Wednesday January 29, 2025
Stunning rebuild
By Frank Neill
Wainuiomata High School’s rebuild “is nearly complete and it is stunning,” Wainuiomata High School’s Tumuaki/ Principal Lea Vellenoweth says. The school’s new reception block, which contains the school office, was opened last Thursday, 23 January. Continued on page 2.
The new Wainuiomata High School reception block which is now open.
Photo: Frank Neill.
How to reach us
Phone (04) 587 1660
REPORTER
Frank Neill
wainui@wsn.co.nz 027 490 3916
SALES
Les Whiteside
les@wsn.co.nz 021 360 008
NATIONAL SALES
Sam Barnes
sam@wsn.co.nz 021 109 4406
Blessing for new reception block
Continued from page 1
The new block and front entrance was blessed at a ceremony held at 5am and officially opened later that day.
That marked another completed step of the major rebuilding project which is taking place at the school.
“On Wednesday [29 January] we will be opening our Student
block for staff to start moving in,” Ms Vellenoweth says.
“By the end of term 1 our build will be complete and our focus this term is about exploring Ko wai au? Ko wai t tou? (Who am I? Who are we?)
“Mana whenua have given our buildings names to reflect who we are as a kura, and students and whanau will be transitioning
from their previous house names to their new ones: Ngahuia, Pukeatua, Rimurapa, Remutaka and Turakirae .
“Our vision is that our kura is not just a place for our students and staff, but for our wh nau and community.
“We look forward to working with and sharing our progress with our community this term as we work towards our official
opening at the end of Term 1.
“This week our staff start with a Noho Marae and then our new students and wh nau come in from Wednesday to Friday for their Learning Conferences.
“On Monday 3 February, we look forward to welcoming our year 9s and new students in for the day, with all students starting back on Tuesday 4 February,” Ms Vellenoweth says.
Services
The new Wainuiomata High School reception block being blessed on 23 January. Photo: Supplied.
Work on tiny forest about to start
By Frank Neill
Work on a new tiny urban forest at the Wainuiomata Marae is about to get under way.
The urban forest, named Ngahere Korowai (signifying a beautiful cloak of forest), will see the plantings take place on the swamp area between the marae and the hill.
It will cover an area of 80 square metres.
“We are getting ready to roll,” says one of the project’s organisers Pam Crisp.
The first step of the project, starting in February and continuing through March and April, will be the earthworks and soil preparation.
“I think by May-June we will probably be planting,” Pam says.
“We have got a lot of plants to go into the ground. Definitely we will be planting this winter.”
The fact the project is about to begin is thanks to the success of a fund-raising initiative Pam and Molly Melhuish set up at Pledge Me.
“We only had three and a half weeks to raise $10,000,” Pam says.
The target was reached, and that was thanks to a series of people who helped and the generosity of many in the community.
One of the people who helped was Krystal Nikara, who is an administrator for the Nui Natter 2 Facebook page.
“She got to work and kept posting every day for that last week and a half of the campaign.
“It was really interesting because I noticed a lot more pledges coming in. There was quite a rush of pledges and comments from people.
“That was really great.
“I think what this Pledge Me campaign has actually done, it hasn’t just brought in funding but just as important, it has socialised the project, especially with the local community and so we are not starting on the back foot,” Pam says.
Another interesting thing is that Pledge Me is a rewards-based platform.
The tiny forest fundraiser did not offer physical rewards, but rather things like an opportunity to come along and learn how to make good soil, and free information on how to make your own tiny forest.
“Quite a few people were very interested in that aspect of the project,” Pam notes.
The Ngahere Korowai project is closely related to another major project happening at
the Wainuiomata Marae – the cultural playspace that will be developed.
“This is part of the bigger vision.
“The tiny forest will give children and wh nau an experience of what once grew in that place –an example of the great forests of Wainuiomata that once grew there,” Pam says.
The Ngahere Korowai project has a dedicated website, www.ngaherekorowai.co.nz, which includes a lot of information about the project and where people can contact the project organisers if they would like to help.
“There’s lots of work to do to make a rich soil and plant the trees. We’d love local families to come along with their kids, get their hands in the soil and stay on for a cuppa,” Pam says.
