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.

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.