The meeting was at the St Tom’s Community Lounge on Monday April 15th 2024.
Alex Hockley, CEO of the Wellington Heritage Festival talked about potential Newtown events, and Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon outlined issues in the WCC long Term Plan. Submissions are due on 12th May.
Category Archives: News
Notes from the March 2024 Meeting
We met at the St Tom’s Community Lounge on Monday March 18th. These were some of the issues discussed –
District Plan
The recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel with regard to character precincts and the City Centre Boundary were rejected by a majority of WCC Councillors, who passed amendments to revert to the boundary and precincts which were in the Proposed District Plan.
The next and final step is that Chris Bishop, as the responsible Government Minister, will decide whether to accept the WCC recommendations or to endorse the IHP recommendations.
There was a brief recap of the preferred Newtown Housing proposal for intensification, mostly in the suburban centre.
Road Safety
A resident from Roy St pointed out the lack of pedestrian crossings in Newtown. There is particular concern about the safety of children in the area. The meeting agreed to look at following up this issue.
Water Leaks
Wellington South Community Patrol recently counted 36 leaks. Tom Law outlined some examples.
Festival Feedback
There was strong support and thanks for everyone, particularly Marion Leighton and others who were instrumental in providing an excellent morning tea for official guests.
Wellington Heritage Festival
Alex Hockley, CEO of the Wellington Heritage Festival Trust, outlined plans for this festival, noting that there is more time this year – from Saturday 26th October until Sunday 17th November.
There was considerable interest in potential events in Newtown. Examples include walking tours, static talks, open buildings etc.
Telling stories inside the buildings they apply to will add to the making the story more compelling.
Expressions of interest are required by the end of April.
Rhona volunteered to contact Newtown Community Centre, Newtown School and the Zoo, to see if other organisations are thinking of participating, and/or have ideas to suggest.
Minutes of the October meeting 2023
This meeting was held at 7.30pm on Monday 16 October 2023 at the Community Lounge, behind St Thomas’s Church, 200 Riddiford St. These were some of the topics covered –
Merania Roa, the candidate for Vision NZ in the recent Rongotai Election, thanked us for the invitation to our Meet The Candidates meeting.
Kāinga Ora’s new developments in Newtown – people are moving into the new apartments in Owen St.
Carrara Park Toilets Petition and the positive response from the Councillors.
Water Leaks – the Community Patrol has reported 165 leaks across parts of the city. One piece of good news – a longstanding leak in Rhodes St has been fixed.
Berhampore and Newtown Parking Scheme – a large part of the meeting was devoted to discussion of concerns with the details of the scheme.
Berhampore- Newtown Parking Plan
This proposed plan is based on the WCC Parking Policy which was agreed in 2020. Our Association supports the principle of residents having priority for parking on the residential streets. However we have concerns about the details of the proposal that was presented for consultation, and we are disappointed that the Parking Policy agreement for Area Based Planning wasn’t put into practice.
Minutes of the 2023 AGM.
This meeting was held on Monday September 18th at the St Thomas’s Community Lounge.
The meeting received the President’s Annual Report and the Treasurer’s Financial Report.
The following people were elected unopposed as Officers of the Association:
President: Rhona Carson
Vice Presidents: Jane Patterson and Martin Hanley
Secretary: Rhona Carson
Treasurer: Michelle Wolland
Committee: Carol Comber, Steve Cosgrove, Marion Leighton, Sam Somers, Penny Sturgess, Hilary Watson
The main other topic was a discussion of the need for Constitutional Changes, required by the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. A copy of proposed changes to meet the new requirements was circulated. These will be considered during the year and voted on at the 2024 AGM.
The AGM being concluded the meeting went on to discuss arrangements for the Meet the Candidates Meeting to be held on September 25th.
The 2023 Annual General Meeting Notice
This meeting will be on Monday September 18th, 7.30-9.0pm., at the Community Lounge, St Thomas’s Church, 200 Riddiford St.