The new forest will use native species, densely planted under the Miyawaki method to help drain and stablise the nearby area which is prone to flooding
Japanese botanist, Akira Miyawaki, recognised that Japan’s shrine forests were extremely resilient to storm damage, flooding and even tsunami. His “tiny forests” built in urban land proved just as resilient.
His method was rediscovered in Europe in around 2015, and in the United States and other countries soon afterwards.
Tiny forests are ideally the size of a tennis court or even as small as two parking spaces. They contain some 20 to 50 species of trees, shrubs and ground cover that are native to the actual climate and soil where they are built.
They are planted at three or more per square metre, into soil which has been deeply dug and mixed with straw, woodchip, manure, and infusions of soil microbes.
Local grant
Arohanui Strings received a grant of $15,000 in the latest round of grants from the New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT), announced on 13 January.
NZCT made the grant towards the cost of a contractor.
NZCT disbursed $843,067.54 to organisations in the Wellington region in the latest round of funding.
Great market
Another successful Wainuiomata Community Market was held on 25 January. The market raised $160 from stallholders plus a $20 koha from Gabriel Tupou and this is to be given to Konini Primary School.
The latest market saw new stallholders travel from Porirua and offer mussel fritters inside fried bread and seafood chowder.
throughout the Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Wellington and Wairarapa regions
Planting taking place at a tiny forest. Photo: Supplied.
Big year for Acting Out
2025 is a big year for Wainuiomata's youth theatre, Acting Out,with a couple of projects on the go.
This year Acting Out is working on a youth production of the Disney classic “A Little Mermaid” and they are looking forward to bringing famous characters such as Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder and Ursula to Wainuiomata.
The show will be performed in the first week of the school holidays from 24 to 28 September. Look out for the hill signs closer to the time.
Acting Out is also looking to introduce a new singing group called Singing Out.
"We envisage this group as a great place for kids who love singing to get together and do what they love,” Acting Out President, Jeremy Yuile says.
"It's also a waiting room for Acting Out.
“Our focus is musical theatre and, of course, singing's a big part of that. However, places are limited in Acting Out due to the number of cast members you can have in a show and we regularly have children on our waiting list."
"Singing Out gives these children the opportunity to work on their singing and perform in front of smaller audiences until a place in Acting Out becomes available for them."
Sessions will take place every Sunday afternoon in term time from 1:45 to 2:45pm. These will be held at the Wainuiomata High School Auditorium at a cost of $30 per term.
Please note these aren't singing lessons but we will focus on vocal warm ups and good practice.
To enrol your child in Singing Out,email actingoutnz@gmail. com.
Enrolments for Singing Out are now open to children aged nine years and over.
LOCAL TRADES
Enchanting adventure coming up
An “enchanting adventure” will take place at the Wainuiomata Regional Park, 10 Whitcher Grove, on 1 February.
Greater Wellington Regional Council is running its Enchanted Park event, which is designed for tamariki aged from 4 to 10 years.
The tamariki can create their own fairy doors and paint rocks for the fairy garden. They will also learn all about the New Zealand Brown Kiwi, which were extinct in the forests of the Remutaka Range until around 20 years ago.
Since being reintroduced by the Remutaka Forest Park Trust, the population has spread into Wainuiomata Regional Park.
Ongoing predator control efforts from the trust, the pest animals’ teams, park rangers and volunteers have helped kiwi to thrive in their new home.
A scene from the 2024 Acting Out production of Madagascar Jr: A Musical Adventure. Photo: Supplied.
Local comes second in design contest
By Frank Neill
Wainuiomata resident Molly Neill has won second prize in a national bar code design competition. Molly won the prize for her design of a series of different flavoured teas, called CuriousiTea.
She was surprised at the result.
“I didn’t think I would get second,” she says. “All the students in my class were doing it and everyone’s designs were so good.”
Molly was studying design at Whitirea last year.
Called “Raise the Bar 2024: Redefining creativity in barcode design”, the competition is run jointly by GS1 New Zealand and Whitireia/WelTec.
GS1 New Zealand provides businesses with barcodes and global data standards and solutions for identifying, capturing and sharing product and location information.
For the Raise the Bar competition, students were tasked with designing a product and integrating a creative yet functional barcode that adhered to GS1 standards.
The competition aims to bridge the gap between classroom theory and industry standards, the competition’s website says.
