complete replacement below and above the ground, ensuring its sustainability and providing an efficient infrastructure for the

community for many years to come."

"We are excited about the extensive array of new opportunities that will now be possible on Queen Street," Cr Brown says.

"With the upgrade's completion, Queen Street will serve as a symbol of progress and unity, providing a platform for numerous activities that will bring joy and fulfilment to the community.”

The Queen Street upgrade is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the project and construction teams, Hutt City Council, and the community.

"It's been essential to have locals, and the contractors and workers have been locals," Cr Brown says.

"The project's success highlights the power of collaboration and demonstrates what can be achieved with a collective vision."

New Zealand was my country of choice. I’m from England, and now I’ve moved here.

Dexter Scott France. I love the culture and the food, and it’s a really beautiful place.

Emily Montgomery Thailand, maybe Europe, maybe Scotland.

Amalia Mitchell Marina Neis

Andrea Scott

Andy Maus

because my family’s from there and I love it.

Standing on the new decking in front of the community centre (from left) Bull Mill of Wallace Cosntruction, Cr Keri Brown and JFC Project engineer Bounty Senadeera. Photo: Supplied. Authorised by Chris Bishop, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

Landmark for Youth Inspire

Youth Inspire’s driving school team has just celebrated 200 licence passes for the financial year to date.

The Road Ready Rangatahi programme has successfully instructed rangathi who have passed 150 learner, 37 restricted, and 13 full licences. More than a quarter of these successes were chalked up by Wainuiomata rangatahi.

Young people from the valley successfully passed 34 learner, 16 restricted and four full licences.

"This result is about so much more than numbers. It's about rangatahi setting and achieving their goals through hard

work and dedication," says the driving school manager Bex Howells.

"Seeing the excitement when they pass their licence tests is a privilege and a joy.

"Thank you to our funders, Waka Kotahi and Hutt City Council, to the Learner Licence programme facilitators, volunteer mentors, professional instructors, and wider community members.

"We could not do this without you," Ms Howells says.

Youth Inspire's driving school has been set up to support rangatahi aged between 16 and 24 gain their learner, restricted and full licences.

GARDENING THIS WEEK Visiting life under ground : By

There is a saying which reads as...

As Above So Below and with plants and trees what is above the soil level is replicated to what is below the soil level.

With a tree it is the trunk and branches we see and mirrored under the soil is the tap root and the root system about a similar size as above. It is the root system and the medium that the roots are in that is the focus of this article.

We often refer to ‘The Soil Life’ which is a teeming mass of microbes, fungi, and soil insects including earth worms that we find in a healthy soil or the growing medium. Virgin soil with its canopy of plants, living naturally for hundreds of years has a wealth of soil life and to have a soil like that is the goal of every keen gardener as it will, with very little effort, produce great healthy plants. A vital part of the soil life are the fungi family called Mycorrhizae.

From the internet we see: A mycorrhizal network (also known as a common mycorrhizal network or CMN) is an underground network found in forests and other plant communities, created by the hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi joining with plant roots. This network connects individual plants together and transfers water, carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients and minerals between participants. Several studies have demonstrated that mycorrhizal networks can transport carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, water, defence compounds, and allelochemicals from plant to plant. The flux of nutrients and water through hyphal networks has been proposed to be driven by a source-sink model where plants growing under conditions of relatively high resource availability (such as high-light or high-nitrogen environments) transfer carbon or nutrients to plants located in less favorable conditions. (Helping their mates) A common example is the transfer of carbon from plants with leaves located in high light conditions in the forest canopy, to plants located in the shaded understorey where light availability limits photosynthesis. In natural ecosystems, plants may be dependent on fungal symbionts for 90% of their phosphorus requirements and 80% of their nitrogen requirements. Mycorrhizal relationships are most commonly mutualistic, with both part-

