Media Releases

December 2005

23 December

Lifeguard Anthony Clarke with a new sign installed by Waitakere City Council at Piha.

New water safety signs installed at Auckland's west coast beaches

The ARC, Waitakere City Council and Surf Life Saving Northern Region have created new water safety signage at west coast beaches.

Waitakere City Council and ARC have worked together and met with residents and local community groups to coordinate messages and agree upon the style of signs.

New signs were installed this week at Piha, Karekare, Whites Beach, Anawhata, and Muriwai beaches.

The new signs have standardised international symbols, so international and mulit-lingual visitors can still understand them.
The signs have three primary purposes:

• To inform people about significant coastal hazards at the site.
• They have a unique numbering system so emergency services can easily identify the location.
• To inform people about lifeguard and emergency services at the location.
• The symbols are specifically diamond shaped to communicate they are a hazard sign and people should pay attention to them.
  Each site has been risk assessed and there are three sign types. The location and the placement of signage will dictate which of the three sign types will be used.
• Vehicle access sign - These will be located in prime catchment locations such as car parks and vehicle access points so visitors are informed on important information before undertaking water activities.
• Pedestrian access sign - These will be placed near pedestrian access points, in a clearly visible position.
• Identified Hazard sign - Stand-alone hazard symbols warning visitors of specific dangers.

23 December

New Food Safety Bylaw adopted

The Food Safety Bylaw 2005 was adopted at Waitakere City Council's 21 December meeting, updating the existing Bylaw No.26 1994 Food Safety (as amended in 2003).
The main changes relate to the display of grading certificates and the qualification requirements for food handlers.
There is also a new section to regulate persons who hire out equipment used in the service or consumption of food.
Following public consultation and a consideration of submissions received, a right of appeal relating to grading decisions was added to the bylaw.

The Council voted to repeal the following bylaws as part of its bylaw review required by the Local Government Act 2002 as they have been superseded by legislation and are therefore redundant.

• Bylaw No.3 (1990) Land Subdivision & Development
• Bylaw No.12 (1990) Certification Fee for Documents
• Bylaw No.15 (1990) Dangerous Goods Approvals
• Bylaw No.16 (1990) Fencing of Swimming Pools
• Bylaw No.21 (1990) Hazardous Substances
• Bylaw No.23 (1990) Clean Indoor Air
• Bylaw No.24 (1991) Construction Noise

22 December

Pes Fa'aui Honoured For Bravery

Waitakere City Council parking officer Pes Fa'aui has received a citation for bravery.

The award was presented by Mayor Bob Harvey and Deputy Mayor Carolynne Stone at last night's City Council meeting.

Pes has been hailed a hero after subduing a man who wounded shop workers and fatally stabbed an elderly shopper recently in the Henderson Township. The citation reads: "Presented for outstanding bravery, above and beyond the call of duty".

In accepting the honour Pes acknowledged the victim of the knife attack and his grieving family. He also said that he was "deeply honoured and humbled" by the award.

"I have been labelled a 'hero' nearly every day since the incident. But that term is not for me. With due respect, the real heroes in our community, I believe, are those that have fought for this country- and especially those that died in the process. And also our emergency services- the fire, ambulance, police, and hospital staff all of whom, while we are in the comfort of our home or office are dealing with incidents daily that we may never see or hear about."

21 December

Tourists and children research Waitakere

Tourists and children are researching Waitakere Online, the community-led portal launched in June 2004 administered by Waitakere City Council.

Just released six-monthly statistics show most people visiting the site want to know where Waitakere is in the Auckland Region, indicating tourists are looking beyond Auckland's CBD for adventures.

In addition, children researching Waitakere are also checking it out, indicated by the busiest hour of the day being between three and four pm.

The site had 611, 855 hits over the six months (24,000 visits), with four thousand visits per month.

Ninety-three percent of visitors were using Microsoft Internet Explorer to explore the site while over eighty percent were running a Windows 2000 platform configuration.

Google was the search engine most referred from with seventy-eight percent of visits.

The greatest percentage of visits occurred between the work hours of 8am and 5pm.

Waitakere City Council representative on the Waitakere Online Editorial Board, Councillor Linda Cooper says that the investment in ICT infrastructure the Council has made is evident in recent statistics that indicate Waitakere is one of the most connected cities in New Zealand per capita.

Over two hundred visitors linked through to the portal via a resident's blog site of Oratia.

21 December

Waitakere hopes rail investment includes undergrounding at New Lynn

Waitakere City Council hopes that taking the western railway line underground at New Lynn is included in the projects to benefit from the Government's commitment to invest heavily in the Auckland railway system.

"It is good news all round. Double tracking offers enormous benefits to the region but these will be compromised if the undergrounding doesn't happen at New Lynn," says Councillor Penny Hulse, Chair of Waitakere City Council's City Development Committee.

