Lower Hutt Rates
I am pleased that Mr Campbell Barry has stepped down. Since he has been in office, he has increased our rates by 70%. Initially there was a 40% increase because of increased house prices (I would argue that such a huge rise was not necessary), and since then there was the 17% last year and now a further 10%!! This is unconscionable, especially since it went across the struggle post covid and the economic difficulty in Wellington since many people were made redundant. The rates rises were not just for essential services either - millions were spent on the (unwanted) Petone parking meters (not essential) and the (unwanted) addition of water meters. The parking meters in Petone are a prime example of the City council not being interested in what their rate payers want! The hourly rate of $3 adds a lot to the cost of doing business in Petone. It would be a real shame if the greed of the Council leads to the destruction of Petone’s central business district! It would seem that the city Council is using us as an ATM to create ways of gouging us some more. They seem determined to bleed us dry and there seems to be no way of stopping them. As of next year they are going to charge us for water usage over and above our rates. This has got to stop. They are already taking almost half of my pension!
It would please me hugely if the new councillors we vote in show a concern for the wellbeing of their constituents. It would be lovely if they instituted a cap of 5% of total house value on the rates. Hopefully when the water meters kick in they will give us a rebate for the amount we would have paid for water services, so that the water metering does not add more to the already onerous amount we are paying them. Please make your vote count.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
💨 Wellington: Is the real summer finally here?
It’s the talk of the town (and every coffee queue): the Wellington "summer" has felt more like a very long, very damp spring! 🌧️ We’ve definitely had our fair share of grey skies and raincoats lately.
In fact, The Post reports that our "pretty average" summer has been tough on the local venues and events that usually thrive under the sun. But don't pack away the sunscreen just yet!
The good news? The next couple of weeks are looking a bit more "settled" (the Wellington word for "not a gale-force downpour"). With autumn officially here, now is the time to squeeze every last drop out of the season! ☀️
Any local hidden spots or activities you’d recommend for a calm Wellington day? Drop them in the comments! 👇
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37.9% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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62.1% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
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