21 June Wainuiomata News

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Town centre is looking awesome

Continued from page 1

Members of the Wainuiomata Marae were also involved in the karakia.

A special moment came near the end of the karakia when Te Arahura Pounamu, gifted by the Wainuiomata Marae, was placed into the ground between the Wainuiomata Community Centre and Queen Street and Kaihirangi Moehu spoke on behalf of the Marae.

Following the karakia there were speeches and light refreshments in Te P taka K rero o Wainuiomata (Wainuiomata Neighbourhood Hub).

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The town centre “is looking awesome,” Lower Hutt’s Mayor Campbell Barry said.

“Now we do have a town centre that we can be proud of.

“You can see the end result. It’s fantastic out there and it will bring more people here,” the Mayor said.

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He thanked and acknowledged a long list of people and organisations, including the Wainuiomata Marae for all the support it had given the project “and all you do in the community here”.

Among the others he thanks were Love Wainuiomata and the Queen Street Project Manager Jamie Rowe.

One thing that was “really cool,” the Mayor said “was to see how many locals were working on the job.”

Two of the local people were students at Wainuiomata High School, who were working to-

wards receiving NCEA level two credits, and who worked for the contractors JFC on a work experience placement.

The two had now completed their level two qualifications and had joined the team at JFC.

The dawn Karakia Whakatuwhera came as the climax to a project that had its genesis some

seven years ago. Hutt City Council approved the plan for the Wainuiomata Town Centre Upgrade in 2016.

It also came just over 16 months after another blessing ceremony for the now revitalised town centre.

On 18 February 2022 Konga Reriti, along with other rep-

resentatives from Te ti Awa Taranaki Wh nui, led the Te Huringa o Papat nuku to bless the space before work began. Work was originally planned to start in late March last year but Covid-19 and global supply chain issues caused delays to deliveries of paving which meant a delayed start on 26April.

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Kaikirangi Moeahu addressing the Queen Street dawn ceremony just after Wainuiomata Marae’s Te Arahura Pounamu gift was placed in the ground. Photo: Frank Neill.

Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry giving his speech following the dawn Karakia Whakatuwhera. Photo: Frank Neill.

Q: What ordinary things bring you happiness?

Being able to go straight home after work. Finding food in the cupboard you forgot about.

When my kids don’t fight in the morning before school.

The ritual of making a coffee and the pick-up of my son at the end of the day because I get a hug.

Everyday things that bring me happiness are my kids, quality time with people who love without conditions, and sunshine.

Court quashes supermarket pharmacy licences

By Frank Neill

Wainuiomata’s two independent chemists, Clive Cannons and Ron Chin have welcomed the “David and Goliath” High Court victory that has quashed Countdown Pharmacy licenses.

Justice Cheryl Gwyn decided to quash five Countdown pharmacy licenses, including in Wainuiomata, following an application to the Court by the New Zealand Independent Community Pharmacy Group (ICPG).

Her judgment in the case, [2023] NZHC 1486, was delivered on 15 June.

Mr Cannons is the ICPG’s Chair.

The ICPG argued in Court that the Ministry of Health had wrongly granted pharmacy licences to Countdown pharmacies in Penrose, Grey Lynn, Wainuiomata, Gisborne and Richmond, because the pharmacies were not “effectively controlled” by pharmacists.

The High Court ruled in the pharmacists’ favour, finding that the law requires that pharmacy companies “serve independent pharmacists and not some outside interest ... to protect public safety” (paragraph 310 of the judgment).

The Court found that Countdown Pharmacy ownership structures, giving pharmacists a veto right over company decisions but no effective control, did not meet the

requirements of the legislation.

The Court decided that it was not enough for pharmacists to control only “operational management”, since pharmacy company decisions can have an impact on the health and safety of patients.

The Court case “started here in Wainuiomata,” Mr Cannons says.

“This is ground zero.

“The outcome of the decision goes part way to securing a future where New Zealanders’ health and wellbeing needs are being met by trained health care professionals, not controlled by supermarket managers and grocery business models,” Mr Cannons says.