Cr Hulse was commenting on the Government announcement yesterday that it will invest between $450 million and $600 in Auckland rail projects. The projects include further double tracking of the Western Line from Henderson to Swanson.

Undergrounding of the railway at New Lynn wasn't mentioned in the announcement.

"The whole point of all this rail investment is to get commuter vehicles off roads to allow commercial traffic to flow more freely region-wide. That can't happen fully, however, if commercial traffic is held up by twice as many trains using level crossings in New Lynn," Councillor Hulse says.

"The only logical long term solution - that benefits the whole region - is to take the railway underground so that commercial traffic can flow easily across the surface.

"If we don't achieve that, the surrounding motorways including State Highway 20, will not work as they are supposed to - which would be a lot of public money wasted," she says.

New Lynn Councillor Derek Battersby agrees.

"New Lynn is a vital centre in regional plans to manage future growth. The region needs both the population and the business and employment sector to double at New Lynn, over the next several decades - and that is what we are working to achieve," he says.

"But New Lynn can only reach its full potential if the undergrounding happens - and it should happen at the same time as the double-tracking, otherwise the tax payer will pay twice, "Councillor Battersby says.

Waitakere City Council is working with ARTA and On Track to complete the rail development, including the undergrounding.

15 December

Trusts Chairman Murray Spearman with campaign organiser Roy Hunt

Trusts support teen alcohol campaign

A sobering slogan - "Think before you buy under 18s drink" - is emblazoned on carrier bags at Waitakere City's Trusts wholesale outlets, as part of a city wide campaign prompting parents and older adults to consider the consequences of supplying alcohol to teens

Portage and Waitakere licensing trusts chief executive Murray Spearman says the Trusts "totally support" the campaign.

"We have ordered 450,000 plastic bags with the campaign message printed on them," he says.

A series of graphic posters and radio ads aims to make parents of teens think about the possible consequences of supplying their children with alcohol for occasions they will not be directly supervising. Other printed material will be put in bottle stores.

"The responsible use of alcohol is not a problem" says campaign organiser Roy Hunt, "the concerning thing is that 23% of youth have reported being exposed to "risky" situations the last time they drank, and there are grave consequences associated with improper use including higher risks of violent situations, disorderly behaviour, and sexual assault."

The campaign will run through the Christmas period and early into the New Year.

14 December

International act Shamus

Buskers to entertain Christmas shoppers

World-class buskers will be entertaining Henderson shoppers this week between 12 and 4pm in Catherine Mall and the mainstreet. 

Waitakere City Council is sponsoring the series of performances as part of the city events calendar for summer.

International acts Shamus, Sam Wills and Pauly Paul, among others, will be performing for shoppers every day this week.

This Sunday will see performers of another kind at the annual Carols in the Park at Falls Park from 6.30pm. Fun for all the family a sausage sizzle manned by Ewen Gilmour, the Mayor and a few Vodafone Warriors will be raising funds for a new rescue helicopter.

13 December

Rating system up for discussion

Waitakere City Council has decided to put its rating system up for public discussion during next year's consultation on the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP).

The Council's Finance and Operational Performance Committee (FOP) voted to re-examine whether land value or capital value should be the basis on which rates are calculated. It voted separately to consider adopting a Uniform Annual Charge for wastewater (sewage).

"Under the existing system wastewater is charged as part of the rates based on the land value of a property and a lot of people see that as unfair because not only are people charged whether they use the service or not, but the more valuable their property, the more they are charged," says Councillor Janet Clews, chair of the FOP Committee.

The Council will also open up for discussion whether to stick with using unimproved land value as the basis for calculating rates. This system calculates each property's rates as so many cents for every dollar that the land is worth without buildings or other improvements.

The capital value system charges so many cents in the total value of land, buildings and other improvements. This doesn't increase the rates that Council collects it is merely a different way of distributing the rate requirement.

"We are looking for a fairer system," says Councillor Clews.

"The hardest thing will be explaining how the system works in the first place, so that we can have an objective discussion with ratepayers about which is the fairer system. Obviously people with more valuable properties will automatically expect that their rates will increase if we go to capital value, but that isn't necessarily the case," she says.

The Council cannot charge more in rates than it needs to help fund the costs of running the city each year. Under the Annual Plan it sets out the work programme for the year and the costs for carrying out that work.

It then deducts the value of income it expects to receive from sources, other than rates. The remaining cost is what has to be funded through rates.

Basically the remaining amount to be funded is divided into the value of the city's properties, and this results in a rate of so many cents in the dollar.
 

12 Decemberr

Free sunscreen at events

The Lions Clubs of Waitakere, in association with Waitakere City Council, are making sure everyone stays sun smart with free sunscreen at all city events this summer.