The AGM is when we discuss the year’s activities.elect the Association’s officers for 2023-24, and plan for the future.
Agenda:
Apologies
Minutes of the NRA AGM 2022 to be approved (please review – the minutes will be taken as read at the meeting)
Matters arising from the minutes – if any
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report and presentation of accounts for 2022-23
Election of Officers
- President
- Up to three Vice-Presidents
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Up to nine (9) committee members
Review of Constitution changes, as required by the Incorporated Societies Act 2022
See here –
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2022/0012/latest/LMS100892.html
and a summary of the 1908 Act compared to the 2022 Act: https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/law-changes-for-societies/key-changes/
A copy of the Rules at present.
A proposed Draft of a Revised Constitution
Any other business.
Minutes of the August 2023 Meeting
Notes from the meeting.
This meeting was held on Monday August 21st, 7.30pm at the St Tom’s Community Lounge, 200 Riddiford St.
Association President Rhona Carson opened the meeting by thanking everyone who helped with the Newtown Residents’ Association 60th Anniversary Celebration on 29th July.
She then introduced the visiting speakers.
Kāinga Ora – Josh Clark introduced himself as the Stakeholder Relationship Manager for the Wellington Area. He outlined the housing developments either under construction or planned for Newtown and the surrounding area. These include 80 homes in Rolleston St, which are almost completed, and 301 homes at Arlington St where construction is in the early stages.
In Newtown 36 homes at 175 Owen Street are in the final stages before completion. There will be an open day for the community in November. In addition work is underway on 21 homes at 131 Coromandel St & 9 at 124-130 Coromandel St
Newtown to Berhampore transport project and Newtown Parking Plan
Bri Peters, Nicola, and Paul Barker from the WCC Transport project team outlined the three parts of these plans.
Metlink bus priority plan looks at improvements to Bus Stops and the way they are designed.
The Newtown to Berhampore Cycleway will run from Riddiford St through Rintoul St, Luxford St and Adelaide Rd. to join the Island Bay cycleway.
The Parking Management Plan follows from the city-wide plan and parking priorities which were approved in 2020. The proposal is that a large proportion of what is currently unlimited on-street parking parking will be designated P120, with no time limit for residents holding a residents’ parking permit. It is recognised that this will be a big change for hospital staff currently parking on the street, and WCC and the Hospital have been consulting about this.
Public consultation on all 3 parts of the project will start on September 12th and run till October 8th.
Petition: Request for Toilets in Carrara Park
Our on line petition is now live on the WCC website:
https://wellington.govt.nz/have-your-say/petitions/petitions/current/2023-08-request-for-toilets-at-carrara-park.
If you have ever been to Carrara Park and wished that there was a toilet there, or if you have avoided going because there are no toilets, please sign it! The end date is set for 2 weeks from today, which is 5 September, but we are hoping for a lot of signatures by the time of the oral submissions to Council on 31st August.
It would also be helpful if you could write a note of support and send it to newtownwellington@gmail.com before our President, Rhona Carson, presents the oral submission on Thursday 31st August.
Toilets for Carrara Park
Our Association has made a submission to Wellington City Council on Te Awe Māpara – The draft Community Facilities Plan, asking again for toilets in the Park.
Back in 2020 James Barber wrote a Scoop article about the lack of toilets in Carrara Park – https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=132403 – well worth reading! Nothing has changed since then.
We are hoping that this time we will be able to make such a strong case that the Council will finally approve it. If you agree with the cause you can help. One of the factors in assessing priorities for facilities is ‘Community advocacy • The community expresses an aspiration for a change to community facility provision to meet needs’ (p 49 of the draft plan). We’re hoping to generate a level of community advocacy that can’t be ignored!
We are launching an online petition, and will add a link when it is approved. If you have ever been to Carrara Park and wished that there was a toilet there please sign it! It would also be helpful if you could write a note of support and send it to newtownwellington@gmail.com before our President, Rhona Carson, presents an oral submission on Thursday 31st August.
