Media Releases

January 2004

29 January

Foundations in for hospital child health unit

The $60 million redevelopment of Waitakere Hospital is a step closer to being finished with the completion of the last major concrete pour on the hospital site.

About 35 cubic metres of concrete have been poured into the foundations for the hospital's child health unit, which will be fully opened along with the rest of the hospital in early December.

It is the last major pour of the redevelopment, which started in late 2001. 

There to help was Waitemata DHB board member and local pharmacist Warren Flaunty.  Mr Flaunty is also a member of the Massey Community Board.

"When my son was born 35 years ago in the Waitakere Hospital maternity unit, I never dreamed that I would one day be standing here in the middle of wet concrete, witnessing this sort of redevelopment."

Mr Flaunty says that as New Zealand's fifth largest city Waitakere is deserving of a new general hospital to serve its population of around 180,000.

"This upgrade has been four decades in the making and there are many people who have pushed for this and should be thanked including local and central government politicians and many others in the community."

The child health unit will eventually consist of an acute paediatric assessment unit, paediatric medical and surgical clinics and other child health services such as mental health, home care and child development.

Other aspects of the hospital redevelopment include an emergency care centre, special care baby unit, an expanded outpatients department and new medical/surgical wards.

The new hospital is due to open in early December.

27 January

Councils prepare to respond to Government's Auckland transport package

Local authorities in Auckland will start meeting next week to formally decide their responses to the Government's package to develop the region's transport network.

The package, announced on 12 December, provides for an extra $1.62 billion in funding over the next 10 years and proposes a new Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA). The package is conditional on all territorial local authorities and the Auckland Regional Council agreeing to the new governance arrangements.

Regional local government officers have been evaluating the package since 12 December and, through chief executives, are providing four reports for councils.

The reports deal with funding, governance and regulatory issues and make recommendations for councils to consider.

Officers report the package provides 60% of the funding needed by the region to implement its transport strategy - to deliver integrated and efficient transport networks and services. They also note that there may be little benefit in having ARTA making decisions on local roads - when state highways and rail decisions (involving Government agencies Transit and Trackco) are left outside the mix.

And officers are concerned that new funds will not be made available until regional transport and other plans are updated, a potentially time consuming process.

The major recommendations include asking the Government to:

• Consider introducing further new funding mechanisms, including road pricing, to help bridge the funding gap and deliver sustainable long term funding
• Make sure all future work on tolling is carried out jointly by the Government and the region
• Remove the link between making changes to regional and district plans and the flow of new funds, to avoid delaying the start of projects already set to go
• Seriously consider integrating the functions of Transit and Trackco into the new regional governance structure.

Several recommendations are made to help with the establishment of ARTA.

The officers' full reports will be publicly available through local councils' agendas, including some of their web sites.

The current schedule of council meetings at which responses to the Government will be decided are:

12 January

New pump station ensures the water keeps flowing

Watercare is putting the finishing touches to a new $2 million water pumping station designed to ensure the west and north of Auckland will not run out of water.

The new pumping station is a standby plant which would maintain water supplies, if supply from the Huia Water Treatment Plant, or the lakes supplying it, were unable to meet demand.

"Part of our role as the region's water supplier is to minimise risks to the water supply and that means having back-up capabilities in the event of a problem with a critical part of the system," says Watercare spokesperson Ian Parkes.

The Huia treatment plant can supply up to 114 million litres of drinking water a day, about a fifth of Watercare's total capacity. The pump station gives Watercare the ability to provide a complete back-up to this supply by pumping water from the New Lynn area to the west and across the Upper Harbour Drive bridge to the North Shore.

That would reverse the usual flow of water, downhill from the Huia plant. Altering the usual pattern of water flow in the network like this is likely to pick up sediment that has settled out of the water over many years. For this reason, Watercare plans to flush the water mains on both sides of the pump station prior to testing the pumps, over several nights from Monday 12 January to Monday 19 January. 

"We have planned this flushing exercise carefully and we are working closely with Waitakere City Council and Metrowater to ensure the minimum possible disruption to customers," says Ian Parkes.

"We will isolate the affected water mains to flush any discoloured water out of the system but there is still a chance some discoloured water will remain when we have to switch back to normal service in the mornings.

"For that reason, we are asking people to run the cold tap into a sink or bowl to check for discolouration, especially before washing clothes. The discolouration is not harmful but it can discolour washing."

Residents should check their tap water for two weeks, which covers two phases of the project. During the first week (January 12-19), Watercare is flushing the pipes, and during the second week (January 19 -26), Watercare is testing the pumps. 

Watercare discussed the installation and commissioning of the new pumping station with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service throughout 2003. Medical Officer of Health Dr David Sinclair says the safety of the water should not be affected. 

"The amount of minerals and sediment in the water should be far below the level where there is any affect on human health, although the colour, taste and smell of the water may change. The Public Health Service will be monitoring test results with Watercare to ensure public safety." 

7 January

Fire restrictions still in place

Residents living within the Waitakere Rural Fire District are reminded that they currently need to apply for a permit before lighting fires in the open air.

A permit is required until the City's restricted fire season ends on April 30. To apply for a fire permit (which is free), contact us.

Residents living in urban areas are able to light backyard fires without a permit, so long as they comply with Council bylaws. The fire can only be burning between sunrise and sunset, must not be within three metres of a neighbour's fence and should not be creating a smoke nuisance. Water must also be readily available to extinguish the fire if necessary. 

As a general guide all of the area west of a line, described below, to the west coast is deemed to be within the Waitakere Rural Fire District:

Redhills Road, Birdwood Road, Swanson Road, Candia Road,
Henderson Valley Road, Parrs Cross Road, West Coast Road,
Shaw Road, Exhibition Drive, Huia Road and Shirley Road

In times of extreme fire risk, conditions may be imposed by the NZ Fire Service, but in normal times the City's bylaws govern the use of fire. 

In the Waitakere Rural Fire District, in addition to the Council bylaws, there are three fire seasons throughout the year:  

Open Fire Season
Fires may be lit in the open under the conditions detailed in the City's Bylaw 6. The Open Fire Season is usually from 1 May to 30 November each year. 

Restricted Fire Season
From 1 December to 30 April when lighting any fire in the open air requires a permit. 

Prohibited Fire Season
A Prohibited Fire Season is imposed during periods of extreme fire danger, and no fire of any description may be lit in the open air. 

Note: The dates given are the usual dates of the seasons. This, however, does not prevent the declaration of a Restricted or Prohibited season at any time during the year should conditions warrant it.