“Any legislation or policy that risks the independence of pharmacists in favour of non-pharmacist owned and controlled pharmacies risks lower standards of public health.”

The High Court decision, “which is a David and Goliath victory for us independent community pharmacists, reaffirms the importance of patient safety and effective pharmacist control of pharmacies.

“We also want to acknowledge the work and significant support of the Pharmacy Guild throughout the course of this litigation.”

The High Court recognised that the decision would have a “significant impact”

on Countdown and “possibly other pharmacy-operating companies, and the Ministry of Health itself”, since Countdown cannot operate pharmacies without a licence, and the Ministry would also need to reconsider its general approach to effective control when issuing licences.

“In particular, although the quashing order relates only to the five Countdown Pharmacies named above, the ICPG understands

that all Countdown Pharmacy companies share the same structure, so the Court’s findings apply to all Countdown pharmacies across the country,” Mr Cannons says. Justice Gwyn delayed the quashing of Countdown’s pharmacy licences to give Countdown time to confer with the Ministry of Health and to allow the Ministry to consider “the potential impact of this decision on any other licence holders”.

Wainuiomata’s independent pharmacists, who are celebrating the High Court victory (from left) Ron Chin, Clive Cannons and Evan Choi. Photo: Supplied.

Shona Bryant

Megan Hanson

Joe Twer

Crystal Obin

A vacuum with good suction and a clean house.

Becky Collingwood

Matching my pegs on the clothes line.

Rob Dixon

by Chris Bishop, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

GARDENING THIS WEEK GARLIC : By

The traditional time of the year in NZ to plant garlic is on the shortest day and then harvest will be about on the longest day. (Can pay to leave till later in January as it may increase size of the bulbs.) The reason for this is that after the shortest day of sun light hours, then each day there after, will have a little more sunlight every day until the 21st of December. Or maybe its because it is something to do in the middle of winter along with planting of roses and deciduous fruit trees. Shallots are also planted at this time. Garlic has a number of health benefits along with it being a great condiment with food such as steak (garlic butter) and of course my favorite Garlic Bread. I remember some years ago reading about soaking peeled garlic cloves in raw liquid honey. What you did was place a small amount of runny honey into a small jar and then pack peeled cloves into the jar before topping up with honey as you filled. Storing the jar in a warm place like a hot water cupboard (so the honey would stay liquid and not crystallize. I think after been in store about 3 months you would eat one clove first thing in the morning for health and weight control. Mr Goggle confirms this with : While we all use it as a food ingredient, it is also an effective medicine that helps in burning belly fat and detoxification. Research suggests that garlic can be effective in weight loss and is an inevitable part of a balanced diet. Also the following: Eating 4-5 garlic cloves in the morning can help to boost your immunity, which is essential now when we have entered the winter season. It contains compounds that help the

immune system fight free radicals and disease-causing foreign pathogens. How long do you need to take garlic extract to start experiencing its benefits? Since some of the beneficial compounds in garlic extract are fat-soluble, it may take 1-2 weeks for this substance to deliver noticeable effects.

Garlic has been shown to reduce fat accumulation and fat weight in the liver, restore antioxidant activity in the liver, and reduce MDA levels in the liver.

Garlic has a good sulphur content so hence the reason for it helping to detox your body similar to taking MSM organic sulphur crystals on a twice daily bases.

There are eight forms of garlic which are as follows: purple stripe, glazed purple stripe, marbled purple stripe, porcelain, Rocambole, Asiatic, and Creole (although recently it’s been determined that Creole garlic may be in a class by itself).

Creole garlic is considered to be the most expensive and rarest of the all the garlic varieties. Although they were formerly thought to be a sub-group of silverskin garlic, modern DNA studies show them in a separate class by themselves.

Turban is the earliest maturing garlic and popular for this reason. It is a good choice for those who want to spread out their harvest and enjoy some fresh garlic before the rest of the varieties are ready. It is a weakly bolting garlic. Its name comes from the shape of the umbel (the flower/seed pod on the scape).

