Would you like to pick an apple fresh from a tree on the way home from work? Would you like to get your fingers dirty with other gardening enthusiasts in a social and fun environment and meet more of your neighbours? Woul you like to learn more about growing your own food, right here in the city? These are some of the visions behind a proposal currently being considered by the council. And the first place in mind is a sunny little section of Carrara Park!

How has this come about? You may have already read about the establishment of the Newtown Gardeners Group. Others have got together and started gardening the temporarily vacant site at 70 Daniell St. Community gardens have been popping up all over town. It seems growing your own veg is in vogue, and it is about time Newtown joined the party. So a small group of people got together to put in an application to the council for a more permanent garden in Carrara Park. The various sections of council have considered the proposal, and have given their support. The final stage is for you, the community, to voice your support (or concerns. If you would like to do so, you can contact Sarah Adams at Wellington City Council, or you can contact the organisers.

We would also love your input and feedback, and when the time comes, we hope you will join us when we turn the first sod. The first stage is design. We will be careful to make sure we retain the functions of the existing park, and keep the open space for games or picnics. If you would like to be a part of this, then get in touch and we can let you know when we meet and what we are planning. For

The Wellington Police together with the Wellington City Council are currently running an operation focused on burglaries, thefts from cars and the unlawful taking of motor vehicles in Newtown and Mt Cook.  Statistics have shown this time of year spikes have occurred in these offences and this operation is a proactive move to prevent these offences occurring.  A large number of these offences are occurring as a result of people not securing their property and allowing offenders an easy target.
A multitude of strategies are underway involving school activities, a crime prevention video on WCC website, a media strategy, crime prevention advice personally and via pamphlets to targeted areas, together with a large police presence patrolling areas identified through our intelligence analysis. We are strongly encouraging the public to be super vigilant in regards to security of their home and vehicles, ensure they lock their doors, alarm their houses, leave nothing valuable on display in their vehicles, report suspicious activity, if they see something which doesn’t look right, report it.
There has already been one successful ‘catch’ this month by Wellington South Community Constable Sam McKenzie.  Sam analysed of number of burglaries to local businesses in Newtown and Kilbirnie and developed a plan, whihc resulted in his catching an offender red handed.  This person was linked to 12 burglaries to business premises in Newtown/Kilbirnie.  The offender is currently in Rimutaka Prison.

If a large earthquake strikes Wellington there is a possibility that your home’s water supply may be cut off for weeks, maybe even months.
The Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office (WREMO), along with councils across the region, has organised the sale of an affordable 200 litre water tank that can attach to your house and collect rain water. It’s also a great back-up supply for the garden in summer.
So far around 1300 tanks have been sold and demand is high.
WREMO worked with a local supplier to make the tanks available for $105, and they can be purchased from the Council service centre on Wakefield Street, as well as other councils across the region. Comparable tanks of this size can retail for $250.   More information

A new edition of “Plant Me Instead” for the Wellington region is out now.

Many of the weedy species invading and damaging our natural areas are ornamental plants that have jumped the fence from gardens and gone wild. It costs councils, government departments and private landowners millions of dollars, and volunteers and community groups thousands of unpaid hours, to control these weeds each year.
One of a regional series published by Weedbusters, this Plant Me Instead book has been funded by local councils and the Department of Conservation.  It lists the weeds of greatest concern to those who work and volunteer in local parks and reserves, national parks, bush remnants, wetlands and coastal areas. Suggestions are given for locally sold non-weedy species – both native and non-native – that can be used to replace these weeds in your garden.
Please contact illona.keenan@wcc.govt.nz if you would like a free copy, or you can download it.

From time to time shops in the mainstreet become vacant and sometimes stay that way for sometime waiting for someone to come along and take a punt on locating their business there.   But how do people know who what sorts of business might be in demand and be likely to succeed here?   Maybe the answer is to ask the locals.  The latest initiative from the Newtown Business Group is taking precisely that approach.

