Ros Connelly - Greater Wellington Regional Councillor
This is my second year as Upper Hutt’s representative on the Greater Wellington Regional Council, so here is my second annual report.
It’s been a challenging year, as we face the changes COVID will mean for our foreseeable future. COVID has affected Greater Wellington
Regional Council – especially our public transport operations. It meant a return to virtual meetings, which I still haven’t learned to love.
But despite the challenges, this year has seen many successes for Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
• The appointment of a new Chief Executive
• A Long Term Plan that will reduce regional council emissions by two thirds
• The creation of a $10 million dollar low carbon fund with over $2 million allocated this year to restore wetlands and forests in Raumati and Kaitoke
• Funding for a Living Wage base rate for all bus drivers and support for better driver pay and conditions
• New train stations at Trentham and Wallaceville, plus the installation of four new Upper Hutt bus shelters and the enhancement/renewal of 13 other Upper Hutt bus stops
• Restoring a cheaper public-run airport bus service, ready to roll by July 2022 (I proposed this service be extended to the Hutt Valley but this motion was not passed)
• A trial with Snapper on rail to be delivered by the end of 2021 ahead of integrated ticketing
• A Council commitment to pursue a threatened-species sanctuary in Wainuiomata
• An aerial predator control operation to protect the ecosystem (ancient rata in particular) in the Akatarawa Forest
• The purchase of 98 new electric buses
• A plan for our regional parks that commits to the phasing-out of animal grazing
• Consents lodged for the Riverlink project (the Greater Wellington, Hutt City and Waka Kotahi project to improve access and flood protection at Melling)
• Completion of the Whanganui-a-tara Whaitua – a plan for Fresh Water Management in the Hutt Valley and Wellington
• Fast response and action to restore the riverbank and river trail between Heretaunga and Trentham following flood damage
• The opening of a new, wheelchair-accessible bridge in the Kaitoke regional park
• Awhi for the development of Te Matarau a Maui – a Wellington regional Maori economic development strategy
• Helping with the COVID vaccination drive (through provision of the Delta BUSter mobile vaccination bus and supporting Kokiri Hauora to vaccinate the Hutt)
Please contact me if you want to talk about anything in this report or have questions or issues with which I can help.
Email: ros.connelly@gw.govt.nz
Facebook: fb.me/rosconnellyforupperhutt
Instagram: @rosconnelly
💨 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! 👇
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!
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