60th Anniversary Celebration
Our Anniversary on Saturday 29th July was a very enjoyable event, held in Newtown School Hall. During the day we set up display boards with photos and other information about the Association and it’s activities – including Newtown Festival – and also contributions from other Newtown organisations and other Residents’ Associations elsewhere in Wellington. There were displays of the history of Newtown Library and Newtown Community Centre, information tables for the Wellington South Community Patrol, Predator Free Wellington and Predator Free Mt Cook Newtown, and photos, posters and pamphlets from many other groups and organisations including Seeds to Feeds, Renters United, the Zoo, EkeRua ReBicycle, St Tom’s Church, and WREMO. It was a good opportunity to remind people that Newtown School Hall is the emergency hub for Newtown.
There was a slide show of Association activities – you can see the slides here, although its not quite the same without the special effects created by Committee member Michelle Wolland. We also had a screen showing Newtown Festival videos – many thanks to Rowena Tun the Timebank coordinator for both supplying the screen and setting up the videos.
The highlight of the occasion was the afternoon tea starting at 2.30pm. A crew of Association members organised this. Sandwiches, slices and savouries came from the Friendly Bakery in Riddiford St, and we highly recommend them if you are planning something similar! And a ‘thank you’ to Lynda McGregor, who donated a tray of the legendary cinnamon rolls from her market stall, The Little Bread Loaf. The centrepiece was a splendid cake made by committee member Carol Comber, who had cleverly created a cake which divided into sections with different flavours and characteristics, including vegan and gluten free.
Kaumātua Peter Jackson was the first speaker and following a karakia he gave a brief outline of how the Te Āti Awa and Taranaki iwi came to be in Wellington, and talked of how the area we know as Newtown was basically a swamp. There is no record of it having its own name in pre-colonial times. Kaumātua Peter also told the story of how his father (Sam Jackson) gave Wellington Hospital the name Ngā Puna Waiora because of the streams that ran through the site. This is echoed in the name Te Kura Ngā Puna Waiora (Newtown School) and now also the reopened Newtown Community Centre, Te Whare Hapori o Ngā Puna Waiora.
The president Rhona Carson then spoke briefly, welcoming attendees and introducing the next speakers.
Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon and Councillor Nurredin Abdurahman, our Southern Ward representatives, both spoke and talked about the importance of community, and doing things together. Cr Nureddin had recently returned from visiting Ethiopia and reflected on the advantages we enjoy in our community.
Martin Hanley and Anna Kemble Welch joined Newtown Residents’ Association soon after moving here in the early 1980s. Martin spoke about how he, Anna, Peter Frater and Chris Renwick (now deceased) responded to a WCC invitation to organise Carrara Park carnival in 1995 and then the Newtown Festival Street Fair in 1997. Newtown Festival was run by the NRA for twenty years then separated into the Newtown Festival Trust in 2017, but it is still run by the same people.
The final speaker was Hilary Watson, who was a member of the Association in the 1970s and 1980s and rejoined a few years ago. She spoke of memories of Owen O’Connor, the Association President when the name was changed to Residents’ Association, who was a great champion for Newtown and died much too young.
Hilary then joined Carol Comber in cutting the cake, concluding the formalities.
Minutes of the July 2023 Meeting
Notes from the meeting held at the St Tom’s Community Lounge, July 17th 2023.
The meeting agenda included:
Newtown Residents’ Association’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations
The Celebration will be on Saturday 29th July, with an Open Day for the public to view displays while the Market is open. From 2:30pm – 4:30pm people will be invited to gather in the Hall for afternoon tea, with speeches and cake-cutting from 3pm.
The meeting discussed the information to be displayed during the ‘open day’ part of the event, and the arrangements for the celebratory afternoon tea.