ners benefiting, but can be commensal or parasitic, and a single partnership may change between any of the three types of symbiosis at different times. These networks have existed for over 400 million years, with up to 90% of all land plants participating. The formation and nature of these networks, is context-dependent, and can be influenced by factors such as soil fertility, resource availability, host or mycosymbiont genotype, disturbance and seasonal variation. Some plant species, such as buckhorn plantain, a common lawn and agricultural weed, benefit from mycorrhizal relationships in conditions of low soil fertility, but are harmed in higher soil fertility. Both plants and fungi associate with multiple symbiotic partners at once, and both plants and fungi are capable of preferentially allocating resources to one partner over another. End. Back to me: You can see from the above what a incredible resource Mycorrhizal fungi is to the well being of your plants and garden and why you should encourage it and not damage it. The No-Dig garden that we have often talked about over the years is ideal for building and maintaining these beneficial fungi.(Instead of digging your garden you simply put fresh compost over the soil with other natural manures and plant into this new layer. This is repeated for every crop.) Mycorrhizal fungi can increase a plant’s roots catchment area by up to 800%. The bigger the root zone the bigger and better the plants. We can encourage Mycorrhizal fungi to grow by drenching the soil with Wallys Mycorrcin every so often like once a month around preferred plants and crops. What we should not do is to use chemicals that will kill the Mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial microbes in the soil. Chemical sprays and man-made chemical fertilisers leach into the soil and the worst one is your chlorinated tap water you use to water the garden with. A housing and filter that is 10 micron carbon bonded can be snapped onto your hose tap to remove the chlorine. See http:// www.0800466464.co.nz/37-waterfilters-remove-fluoride-and-chlorineGardeners that have filtered the chlorine out of their garden watering remark on what a difference it makes to the

Wally Richards

health of their gardens and plants. The chlorine is added to water to kill bacteria and it is caustic in nature which is not good for soil life. We see that Mycorrhizal fungi connects plants underground through their roots and by that means can send messages to each other.

An example of this is a forest stand where the outer trees are attacked by a disease or insect pests and the trees send out a message to the fellow trees about what is happening which then allows the other trees to start building their defense systems against possible attack. Some plants are very hard to establish and the answer to this I learnt many years ago is that you find a mature specimen of the plant you wish to cultivate and you take some of the soil from the mature specimen root zone and you place that in the planting hole of your specimen. Plant up and then drench the soil with Wallys Mycorrcin to aid growth and that impossible plant to grow is away laughing. Introduction of beneficial microbes to the soil is another way of improving your gardens and plants health. Biologically active soils have the ability to retain moisture and release nutrients ensuring greater production, faster rotation and more rapid recovery from stress.

To build a healthy biological soil we need products that can feed living organisms. Increasing public awareness of the environmental impact of using chemical-based fertiliser has created a demand for a safe, natural and environmentally friendly fertiliser. Biological fertilisers increase nutrient availability and feed important soil organisms, such as earthworms and microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) – all essential for plant and soil health.

Catch up with Ginny in May

Youth Inspire's driving school manager, Bex Howells, gives the thumbs up to the school celebrating 200 licence passes from the driver's seat, supported by the learner licence programme co-ordinator Lee Bell. Photo: Supplied.

Third successful fun day

By Frank Neill

Love Wainuiomata’s last free barbecue and fun day for the summer and autumn, held at Antrim Crescent Park was another big success, Love Wainuiomata co-ordinator Anaru Ryall says.

The third free fun day Love Wainuiomata has run this year, it attracted around 400 people.

The Wainuiomata Lions Club operated the sausage sizzle, and Hutt City Council and Mayor Campbell Barry paid for the sausages plus a variety of play activities for the children.

The day also featured performances by a variety of local musicians.

Among the musicians to feature were Faultline Valley, Reign, Aro Owens and Dion Rawiri

of The Next Generation, the Tumeke Band and soloist Poropiti Rangitaawa.

K kiri Marae Health and Social Services also provided people attending with vaccinations.

He received many positive comments from people about the event, Anaru says.

These included one from a person who lives next door to the Antrim Crescent Park, who told him that they had lived there for more than 40 years and this was the first time a big event like the fun day had happened.

The next free barbecue and fun day will be held in the spring.

The next big event Love Wainuiomata will be involved with will be the Matariki event, to be held in the Queen Street area from 12 to 15 July.

Love Wainuiomata will be sup-

porting Louana Fruean, who has run the Wainuiomata Matariki event for the last few years. The event is also being run in collabo-

ration with K kiri Marae. The event will feature market stalls, performances, a free hangi, guest speakers and Kapa Haka

performances, and will be held at the Community Centre, the hall and on the new decking outside the Community Centre.