Artichoke: The most commonly grown commercial garlic. It has a couple of concentric rows of cloves and tends to be very difficult to peel. But it produces and stores well and this is what you probably buy at the grocers. You may have seen prepera-

Wally Richards

tions of what is named Black Garlic which is quite expensive. Mr Google tells me that it is; Black garlic is essentially regular garlic that’s been aged in a warm environment. Yep, that’s it. It’s not some rare garlic species that’s impossible to find. Beware: Garlic might be good for people, but dogs metabolize certain foods differently than we do. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, garlic and other members of the allium family, including onions, contain thiosulfate, which is toxic to dogs but not to humans. Growing garlic tips: Best performance comes from improved soil – blend through some wellcomposted manure or quality compost before planting. It will not tolerate heavy, clay soil or wet soil. Garlic will grow very well in pots. Use a premiumquality organic potting mix, or one that’s blended for edibles. Chicken manure is a good option as a fertilizer for garlic as it is a great source of nitrogen and also contains phosphorus, potassium, plus other nutrients needed for strong and healthy plants. Sprinkle BioPhos over the bed and lightly work into the soil for phosphorus if you do not have chicken manure. Soak the cloves in Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL) at 20mils per litre of water for at least eight hours or as long as 24 – but 12 to 16 hours is ideal. Your bulbs will start to produce roots as they soak, and longer soaks increase the risk that you’ll break the roots when you plant them. That inhibits growth and reduces yields. Garlic grows well in a warm, sunny spot in the garden or in large pots. Begin with breaking up the bulbs into small cloves with your hands.

Place the cloves into the soil with the pointed end facing upwards. Note the biggest cloves will produce the best results plant only them and use the smaller cloves in cooking etc. Break the garlic bulbs into individual cloves and plant them in rows spaced about 8cm apart. Planting depth is 20-25mm. You can plant them any time from mid June to mid July. The problem in recent years is garlic rust which attacks the foliage in later spring or summer and prevents the bulbs from growing much because of the lack of energy from the sunlight, caused by the rust on the leaves.

I have not found any normal sprays such as sulphur, copper, potassium permanganate to be of much use to prevent or control the disease.

So on advise I used the cell strengthening products which we recommend for psyllid control on tomatoes, potatoes and tamarillos. That meant a soil drench with the Silicon and Boron soil drench after the cloves have sprouted and again 2 weeks later. Also when the foliage was up a

weekly spray with the Silicon cell Strengthening spray with the Silicon Super Spreader and MBL added. For two season now I have had no rust on my garlic where the previous season I had bad rust and poor bulbs. If you had garlic rust problems in previous seasons you may like to try those products and help to have a good crop. If you are growing garlic and not had a rust problem yet then suggest you do a weekly spray with MBL which also has a nice amount of silicon in it. If you dont want to use the drench and just the spray then we have a 500mil concentrate of the cell strengthening liquid with the spreader added. You would also add MBL to this spray. This would be sprayed weekly till harvest, made up in a trigger spray bottle it keeps and keep using till all gone. Later in season if you are unfortunate to get the dreaded rust you can regularly spray the foliage with Liquid Sun shine (Table spoon of molasses to litre of hot water dissolved and sprayed when cool) Happy Garlic Growing; I am now off to plant mine.....

Fundraiser for injured Rugby stalwart

By Frank Neill

The Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club is running two raffles to help one its members who was seriously injured on 18 April.

Josh Bowles fell five metres and sustained critical injuries including broken legs, hand, spine in two places, and facial injuries along with having part of his skull removed to relieve pressure on his brain.

After several surgeries in Wellington Josh was transferred to Burwood Spinal Unit for more specialised treatment and rehabilitation.

He is facing a long road to recovery from the life changing injuries, which includes being blind in one eye.