One shop front that has remained vacant for while is the former travel agent opposite “The Wedge” in Riddiford St.  Now you have a chance to let people know what sort of business you would like to see open there.    The Business Group has placed post-it stickies on the front window of the shop.   Each says “I would love to be a”  with space for you to write what you would like to see happen on that site, and add it to the collection.   Go to it!

A great turnout, variously estimated between 120 and 140 locals to hear the Mayoral and Southern ward candidates speak at St Anne’s Hall, despite vile weather.

Thanks in particualr to Peter Frater for organising the event and various association members who assisted on the night.  Thanks also to Vanessa Rushton for the pic.

Next time you are in Riddiford St check out the long (formerly tag prone wall) on the corner of Wilson Street.   This has now been transformed into the Newtown “Before I Die…” wall.   Before I Die is a global public art project that invites people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in public space.  You are invited to roll up and use the chalk provided to add your personal statement of what it is you want to do before you die.

Before I Die was originally created by artist Candy Chang on an abandoned house in her neighbourhood in New Orleans after she lost someone she loved. Since then more than 200 walls have been created in over 15 languages and in over 40 countries, including Kazakhstan, Argentina, China, Italy, Israel, Thailand, and South Africa.

This project is here in Newtown thanks to the Newtown Community Center, the Wellington Timebank, and our sponsor Resene.
For more information on the global project, or for pictures and updates of the local version

Residents, business and commercial property owners and local workers are invited to to attend a public forum on Thursday 26 September 7pm to 8.30pm St Anne’s Church Hall Newtown
The aim is to better inform the community about the specific earthquake risks and what you can do to mitigate them in our own suburb,
Representatives from Wellington City Council, GNS, REMO (Regional Emergency Management Office), Wellington Zoo and local hospitals will outline the risks and procedures in place in case of an earthquake or other disaster in Newtown.  The Aim of the forum is to understand and address issues to prevent potential risks in case of an earthquake or disaster.
This is being organised by Newtown Residents Association and Newtown Business Group in association with and with help from Wellington City Council.
If you want further information or would like to become involved in helping make it all happen drop us a line

Join us this Saturday for the 3rd peoples’ revolutionary mobilisation to “Keep Newtown Clean”.  Report for duty outside Newtown New World in your painting gears from 8:30am onwards.

The first couple of outings have made a visible difference to the look and feel of central Newtown but there is plenty more tagging out there to get rid of.

The Wellington Timebank is currently sponsoring an open t-shirt design competition.

This competition is now open for submissions from designers of any level from around the entire Wellington community.  This is an opportunity for artists to creatively express their ideas about what they want their communities to look like, and have a chance to have their work printed on t-shirts.

The theme of our competition is –Our Place: My Dream– Where do you see our community going? How will it get there? Envision a place where you would belong. Winning designs will be chosen by public vote and printed on t-shirts, with winning designers getting a free shirt.
The t-shirts will be sold as a fundraiser for the Wellington Timebank.

Submissions are due September 10th and must include the timebank logo (attached). To submit send a high quality digital copy to Hannah at wgtn.timebank@gmail.com or drop off a hard copy at the Wellington Timebank office in the Newtown Community Centre.

Please feel free to contact Marit at maolson24@gmail.com or 027 484 6844, or Hannah at the Timebank at 04 920 6708 or wgtn.timebank@gmail.com with questions or for more information.

Recently there has been an increase in burlgaries in Mt Cook, Newtown, Karori and Johnsonville.

Police are putting an operation together for the end of September to target offenders and their activity and also provide education for residents of the Newtown and Mt Cook areas.

Police are asking Newtown residents to remember to take basic security precautions such as locking all doors and windows when out, using alarms if they are installed and calling Police if they see any suspicious behaviour with people hanging around places where they shouldn’t be.

Items that are being targeted specifically are jewellery, I phones and cameras.

A simple precaution to take is to make sure items such are these are stored out of view.