Wainuiomata’s Antrim Crescent Park fun

19 Parkway, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt 5014

WINDOWS & DOORS

The

ON... O WHAT’S

Newspaper Deliverers Wanted

Who was the first person to take a photograph?

The First Photograph, or more specifically, the earliest known surviving photograph made in a camera, was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827. The image depicts the view from an upstairs window at Niépce’s estate, Le Gras, in the Burgundy region of France.

Maori-led initiatives play key role

Trivial (11)

By Frank Neill

M ori-led initiatives played a key role in protecting the health and wellbeing of communities a new report says.

Te Hiringa Mahara – the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission released the report, “Exercising rangatiratanga during the COVID-19 pandemic” on 10 May.

“The work done by K kiri Marae Hauora, which is a large health and social service provider in the Hutt Valley, is just one example of many throughout Aotearoa, of an integrated, relevant and timely response,” the report says.

Although the report does not mention this fact, K kiri Marae was one of the most successful vaccination programmes in the country.

That success led to Teresea Olsen, the general manager of health and social services at K kiri Marae, being named the 2022 Wellingtonian of the Year.

As well as overseeing a Covid-19 vaccination in vulnerable communities in the Hutt Valley, Ms Olsen successfully stood her ground when ant-vaccination protesters threatened the Wainuiomata Marae and played a significant role in supporting foodbanks across the region, the Wellingtonian of the Year judges noted.

The M ori-led initiatives also played a key role in supporting connection with individuals and wh nau, and sharing information and resources, the report says.

“M ori exercising rangatiratanga during the pandemic showed that M ori have knowledge and skills to support not only the wellbeing of their wh nau and communities, but also the wider response,” says Te Hiringa Mahara Director M ori, Maraea Johns.

[Rangatiratanga is often associated with leadership, autonomy to make decisions, sovereignty and self-determination.]

“M ori wellbeing is often referred to as being collective, and exercising rangatiratanga (self-determination, sovereignty, independ-

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ence, autonomy) is a contributor to a range of positive wellbeing outcomes for iwi, hap , and wh nau.”

In the face of COVID-19, M ori didn’t just respond, they identified the need for an equity lens to be applied to the wider response by considering the needs of tangata whenua as Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners and building on work already grounded in tikanga M ori and m tauranga M ori, underpinned by established networks and relationships. This enabled their response to be agile, effective, and adaptive.

“Exercising rangatiratanga included marae adapting tikanga and kawa to develop tailored pandemic plans; establishing the National M ori Pandemic response group of M ori health experts; setting up checkpoints – invaluable for communicating information and preserving trust between government agencies and communities; using M ori networks of wh nau, hap and iwi to convey critical COVID-19 information to rurally isolated communities throughout and beyond the lockdown period; and organising and delivering resources to members of the community, on the largest scale seen in recent history.

“This comprehensive pandemic response makes it clear that M ori absolutely know what to do in the face of crises.

“A wider challenge remains, however, around sustained support and resources to continue to deliver for their communities.

“For improved future health and wellbeing outcomes, effective Government support is totally optimised when M ori responses are trusted, acted upon and enabled through the realignment of health system processes.

“What works for M ori will benefit all peoples of Aotearoa and M ori responses to the pandemic can continue to be an exemplar for how Aotearoa can support health and wellbeing outcomes in any future crises, and support wellbeing more generally,” Ms Johns says.

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46. Rise (6)

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48. Hauls (5)

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50. Chores (5)

Solution

Last Week: 10 May 2023

Situation Vacant

The Kōkiri Marae Covid-19 vaccination centre at Love Wainuiomata’s fun day at Ngaturi Park. Photo: Supplied.

Wainui wins Chatham Cup opener

By Ryan Imray

Wainuiomata opened their 2023 Chatham Cup Football campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Seatoun on 13 May.

After Wainui’s defeat to Seatoun in the league a week earlier, the premier team had the chance to rectify that as they hosted the same opponent.

In front of a vocal crowd, it was the hosts who got off to the perfect start when Baxter King converted a penalty in the seventh minute after Hadley Attewell was fouled inside the area.

Things got better in the 38th minute when Hadley latched on to a through ball and slotted it home to extend the lead.