“Josh has a wonderful partner in April along with five young children who split their time between home and Christchurch which puts a huge financial strain on the family with their rock and bread winner out of action,” Gerard Eising, the Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club’s Chair, says.

The club is responding to this by running two raffles “with all funds going to Josh Bowles and his family as they go through a very challenging time”.

Josh is the son of Warren (Lawn) Bowles and has been both a junior and senior player for the club as well as coaching junior sides over the years.

The first raffle sold out around a week after it was launched, raising just over $4,000, “which is awesome,” Gerard says.

“It sold out much quicker than I expected.

“The support for Josh has been amazing. That’s what Wainuiomata’s about – supporting our own.”

The first raffle will be drawn on Friday 23 June at the Wainuiomata Rugby clubrooms.

The second raffle to assist Josh and his whanau will be launched in the next week or two and will bring the total raised to just over $5,000.

Tickets in the second raffle will be avail-

able for $10 and there will be five prizes. One of the prizes will be Tyrel Lomax’ Hurricanes playing jersey, the one he wore on the field.

Another prize will be a $50 voucher from the Winchester Club and a third will be an hour ride on a trike bike.

Details about the raffle and how people can enter will be posted on the Facebook page of Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club 1946.

Josh Bowles in his hospital bed. Photo: Supplied.

Free health consultations

Free winter health consultations are now available at Clive’s Chemist.

The health consultations are part of the Ministry of Health’s Minor Ailments Scheme for winter. People can call in and make a time to see one of the pharmacists for trusted advice to help you to

manage your condition.

Under the scheme, Clive’s Chemist can consult and prescribe treatments for pain and fever; diarrohoea, vomiting and dehydration; eye infections; skin infections, eczema or dermatitis; scabies; and head lice.

The pharmacists can provide

treatment options including medicine. If the condition needs further support, they can recommend the best place for people to go for their condition.

The free Winter Health Consultations are available for: all M ori and Pacific people; all children under 14 years of age, or wh nau

members of a child with similar symptoms (for example, if the pharmacist gives your child medicine for scabies and you, or brothers and sisters also have symptoms, they may give advice and medicine to all of you); and all Community Service Card (CSC) holders.

The service runs to Saturday 30

September 2023.

If people do not meet the free eligibility criteria, one of the pharmacists will be able to provide them with advice about their health condition, appropriate treatment options and let them know whether they should also see their doctor or another healthcare provider.

(04) 564 8618

20-21 Queen Street, Wainuiomata. dispensary@clives.co.nz www.clives.co.nz

The Community Noticeboard is for non-profit organisations. For $15.00 you can publish up to 25 words. No AGMS, sporting notices or special meetings. Community Notices must be pre-paid.

Call into our office, phone (04) 587 1660 or email classifieds@wsn.co.nz

Wainuiomata Community Market

Saturday the 24th June, at the Wainuiomata Library in Queen Street, from 9am till 3pm. All welcome.

New kitchen for Pataka Kai

By Frank Neill

A new kitchen is being built in the car park at the front of Wainuiomata’s Pataka Kai.

The new kitchen will be a place where wh nau can learn to cook, as well as producing meals for kaumatua and those living without access to cooking facilities.

There are a number of wh nau who don’t have a place where they can cook – especially those in motels, says Teresea Olsen of Kökiri Marae.

“Some motels don’t have any cooking facilities at all and there are families living there,” Ms Olsen says.

“And there are some families that don’t know how to cook.”

The kitchen will also be available to hungry people walking past who can call in for some kai, she says.

The new kitchen is being put together by three local builders

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Puzzle

who have come out of retirement for this project and who are deeply committed to strengthening their community.

The kitchen itself is being built in a container and it will also have decking outside.

It has been three years since planning for the project began, with much of that time spent in achieving Hutt City Council consent.

The project is scheduled to be completed in around eight weeks.

The Pataka Kai’s m ra kai will provide as much of the kai as possible for the kitchen to turn into meals.

“We are grateful to wh nau who are coming to help us each week plant and harvest so we can increase our community resilience,” the Pataka Kai says.