By addressing the dual challenge of aesthetic design and technical compliance, participants gained practical insights into balancing creativity with functionality.
“Barcodes can be fun,” says Jonathan O’Grady, Marketing Manager at GS1 New Zealand.
“This competition shows that understanding GS1 standards can open up many opportunities to show creativity with barcodes while still maintaining global standards.”
“As a tutor, watching our students participate in the Raising the Bar competition has been incredibly rewarding,” Whitirea and WelTec tutor Alice Moore says.
“This competition pushes them to think creatively within the constraints of industry standards.
“The skills they develop are invaluable as they prepare for their professional journeys.
“It’s been a joy to see the remarkable designs they bring to life.
Molly Neill’s barcode design, which has won second place in the latest Raise the Bar competition. Photo: Supplied.
“On behalf of Whitireia and Weltec, I would like to thank GS1 for providing our konga the opportunity to engage in a real-world industry project,” Alice says.
Strong rating for regional council
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has just received a strong financial rating despite challenging local government environment.
International credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings has reconfirmedGreater Wellington’s 'AA+' long-term credit ratings, the council announced on 24 January.
Both GWRC and its holdings company WRC Holding have held an AA+ rating with a negative outlook.
GWRC Chair Daran Ponter says the AA+ ratings are a renewed vote of confidence in Greater Wellington’s efforts to make good decisions and deliver value for money for ratepayers.
“Greater Wellington continues to be one of only three councils to maintain an AA+ credit rating with S&P Global, reflecting our strong financial management and stability in a sector that has faced significant rising costs of borrowing, insurance, and inflation.”
S&P Global highlighted several positive factors that influenced Greater Wellington’s credit rating, including its prudent treasury policy and strong liquidity position.
“It was pleasing to also hear that the
council’s continued focus on delivery to our Long-Term Plan (LTP) outcomes played a significant part in the rating this year, especially in a local government environment where many councils are cutting costs and not able to meet community deliverables.”
The S&P report also acknowledges Greater Wellington’s fiscal responsibility and strong practices focusing on improving operating performance aided by rates increases and adherence to budgets.
However, there are ongoing challenges for the regional council to navigate.
“The negative outlook on the Local Government Institutional Framework measure remains a significant factor. S&P Global are expected to review this in the coming monthsand this review could result in credit downgrades across the sector, impacting Greater Wellington.”
Reduced operational surpluses were a contributor to Greater Wellington’s continued negative outlook.
“We have seen significant improvement with our bus services with a record number of passenger trips in the last year,” Cr Ponter says.
Great results by Wainuiomata bowlers
Wainuiomata bowlers have achieved fantastic results this year, showing they are a challenge to play against.
Vikki-Lee Remuera, a fifth year bowler, reached the final of the Wellington Open singles.
This is a massive achievement considering she is a junior bowler.
Vikki went to Auckland to play in the National Championships, finishing in the top 32 in both singles and pairs with her partner Alieta Vulu from Naenae Bowling Club.
These are impressive results, considering the world champion went out in the same round.
Another superb result for the club was the pairing of Craig Preston and Phillip Hawton, who won the 1 to 10 years development 2x4x2 pairs, beating Lyall Bay 20-5.
This is an outstanding result.
The men’s interclub team is currently leading division 2, with one game to play.
If they achieve their goal of finishing first or second, they will move up to the premier
division. So far, they have moved up two grades in two years.
Recently the 1–5-year juniors played in the Gibbons Trophy (triples) and McArthur Henry (fours).
This is a tournament when all clubs in Wellington and Hutt Valley select sides. 32 teams took part, with Wainuiomata having three teams.
Last week a Wainuiomata team reached the final of the Gibbons Trophy, going down to Petone Central 11-9.
Another team reached the A division but lost the quarter final. Wainuiomata won Division 4 in both events.
Last weekend three Wainuiomata women were selected to represent Wellington to play for the Tararua Cup, which Wellington won.
The Quadrangular Tournament is played against K piti, Manawatu and Wairarapa.
Vikki-Lee Remuera, Cushla Haimona and Tui Reid all played a big part in winning the cup.
Vikki-Lee played singles, Tui was lead in the pairs and Cushla led in the triples.