The visitors pulled a goal back just before half time to ensure the second half was an exciting one and that’s exactly what it was.

Both sides had chances in a half that was end-to-end but the game was sealed in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Baxter scored his second and Wainui’s third goal.

The final goal came once again from the penalty when Paikea Bai was fouled inside the area.

Across the club it was honours even in the local derby as Halfbaked and Roundballs played out a thrilling 2-2 draw.

A late penalty sank the Wainuiomata Fiddick’s in their match against Victoria University, who claimed a 2-1 win.

The Wainuiomata Undertakers

maintained their 100% start to the season against second place Island Bay.

The Undertakers’ 4-1 victory augurs well for the season ahead.

The under 13 Wainui United team carried on their unbeaten run in their first season on a full size field with an emphatic 9-0 win over Western Suburbs Asteroids.

The Wainuiomata OCs lost to Brooklyn United 1-8 while the women’s team lost 0-4 to Stop Out.

The Wainuiomata Football Club says “a big thank you” to its 2023 sponsors for: Des Smith Kemeys Brothers, Design & Build, Clives Chemist, Dave Smith Motors, Creative Meats, Seven Electrical, Q Limited and Fine Signs.

Sports ground charges review

By Frank Neill

A collective of Wellington sports organisations say Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry “reneged” this week on an election promise to independently review the council’s sports ground charges.

However the Mayor has refuted the allegation made by the sports organisations.

“We said we were going to do a review – we’re now doing a review,” Mr Barry says.

In an email to the Affordable Sports campaign in July last year, Mayor Barry said he was “happy to agree in principle [to an independent review] at a regional level.”

Hutt City Councillors Brady Dyer, Josh Briggs, Keri Brown, Karen

To the Editor

Morgan, Glenda Barratt, Gabriel Tupou, Naomi Shaw and Andy Mitchell also made election promises to review the fees, making up 9 out of the 13 people on the council.

This week the Mayor cut in front of those councillors, emailing the Affordable Sports campaign saying he would only “consider these matters as part of our own wider review into sports grounds”.

In short, the review would not be independent, and would be tacked on to an existing wider review of council facilities, which could take years.

Sportspeople in the region would be justified in thinking the Mayor pulled the wool over their eyes during the election, Capital Football CEO Richard Reid says.

Letters on issues of community interest are welcomed. A maximum of 150 words please. They must be signed and a street address provided to show good faith, even when a nom de plume is provided for publication.

The editor reserves the right to abridge letters or withhold letters from publication.

Car parks lost

In last week’s “Wainuiomata News” we published a letter to the Editor from Dorothy Gallagher. In her letter she asked why eight of the car parks in the area behind the community centre had been converted for the sole use of electric vehicle charging stations. She also asked if there was any plan to provide more car parks in this area to replace the eight that have been taken.

This letter was referred to Hutt City Council around four days before the paper’s deadline.

The council has replied, and the reply arrived after the 10 May paper had gone to the printer.

This is the council’s reply:

“Thank you for your letter expressing your frustration with the new electric vehicle charging stations at the Wainuiomata community hub.

“We understand the charging stations mean that there are fewer carparks for conventional vehicles, and that can mean it’s harder than usual to find a parking space.

“They are a critical way for council to encourage people to use EVs so that we can reduce transport emissions in Lower Hutt, which allows us to respond to the impacts and risks regarding climate change.

“It shows it was an empty promise, made to satisfy sportspeople so he could walk back into his seat at the head of the council table.

“Campbell Barry has essentially double-crossed sportspeople in Lower Hutt.

“He’s also cut off any chance of the other councillors making good on their promise,” Mr Reid says.

“We’re conducting a review that will include looking at the affordability of sport in the Hutt,” Mayor Barry says.

“This includes sports ground fees.

“We are also doing this review to understand issues around access, sustainability and equity. Both our Chief Executive and I have advised Richard Reid of this,” Mayor Barry says.

Email them to news@ wsn.co.nz or drop in to our office at 23 Broderick Road, Johnsonville. Please note that your name and street address MUST be provided with emails. Letters/Opinions not necessarily those of the Wainuiomata News management.

“There is an increasing number of people with EVs, including the elderly and those using the library.