“Thank you to Hutt City Council for helping us with consenting, He Pu wai Trust and our funders.”

An open day will be held at the kitchen between 9am and 10am on 28 June, giving people

Keeping the heat in

Try and block any areas in your home that are particularly draughty, including around window frames, keyholes and under doors. Keep your curtains open in the day to let light and warmth in, and draw them before it gets dark to avoid losing heat.

an opportunity not only for a cuppa but also to talk to Pataka wh nau and the building team.

WEDNESDAY FACT

Who Named Pluto and Why?

The name Pluto was suggested by Venetia Burney, an 11-year old school girl in England. She was interested in ancient mythology, and thought that Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, made a good name. She suggested Pluto, to match the Roman god names given to the other planets.

55. Chaos(inf) (5)

56. Showy display of boldness (7)

57. Boredom (5)

58. Home (9)

59. Lasting the entire evening (5-4)

DOWN

1. Of sight (7)

2. Golf; two strokes under par (5)

3. Fortress, hold (6)

4. Elegance (5)

5. Neat (4)

6. Agnostic (7)

7. Expect (6)

8. Prententious language (12)

9. Answer (5)

10. Large battleship (11)

15. Seabird (3)

16. Small budget; -string (4)

19. Sovereign (6)

21. Pragmatic person (7)

23. Austere, -laced (6)

25. Shimmer (7)

26. Sensible (4-8)

27. Confer holy orders upon (6)

28. Uninvited guest (4-7)

30. Vehicle (3)

31. Get (6)

40. Please reply (Fr) (abbr) (4)

43. Medium (7)

44. Type of antelope (3)

45. Nuptial ceremony (7)

46. Duplicating material, paper (6)

48. Bear witness to (6)

50. Donates(5)

52. Between(5)

53. Music piece with recurring theme (5)

54. Rapid tour(political campaign)

‘ storm’(4)

Solution

SOLUTION

Last Week: 14 June 2023

For March 23, 2005

The container which is being transformed into a new kitchen for Wainuiomata’s Pataka Kai. Photo: Supplied.

Failure to notice (9)

Astonished (9)

Type of warm water shark (5)

Speech (7)

Drillin tool; & Bit (5)

Three Wainuiomata teams make semis

By Ryan Imray

With the Chatham Cup being played, the Wainuiomata Men’s Premier Football team had the weekend off but there was still plenty of action across the region with all eyes on the Knockout Plate quarter finals as three Wainuiomata sides were involved.

At Fraser Park Halfbaked advanced through to the semi-finals with a narrow 2-1 win over Victoria University. At the same venue Roundballs also advanced but in more nervous fashion as it took a penalty shootout to decide the winner.

Finishing 1-1 after regular time and

then extra time, Josh Castle missed a penalty to send nerves through the Wainuiomata team but it didn’t end up making a difference as they set up a semi final meeting with fellow Wainuiomata side Fiddick’s who advanced in much easier fashion.

In the match at Delaney Park, the Fiddicks scored nine goals to beat Stokes Valley 9-3 with the stand out goal coming from the left foot of Joel Evans from 35 yards.

In other games the Reserves took a giant leap to staying in Capital 4 with a hard fought 3-2 win away to Victoria University.

The Undertakers bounced back from last week’s defeat to go two points clear at the top of the table with a 1-0 win to Stokes Valley.

Pasifika kept the pressure on the league leaders in Masters 5 as they came out 3-1 winners in a scrappy game also against Stokes Valley.

The OC’s sadly could not give Wainuiomata a 100% winning record across the club for Saturday’s games as they narrowly lost 2-1 away to Brooklyn.

Finally on Sunday the Wainuiomata ladies had a tough ask away to undefeated Miramar Rangers and they suffered a heavy 7-0 defeat.

Title for local Rugby players

By Frank Neill

Wainuiomata has a 2023 Rugby title to its credit.