Newspaper Deliverers WANTED
The Wainuiomata News requires deliverers in the following areas on a Wednesday each week:
AREA 1: Faulke Ave, Burden Ave, part of Wood St 270 papers
AREA 2: Hamstead, Enfield, part Wellington, Kendall 220 papers
AREA 3: Dover Rd, Westminster Rd, part of Wellington Rd 385 papers
Supplied.
All three have been selected for the Octagonal Tournament which is played in Taranaki in February
These awesome results are setting the club up for another successful season of bowls.
Public Notices
AREA 4: Hair St, Rowe Parade, Gibbs Cres, part of Main - 280 papers
AREA 5: Meremere St, Manurewa Gr, Mataura Gr - 300 papers
AREA 6: Frederick St, Derwent St, Mackay St- 260 papers
AREA 7: Parenga St, Ngaturi Gr, parts of Wood St and Coast Rd - 235 papers
AREA 8: Wright St, Hyde St, part of Moohan St - 300 papers
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Hurricanes to play in Wainuiomata
By Frank Neill
The Hurricanes are returning to Wainuiomata next month, this time to play Rugby.
Wainuiomata, the birthplace of Hurricanes legends the likes of Tana Umaga and Piri Weepu, will host the Hurricanes' final pre-season match of 2025 against the Blues on 7 February.
The match will take place at William Jones Park, home of the Wainuiomata Rugby Club, at 3pm on Friday 7 February.
It promises to be an exciting clash as the Hurricanes face off against the defending Super Rugby Pacific champions, the Blues.
The game will kick off at 3pm Friday 7 February. The gates open at 2pm.
The Hurricanes were in Wainuiomata en masse on 9 December.
Around 50 Hurricanes came to the valley to help with three community projects.
After they were welcomed at the Wainuiomata Marae one group of Hurricanes painted fences at the Marae, another helped with a series of activities at the Pataka Kai and the third group did their working bee at Barnardos Wainuiomata.
The team of Hurricanes included players, management and office staff, as well as six boys in the under 20 squad that is training with the Hurricanes.
The three working bees were initiatied by the Wainuiomata Rugby Football Club, who asked if there were any community organisations needing support, and then organised for the Hurricanes
Ulalei supports Unteach Racism
Wainuiomata Cricketers dominate day 1
By Frank Neill
The Wainuiomata premiers dominated Naenae Old Boys on day one of the first 2025 two day Cricket match on 25 January.
After bowling Naenae out for 163, Wainuiomata reached 202 for the loss of only four wickets at stumps.
Ryan Jackson was outstanding with the ball, taking six wickets at a cost of 53 runs on his home ground of Bryan Heath Park.
Logan Stoupe chimed in with two wickets during a particularly miserly spell of bowling when he conceded just six runs in his nine overs.
Jackson Hemmingway featured with both the ball and the bat.
After taking one wicket for 35 runs, Jackson then led the Wainuiomata run scoring, and was 86 not out at stumps.
Craig Foster scored a half century and was finally dismissed on exactly 50.
Following his outstanding bowling spell, Ryan Jackson came close to a half century when he was out for 48.
Wainuiomata, who are playing in Cricket Wellington’s division two, will start day two at Bryan Heath Park on 1 March with a lead of 59 and six wickets in hand.
The Wainuiomata Cricket Club will be holding its Old Timers Day on 8 February from 2pm
Both the first XI and the second XI have home games that day, although the women’s team has a bye.
Ulalei Wainuiomata Sport’s uniforms this summer feature the Unteach Racism logo. Unteach Racism is a kaupapa led by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa with the view to arm teachers with the tools that give them the confidence to deal with issues around racism when they appear in the playgrounds and classrooms.
Sadly some of the tamaiti in the Ulalei club have been victims of racial slurs on the sports fields and in the school playgrounds in 2024.
In response, Ulalei has reached out to teachers, principals, sports organisations and agencies seeking assistance in addressing the issue.
This included contact with the Polynesian Panthers that regularly run workshops with local schools which includes the confronting issue of racism.
In June last year, the Polynesian Panthers leaders Melani Anae, Reverend Wayne Toleafoa and Tigilau Ness spoke to the teachers and pupils at Wainuiomata Intermediate school.