“The decision to designate those carparks to EVs was consulted on in the lead up to council’s Long Term Plan for 2021-31, which was formally approved in June 2021.

“There was strong support for EV charging stations in Wainuiomata, and their installation was recently completed.

“When revitalisation of the Wainuiomata Hub is complete, there will be 17 regular carparks, eight parks with charging ports for EV’s and four disability carparks in the immediate area.”

Civic award nominations open

Nominations for the 2023

Lower Hutt Civic Honours are now open. The Civic Honours celebrate outstanding volunteers in the community by recognising their service to others.

Awards are presented in seven categories:

sistently demonstrates qualities of compassion and service to a community organisation or a variety of volunteer activities.

provement and enhancement of participation in cultural affairs, including heritage, music, and the arts.

improvement and enhancement of the educational and social development of others, including children and youth or both. leadership role in improving or revitalising the environment or both.

and empowers youth activities and development. -

hances the health and wellbeing of the community.

outstanding voluntary community service for someone aged

-

15-25 years old.

The Awards are an opportunity to highlight those who have made long standing contributions to our communities, Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says.

“There are so many people who give their precious time to making Lower Hutt a better place to live.

“The Civic Honour Awards recognise the vast range of volunteers we have in our city, who often go about their incredible work over many years with little recognition,” Mr Barry says. “We need residents to identify and nominate the volunteers who go above and beyond everyday, and whose work has made a positive difference in our city and our people.

“Making a nomination helps us identify and celebrate the positivity that happens every day in Lower Hutt,” the Mayor says. Nominations can be made on the Hutt City Council website at: hutt.city/civicawards, or forms can be collected from the Wainuiomata Library or the front counter of council’s administration building at 30 Laings Road.

Nominations close at 5pm on Sunday 18 June.

Wainuiomata’s Hadley Attewell celebrates his goal with Jahkaya Atkinson. Photo: Imray’s Snaps.

Big step taken for Wainuiomata eco-sanctuary

By Frank Neill

A major step in establishing an invaluable ecosanctuary in Wainuiomata has been taken.

Conservation Minister Willow Jean Prime has approved an application for $1.83 million towards planning and starting up the ecosanctuary, Puketah

Jim Lynch QSM, the founder of the famous Wellington ecosanctuary Zealandia, has been leading the project to establish Puketah

A steering committee comprising Mr Lynch and representatves from Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Department of Conservation and Taranaki Whanui made the application to the Minister who has recommended the funds be provided from the Prime Minister's Emerging Priorities Fund.

The Minister’s decision to recommend the funding to begin the project “is wonderful news,” Mr Lynch says.

“It doesn’t mean to say we’ve got the money … but the Minister’s approval helps the application no end.

“There is really nothing bad about this [proposal].

“The potential return on these funds is very positive indeed … and Puketah would become probably New Zealand’s most valuable conservation property,” he says.

The Puketah proposal is to construct a 28.8km predator proof fence around 3,313 hecatares of the Wainuiomata Catchment.

It would be a major contributor to the revival of the endangeredk k p , as well as the threatened hihi/stitchbird and rowi/ k rito kiwi, Mr Lynch says.

With its unlogged rimu forest, the Wainuiomata catchment “is exactly what k k p needs”.

The ecosanctuary would also become home to a series of other birds, including kokako, saddleback, red crowned parakeet, robins and other kiwi species.

Puketah could, in fact, provide homes for “all the species that formerly occupied Wainuiomata,” Mr Lynch says.

That would lead to a rejuvenation of the whole Rimutaka range, as birds from Puketah started flying out from the sanctuary.

The project, Mr Lynch says “would be quite transformative for

Wainuiomata.

“It would be a major benefit for the community.”

One of the benefits would be the jobs it would bring, particularly with employment having been lost in the valley over recent years.

Puketah would be a “significant employer” providing around 40 jobs while it was being developed and 15 to 20 jobs on an ongoing basis.

Caring for pets in emergencies

Pet owners are being encouraged to register with a veterinary clinic, understand what services they provide, and have a robust emergency plan in place.

Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ) Professional Advisor

Seton Butler says the veterinary profession is facing resource shortages and staffing issues similar to that of the public health system, so people need to take this into account in planning their animals’ health care.