The combined Wainuiomata/Hutt

Old Boys Marist team lifted the Izzy Ford Cup – contested by the women’s division 2 teams in the Wellington Rugby competition – when they defeated Paremata Plimmerton 22-17 on 17 June.

The combined team’s victory came despite an early blow when first five eight Mary-Ann Collins, who is also one of the team’s coaches and who has played more than 100 matches for Wainuiomata, had to leave the field after injuring her archilles tendon. In what provide a tightly contested final, the combined team led 12-5 at half time, only to see their rivals come back to level the scores at 17-17 with 10 minutes to play. That put the title on a knife edge.

Wainuiomata/Hutt Old Boys

Marist lock Kiri Gröenbeck scored the winning try, her second of the match to take the combined team to its victory.

Jessica Patea and Ruby Clark

Walking group

also scored tries for Wainuiomata/ Hutt Old Boys Marist, meaning all three of the try scorers were Wainuiomata players.

Agnes Faraimo kicked one conversion.

“The win was the icing on the cake,” one of the team’s coaches, Alice Soper, says.

“Our main aim was to make sure we had space for the younger Wainuiomata players to play the game.

“More than 10 players played for the first time this year.”

Jean Oti is the third coach of the combined team.

Wainuiomata did not have such

A new Wainui Walking Group has been set up by Nathan Wheoki.

The aim of the group is to get people in the community out and about, enjoying some fresh air together, meeting new people and creating new friendships. It is for people of all fitness levels.

To check out when the next walk will be visit the Wainui Walking Group page on Facebook.

Steady As You Go

The Wainuiomata Steady As You Go class has changed its location.

It is now held at the Wainuiomata Library and takes places at 11am every Tuesday.

There is also an online Steady As You Go class, held on Zoom. People need to register for this class and can do so at https://www.acwellington.org.nz/ saygoexercise/.

Emphatic win for Ulalei Aute

Ulalei’s premier 1 team Aute enjoyed their second win of the season beating Naenae Collegians United 2. The defensive duo of Alofa Aberdein-Tapu `i and Lusia Milovale were influential in turning over crucial ball to give Aute a slight lead at the end of the first quarter 13-11.

ter created turnover ball for Aute and a massive momentum swing, as Aute put the foot down to finally play their own game and dominate the final quarter winning it 20-10.

Sharp shooter Sina Tamaalii contributed to the emphatic 55-43 victory.

a good day in the men’s division 1, played for the Swindale Shield. Marist St Pats won a closely contested encounter 30-24.

Playing on their home ground, Wainuiomata won the first half, to lead 24-22 at the break.

The visitors came back, however, scoring two penalties – the only scoring of the final 40 minutes. Wainuiomata’s next match will see them face the high flying Johnsonville Hawks at home on 24 June.

Wainuiomata’s Harper Lock Shield team also lost on 17 June. Hutt Old Boys Marist won the match 27-12.

Aute were pleased to welcome back softball International Lace Tangianau, who returned from her United States university scholarship, to solidify the defensive unit making life difficult for NCU2 attackers to feed their shooters.

Aute were able to hold their lead 25-22 at half time.

In the third quarter Naenae applied pressure on the Aute attack, however Aute were able to sustain the pressure to hold onto their lead 35-33, at the end of the third quarter. It was still any team’s game.

The hard one-to-one defensive effort early in the final quar-

“It was a full team effort with some of our younger players stepping up to own their positions,” says manager Lahraine Sagaga.

“We were really pleased with how the new combinations were coming together, after losing two key players early in the season to injury.”

The win keeps Aute fourth on the table on nine points with two games left in the first round. Aute’s next match sees them face St Oran’s at 12:30pm on 24 June.

Ulalei Moso’oi remain in the top spot on the third division table after they defeated the Upper Hutt Tigers 38-31 on 17 June.

Wainuiomata/Hutt Old Boys Marist Vice Captain Zoe Clark makes another determined run for her team. Photo: Paul Gale.

Adam Faulkner scores his first goal for the Fiddick’s.

Photo: Imray’s Snaps.