Ulalei has also been in discussions with Nuku Ora and the Teaching Council about bringing the Unteach Racism principles to the sports fields via slight amendments to the “Just Shush” kaupapa. That kaupapa is about adults’ sideline behaviour.
Ulalei acknowledges racism is a massive issue, a societal issue that will never be “fixed”.
“Our view is that if we can do a little bit to bring awareness to the issue and give our tamaiti confidence to call it out, then we should,” says Ulalei’s Vatau Sagaga.
“So the Unteach Racism logo on our uniforms and the Play Fair sign we display at our school sports events are just small things we can do, while we continue to work on the
“The Polynesian Panthers in particular are a valuable resource which we need to take advantage of while they are still with us.”
Ulalei’s plan is to have the Polynesian Panthers or other professionals who work in this space, run their workshops regularly with local schools and is on the search for funding to make this to happen.
“We have approached education-based trusts like JR McKenzie Trust and Borrin Foundation for support and will continue that search with Ministry for Pacific Peoples and other agencies,” Vatau says.
Ulalei acknowledges the advice and support from Nuku Ora and the Teaching Council and many members of the local education fraternity.
Read more about Unteach Racism at https:// www.unteachracism.nz. Potential donors can contact Ulalei Wainuiomata Sport at ulaleiwainuisport@gmail.com.
The Hurricanes at Wainuiomata Marae during their last visit. Photo: Frank Neill. to come and provide them the support they needed.
Ryan Jackson, who took six wickets during Wainuiomata’s domination of Naenae Old Boys on 25 January. Photo: Hamish Wareham.
Ulalei’s new sports uniforms featuring the Unteach Racism logo. Photo: Supplied. other longer term projects.
Welcome news for rail network
Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has welcomed news from the Minister of Transport Simeon Brown, who announced a further $137.2 million in funding for the completion of a series of substation upgrades across the Wellington region.
The substation upgrades will enable future reliability and growth in the rail network, GWRC says.
When announcing the plan on 5 December, Mr Brown said the amount of travel on Wellington’s metro rail network was expected to increase significantly in the coming years.
Upgrading the network’s substations will enable this growth and provide Wellingtonians confidence in the reliability of services.
“Some of Wellington’s existing substations are between 60 and 90 years old.
“Our significant investment in upgrading, repairing and replacing these critical substations will keep Wellington’s trains running and manage electrical capacity across the network to ensure consistent, efficient, and uninterrupted service for commuters,” the Minister said.
“When the substations go down, so do the trains.
“Delivering five additional substations for Wellington will provide enough electricity supply to power new Wairarapa and Manawatū trains and enable additional 15-minute timetables on existing lines.
“Upgrading our substations will also strengthen resilience when the network is faced with severe
weather events, such as storms, heavy rainfall, and high winds,” Mr Brown said.
GWRC Chair Daran Ponter says the funding announcement will be a welcome boost to the region’s economy and its neighbours in Horowhenua, with the region’s rail system expected to respond to significant population growth over the coming decades.
“Wellington, K piti and Horowhenua will need to accommodate an additional 200,000 people, a 35% increase, and 100,000 jobs in the next 30 years.
“Three quarters of this growth is expected to occur to the north, along the eastern and western growth corridors that follow our primary rail corridors.
“We have worked closely with KiwiRail on this project to date and we look forward to delivering it alongside them,” Mr Ponter says. An example of
Great showing by local firefighters
By Frank Neill
The team of four Wainuiomata volunteer firefighters performed outstandingly in the waterway challenge, held at their home station on 25 January. They finished second to the high-flying Carterton A team in the Hutt Valley, Wellington and
K piti Waterway Challenge.
This is an impressive result, given that Carterton A have performed in the top three nationally in this event in recent years.
Coached by Mati Soi, the team comprising Ngarue Ratapu, Trent Holden, Donald Underdown and Alex Cade won five of the
challenges. They were particularly impressive in clocking a time of 19.32 seconds in the straight suction challenge. This was well over twice as fast as the second placed Carterton A team, who clocked 45.03 seconds. The team’s good performance
in Wainuiomata followed another outstanding showing at the North Island Waterway Challenge on 18 January, where they finished in second place.
The Wainuiomata team is now preparing for the National Waterway Challenge, to be held at Mataura, Southland, from 20 to 22 February.
a substation already completed in Petone in 2017. Photo: Supplied.