Changes to Incorporated Societies Act 2022
The impression is that NRA already covers off many of these provisions, and that many of the other requirements can be updated in the constitution fairly easily.
New requirements in the Act include that the association must have a disputes resolution process; and there are requirements about who is qualified to be an Officer of a Society. In some circumstances members will be disqualified from being committee officers, e.g. a conviction for a dishonesty related offence.
[The full Act: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2022/0012/latest/LMS100892.html
A summary of the 1908 Act compared to the 2022 Act: https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/law-changes-for-societies/key-changes/
The section on the grounds for officer discharge: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2022/0012/latest/LMS100915.html#LMS100915 The text of this section 47 of the Act is included at the end of the minutes.]
When the Anniversary Festivities are over we will start work on revising the Constitution, and hopefully will have this ready to be voted on at our AGM in September.
WCC Community Facilities Review – https://www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz/wellingtons-community-facilities Submissions on the draft plan are due by 5pm on Monday 7th August.
The meeting discussed various comments about Newtown included in the draft plan. The proposal for Newtown is to “Undertake a suburb-wide needs assessment and feasibility study to assess the optimal network of functional, cohesive and sustainable facilities.”
It was suggested that this review is an opportunity to reopen the request for toilets in Carrara Park, and that a petition (and/or WCC e-petition) would be a good way to gather support from the community (including taking the petition to nearby childcare centres).
Newtown Residents’ Association 60th Anniversary – an Invitation
The Newtown Residents’ Association was incorporated on 29th July 1963, and we will be marking the occasion on Saturday 29th July with an ‘open day’ at Newtown School Hall. There will be displays about Newtown history and community activities from 10am, followed by afternoon tea from 2.30-4.30pm.
We hope that you will pop in if you are at Newtown Market that Saturday, and that you will join us for afternoon tea. If you can let us know if you can come for afternoon tea and how many people will be attending that will help with planning our catering, could you please RSVP using this form.
We are also interested in gathering more information and photos that can be added to the displays we are creating. This could be about the Association, or about other aspects of Newtown history or community activities. The form asks if you have anything you can contribute, or you could email us on newtownwellington@gmail.com to discuss it further. If you have memories of the Association to share we would really like to hear them!
Minutes of the June 2023 Meeting
Notes from the meeting held at the St Tom’s Community Lounge, June 19th 2023.
Rowena Tun, Wellington Timebank Kaiwhakahaere/Coordinator, spoke about what the Timebank is and how to join. To get more information, or talk about joining, go to the website https://www.wellingtontimebank.org.nz/, or phone Rowena for an appointment at the
Newtown Community Centre – Te Whare Hapori o Ngā Puna Waiora, or see her at Newtown Library on Wednesdays 3-6 info@wellingtontimebank.org.nz .
Sean Woodcock (Wellington City Council) & Sergey Kaglyak & Dan Ormond (Wellington Water) were welcomed to the meeting. They talked about plans to start renewing Newtown’s waste water network in August 2023. There was also discussion about continuing issues with water leaks. Use this map to find the status of leaks that WW know about: https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/resources/maps/job-status-map/
Yadana Saw, Greater Wellington Regional Councillor, was unable to be at the meeting but had provided information to be passed on.
- Transport: Half price fares for Community Services Card holders start on 1 July. Free public transport for Under 13s and half price fares for 13-25yrs begin on 1 August; adult fares (apart from CSC holders) return to full price that day.
- Community Planting Days: Winter planting season is upon us. Please follow this link for information on the GWRC planting events in the region: https://www.gw.govt.nz/your-region/get-involved/winter-planting-2023/
DM Laurie Foon advised that two weeks after the Loafers Lodge cordon is removed on Adelaide Rd, the bus lanes will be enforced. And also, resource consent processing is taking time – email Laurie if you have a particular concern.
The meeting was reminded that on Saturday 29th July the Residents’ Association will be celebrating 60 years of being an Incorporated Society.
‘Reveal’: Discovering what lies beneath our streets.