New EV charging stations

New EV stations

Student essay competition

By Frank Neill

By Frank Neill

As the general election approaches, secondary school students are being challenged to the “run the ruler” over New Zealand’s democracy.

tion every three years to increase young people’s understanding of how New Zealand’s democracy works and to encourage young people to engage in the political process.

Hutt City Council and Meridian Energy have collaborated to install 12 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Wainuiomata.

r gy have collaborated to install 12 new electric vehicle Wainuiomata

The Association of Former Members of the Parliament of New Zealand has launched an essay competition open to years 12 and 13 students.

“Essays will be judged on originality, creativity and substance by an independent judging panel,” Mr Dunne says.

Nine of the EV stations are Com-

Countdown

Nine of the EV charging stations are located outside the Wainuiomata Community Hub, while three are outside Countdown.

The competition calls on secondary school students to identify the important elements of a successful democracy, explain their value and consider whether they can be improved in New Zealand.

“The essay must be the original work of the student and no more than 1500 words. We encourage essayists to reference facts or opinions sourced from elsewhere.”

The Wainuiomata stations are among 38 the council and Meridian Energy have installed across Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai / Lower Hutt.

The charging stations have been installed since December 2021 with co-funding from the Government’s Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF).

The Wainuiomata are among 38 the council and Meridian ki T he (LETF)

Hutt by increasing our EV charging infrastructure.”

“Democracy underpins New Zealand’s political system,” the association’s President Peter Dunne says.

“But what makes a successful democracy? Do we have the essential components? How could we make our democracy better?

“Secondary school students come to this issue with fresh minds and fresh ideas.

The competition closes on 9 July 2023 –one week into the term break.

A cash prize of $1,000 is awarded to the winner, together with a trip to parliament to see democracy in action.

“As we front up to climate change, we need to make it easier for our people to reduce emissions as they get around our city,” Mayor Barry says.

“As we up to change, we need to make it easier for our to reduce emissions as they get our

Hutt City Council has invested $830,000 of the total $1.2 million cost, with $370,000 co-funded through the LETF.

The recent debate on the voting age shows that young people are engaged and thinking about democracy.

“This is a great opportunity for students with an interest in democracy, politics, history, social studies or equity to put the figurative ‘pen to paper’ and contribute to the debate on improving democracy in New Zealand,” Mr Dunne says.

“That includes making it easier to use an electric vehicle across Lower

“T hat includes ma king it easier to use an electr ic

The new stations ensure that most Hutt City residents now live within 3 to 4km of an EV charging station, the council says.

“We want to encourage that interest and provide a way for it to be channelled,” Mr Dunne says.

The association runs an essay competi-

Half price fare extension planned

Greater Wellington Regional Council will consider extending half price fares at an extraordinary council meeting tomorrow.

The council is considering this while it works towards implementing age-based public transport discounts announced in Budget 2023. The discounts, which let children

under-13 ride for free, and under 25-year-olds at half price, can be introduced by Public Transport Authorities, when possible, from 1 July.

With the government’s half price fares initiative finishing next month,

Greater Wellington Transport Chair Thomas Nash says it would be

sensible for the regional council’s public transport wing to temporarily extend half price fares.

“Metlink needs more time to provide the age-based discounts so extending half price fares is the most practical interim solution.

“For families, it will ease the burden of rising costs as they wait

For more information see the association’s website, https://afmpnz.org.nz/triennial-essay-competition/ or email former.members. nz@gmail.com.

for the discounts they’re entitled to,” Cr Nash says.

“This interim solution can be funded from existing council budgets, but we’ve asked the government for help as it’s indicated funding support for implementing the discounts is available.”

The discounts need to be intro-

duced in a fair and consistent way, Cr Nash says.

“We can’t ask bus drivers to discern the age of passengers, so we’ve tasked our electronic ticketing partner, Snapper, with developing a registration portal. We hope this digital solution will be ready in August.”

Some of Wainuiomata's new EV charging stations. Photo: Frank Neill.

Neill