“If you have not registered with a clinic, or researched what to do

when an emergency happens, you won’t know who to call or where to go,” Seton says.

“That puts you under pressure, and if you just turn up to a clinic, the vet won’t know you are coming or be ready to meet you.

“If you are registered with a clinic, you know where you are going, the hours they are open, and the availability of emergency services provided by the veterinary clinic to their clients.”

For instance, some larger centres in New Zealand will advise patients

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to travel directly to a dedicated emergency clinic. These facilities are staffed by veterinarians experienced in treating emergencies and have vet nurses on call.

In some smaller regions on the other hand, if you arrive with an animal not registered to the clinic, you may be asked to drive to an emergency centre or wait to be seen while staff triage cases and source case details.

There are many other advantages to being registered with a veterinary clinic, Seton says.

Rural community

The Wainuiomata Rural Community Association will hold its annual meeting at 2pm on 27 May.

The meeting will be held in room 3 of the Wainuiomata Community Hub, and tea

and biscuits will be provided.

Wellington Electricity will make a presentation at the meeting. New members will be welcome.

Wainui commuters

Aaron Picking has created a Facebook page where Wainuiomata people seeking a ride into Wellington, or around the district, and people offering seats in their vehicles can link up.

“If you can help locals and neighbours out by giving them a lift in and out

of the valley, please post up where you can pick up from and the time,” Aaron posted when launching the page.

“Alternatively, feel free to post up if you need a lift to or from Wainui and I’m sure some lovely person will help you out.”

The Minister’s decision has been welcomed by Hutt-based Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Quentin Duthie.

Mr Duthie says he is “stoked that the government is funding the next step to realise the dream of returning super special native species like k k p to Wainuiomata.

“Wainui is blessed to have the oldest and most healthy forest in Lower Hutt

“Let’s muck in and welcome more unique birds and lizards to make their home [in Puketah ],” Cr Duthie says.

Mr Lynch will make a presentation on the Puketah Sanctuary in Wainuiomata this month.

As part of the 2023 Nature Talks series, he will make the presentation at 7:30pm on Friday 26 May at the Wainuiomata Primary School Hall, 1 Homedale Road.

“All their patients’ records and history are there, and the vet will be ready to see you.”

Seeing animals throughout the year on a preventative basis also means veterinary teams can provide guidance on conditions, such as dental and skin problems, vaccinations and regular treatments.

“There’s two ways an emergency happens. One is through an accident and the other is poorly planned health care,” Seton says.

“By being registered and having your pet on a clinic’s books, it helps

stop preventable issues that could become a problem later.”

“Vets, like doctors, nurses and teachers, are really, really busy right now.

“The main message is to make sure people know the services their clinic delivers, are registered with one, understand what their emergency services are, and have a plan.”

For more information, or to organise an interview with VCNZ Professional Advisor Seton Butler, please email megan@prioritycomms.co.nz

Free rides for ticket holders

Metlink buses and trains will be free on FIFA Women’s World Cup game days for people who have match tickets.

“We’ve considered kick-off times as well as the potential for extra time and penalties in knock-out games and will be doing everything we can to match service capacity to projected demand,”

Greater Wellington Transport Committee Chair Thomas Nash says.

“With nine matches at Wellington Regional Stadium, including a round of 16 game and a quarterfinal, we want visiting teams, fans, officials and media to have the best possible experience in Wellington.”

Most games in the capital are played outside of peak commuter travel times, meaning the bus and train networks can absorb additional demand.

Off-peak rail services will be added based on projected crowd

numbers, and with no track maintenance planned on game days, it is unlikely buses will be needed to replace trains unless there’s unexpected disruption.

For two of the group matches, including New Zealand versus the Philippines, kick off falls within peak commute times, and if the quarterfinal goes to penalties, its final whistle will also occur during the peak.

In these cases, based on current driver recruitment projections, operators may not be able to add extra capacity, but contingency plans and clear passenger communications will be in place.

Tournament accreditation pass holders can also ride Metlink public transport for free from two weeks before the tournament until five days after the Wellington quarterfinal.

Pass holders include players, team and tournament officials, tournament volunteers and official media.

Jim Lynch QSM on location where the Puketahā Sanctuary is planned. Photo: Supplied.