Have you seen people in hi-viz vests collecting data along Luxford St, Adelaide Rd, or The Parade overnight during the past week? They are from Reveal, and they are using penetrating radar to help see what’s beneath the road. This will produce an accurate map of all the utilities underground which will be extremely useful as WCC plans and designs projects for our city.
You can find out more at https://www.reveal.nz/
This work will continue for one or two more weeks, and will include Rintoul St and Reef St. The details below come from Wellington City Council.
6th June 2023- UPDATE – The end date for the Utility Survey Investigation work scheduled through Newtown and Island Bay has been extended due to illness in the Traffic Management Supervisor team.
These works resumed Monday 5 June along Rintoul St, and will continue along Luxford St, down Adelaide Rd, into The Parade, and then out to Island Bay, including Reef St. The entirety of the works are due to finish by the end of June.
Other important details of these works remain the same.
Survey Areas and Carparks required- See attached image for map
| Day | Planned Dates | Shift | Approximate Area | Carparks required (21/23 in total) |
| 1 | 21 May, Sun night | Full | 562A – 2A The Parade | 1 – outside Community Orchard |
| 2 | 22 May, Mon night | Full | 486B – 562A Adelaide Rd | 2 – outside 545 & 559 Adelaide |
| 3 | 23 May, Tues night | Full | All Luxford St & Intersection with Adelaide Rd | 2/3 – outside 28 to 30 Luxford2/3 – outside 208 to 210 RintoulBoth areas are required for temporary bus stops |
| 4 | 24 May, Wed night | Full | 2A – 20 The Parade/Dee St Intersection | Nil |
| 5 | 25 May, Thurs night | Full | 24 – 66 The Parade/Tamar St Intersection | Nil |
| 6 | 28 May, Sun night | PMAM | 348 – 336 The Parade/Reef St Intersection1 – 50 Rintoul St | 5 – outside 1,7,14,16 & 21 Rintoul St |
| 7 | 29 May, Mon night | PMAM | 274 – 346 The Parade50 – 112 Rintoul St | 1 – outside 274 The Parade1 – outside 98 Rintoul |
| 8 | 30 May, Tues night | PMAM | Balance of 274 – 346 The Parade112 – 192 Rintoul St | 3 – 2 outside 112 and 1 outside 132 Rintoul |
| 9 | 31 May, Wed night | PMAM | 216 – 272 The Parade192 – 1/218 Rintoul | Nil2 – outside 179 and 201 Rintoul |
| 10 | 1 June, Thurs night | Full | 148 – 214 The Parade/Mersey St Intersection | 1 – outside 163A The Parade |
| 11 | 5 June, Mon night | Full | 68 – 148 The Parade | 1 – outside 132 The Parade |
| 12 | 6 June, Tues night | PMAM | Reef St, Island Bay460 – 486B Adelaide Rd | Nil |
| NB: Specific notifications/coning will take place 24hrs prior to an actual carpark being requiredShift; Full = prior to and after midnight, PM = before midnight, AM = after midnight | ||||
All works will take place during the night, between 7:30 PM and 5:00 AM and Stop/Go procedures will be in place.
To ensure the surveying can be completed as efficiently as possible, roadside parking will not be available in 23 car parks where manholes exist and/or Metlink require temporary bus stops to be setup.
These will be marked with “No parking” cones on the day which will be removed as soon as the investigation works are complete.
Please note – any vehicles obstructing work areas or traffic may be towed to a nearby suitable area. If your vehicle is not where you parked it, please call the WCC Contact Centre at 04 499 4444.
We appreciate this investigation work may be disruptive for residents and/or businesses. We will be doing all we can to minimise the impact on your household and/or business.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience, it is much appreciated and will help us get the job done as quickly as possible.
For more information about the project- Contact the contractors at Reveal
Chris Newton, Investigation Project Manager, M: 0274 484 685, E: chris@reveal.nz
Jo Hopkins, Regional Manager, M: 021 449 307, E: jo@reveal.nz
Minutes of the May 2023 Meeting
Notes from the Newtown Residents’ Association meeting 15 May 2023.
Information from WCC about Newtown Parking Plan, Newtown to Island Bay transitional cycleway and Berhampore village upgrade.
Vida Christeller, Manager City Design, and Seb Bishop from the Engagement Team attended the meeting to talk about these projects. This was a preliminary discussion, to be followed up in July or August, with formal consultation in September. An information sheet was circulated outlining the process. [The link given in the sheet is out of date. Use this instead for further information- https://www.transportprojects.org.nz/current/berhampore-to-newtown/]
Newtown Parking Plan: At present there are very few parking restrictions in Newtown or Berhampore, meaning that a lot of the parking is taken up by commuters. The expectation for the future Newtown Parking Plan is that much of the parking will be P120 with Residents exempt, with exceptions as appropriate. The formal consultation about the proposals will be in September.
There will also be consultation in September for extending bus and bike road space between Newtown and Island Bay. Seb drew our attention to a report available on consultation regarding bike lane space. This can be downloaded from: https://www.transportprojects.org.nz/assets/Berhampore-to-Newtown/B2N-BaselineSurvey-Report-22Dec22_FINAL.pdf
Wellington Hospital is working with Council discussing options, particularly regarding parking.
There were numerous comments and questions from the meeting attendees, many about Newtown parking pressures. This included issues about residents’ parking permits – the cost ($195 pa), and the fact that there are many more permits issued than spaces available – which will be addressed in the plan. There will be a variety of priorities regarding who can purchase resident parking permits and who can get an exemption.
What is Reveal? Rhona Carson, Association President, has had an email saying Reveal will be collecting data along Rintoul St, Luxford St, Adelaide Rd, The Parade, and Reef Street between May 21st and June 9th, but it’s not clear what Reveal is and what the investigation is about. Vida and Seb were not entirely sure, but will find out. [Update from Seb – “This is a project that uses penetrating radar to help see what’s beneath the road. This will produce an accurate map of all the utilities underground which will be extremely useful as we plan and design projects for our city. You can find out at https://www.reveal.nz/”]
Rhona thanked Vida and Seb for coming to the meeting. We will look forward to further information in the coming months.
An update about the Proposed District Plan hearings.
There is a lot of information on the Council website regarding the Proposed District Plan – see https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/district-plan/proposed-district-plan.
The PDP is now being considered by Resource Management Commissioners. This is happening in phases, with numerous different streams about different topics. Rhona has made oral submissions on behalf of the Association on Stream 1 – Strategic Direction and Stream 2 – Residential Zones, based on what was in our original submission. Currently those who commented on heritage are being heard – this is stream 3.
Stream 4 starts on June 20th [now delayed until June 22nd]. This covers Centres (ie City Centre Zone, Local Centre Zone, etc). Kainga Ora has made a submission proposing that Newtown should be designated a Town Centre, with buildings up to 36m permitted. Many in the Association believe that there is already more land designated than is required, and allowing more height won’t increase the housing supply but potentially will result in a few large blocks shading everything around them. We intend to argue against the KO proposal. Let Rhona know if you would like to be more involved in this topic – email newtownwellington@gmail.com.
Ideas for celebrating the Newtown Residents’ Association 60th Anniversary on Saturday July 29th.
The ideas discussed mostly centred around commemorating Newtown’s history. There was a proposal to book a venue for the day, as a base for displays and activities.
People are needed for an organising group for the Anniversary celebrations. Please think about this, and contact newtownwellington@gmail.com if you are interested.
Newtown Community Centre
The Centre was reopened on May 12th. Tom Law noted that there were to be Open Days 5-7pmThursday 18th May and 2-4pm Sunday 21st May.
The next meeting will be on Monday June 19th.
newtown.org.nz 