The free tubes of sunscreen will be at the following events: :

• Carols in the Park on Sunday December 18
• Waitakere Sounds, free concerts in February and March 2006
• The Annual Soap Box Derby, Westgate Drive on March 19, 2006

The Cancer Society recommends staying out of the sun between 11am and 4pm, but if that's not possible remember to slip, slop, slap and wrap to protect yourself from the elements.

Skin cancer contributes to the thousands of cancer-related deaths in New Zealand each year and with summer on the doorstep the Council and Lions hopes the free sunscreen will remind people to stay safe in the sun.

For more information see the Cancer Society website  and for more events see What's on in the City.

12 December

Carols for all the family at Falls Park

Mayor Bob Harvey will be one of the chefs on the Great Westie Resqbbq at the Carols in the Park this Sunday.

Mayor Harvey, Ewen Gilmour and a few Vodafone Warriors will all be at Falls Park in Henderson singing along to carols led by the churches of Henderson between 6.30 and 8.30pm.

Organised by the Henderson Community Board and Waitakere City Council, Carols in the Park is an annual event for families and couples alike to come and enjoy the Christmas spirit.

For the kids, there'll be a special appearance by Mr Claus himself, as well as the opportunity to get their face painted and laugh and Jiggles the Clown.

Those worried about dinner can pick up a sausage from the Great Westie Resqbbq, a fundraiser for a new rescue helicopter for Waitakere.

For more information contact us.

12 December

Summer reading programme kicks off

Enrolments for the ever-popular summer reading programme open today at libraries and parents are warned to get in quick, as places go swiftly!

Henderson, New Lynn, Titirangi, Ranui, Massey, Glen Eden and Te Atatu Peninsula libraries will be offering the free, incentive-based programme over the summer holidays.

500 places are available in the programme. Registrations run from 3pm to 5pm at all participating libraries, and both parent and child sign a form promising to read for at least 15 minutes each day.

The programme aims to keep children reading throughout the holidays and is particularly suitable for less able readers due to its individual nature, with regular check-ins at the library during the six week period.

Now in its ninth year, the summer reading programme is sponsored by the Rotary clubs of Henderson, Waitakere, New Lynn and West Harbour.

The summer reading programme was developed by "E.C. Read'n" (Eastern and Central Reading Encouragement and Development Network) in Masterton.

View more information.

8 December

Waitakere commits to Older Adults Housing long term

Waitakere City Council today formally resolved to ensure that a housing service for older adults will continue in the city.

The resolution was made by the Council's City Development Committee which unanimously supported an approach to Government to seek a partnership in providing the housing.

The Committee called for reports in February on how best to restructure the service and deliver it long term.

"By today's decision, the Council has made an absolute commitment to ensuring that the Housing for Older Adults Service will continue," says Councillor Penny Hulse, chair of the committee.

"Hopefully, this will stop the issue being misused as a political football," she says.

During the discussion, Councillors were critical of local MPs for making misleading comments that had undone the confidence the Council had built up in tenants during the year. They also criticised the Government's rules for providing funding support for this kind of housing.

"We went to a lot of trouble to reassure tenants that their homes would be safe and that was shattered by very unhelpful comments by certain MPs. It has happened more than once but hopefully, now it will stop," Councillor Hulse says.

"Nevertheless, we take seriously recent commitments by the Minister of Housing, the Hon Chris Carter, to assist us with funding," she says.

"We are meeting Minister Carter soon and will tell him we want to go forward on this in partnership. As part of that we will be asking for realistic financial assistance - not the woefully inadequate $1.5 million that is currently the Government's top limit," says Councillor Hulse.

Councillor Hulse says that the Council is reviewing every aspect of the housing to see how it can be best delivered over the long term.

"We have to stop patching and painting over cracks and put the whole service on a much better footing. Government money will greatly increase what we can afford to do," she says.

"We will now receive reports on how best to move forward. When we have considered those, we will create a plan and enshrine it in the Long Term Council Community Plan," says Councillor Hulse.

"That will be the time when we will be able to tell the Government exactly what is proposed and how they can help," says Councillor Hulse.

1 December

St Michael's permanent at Corbans

Councillor Assid Corban next to St Michael's Church

St Michael's Church finally has a new home after being moved onto its new permanent site at the Corban Estate Arts Centre today.

Built in 1914, beside Great North Road opposite the Corban Estate, St Michael's was acquired by the Council and moved to a temporary site at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in 1997.

The permanent positioning of the church is particularly special for former mayor, Councillor Assid Corban, whose family's namesake is synonymous with the Corban Estate.

Mr Corban's family was closely associated with St Michael's through its life; his mother-in-law was married there and Mr Corban himself was baptised and confirmed in the church

The church is now owned by the Henderson Heritage Trust and will be restored and used for community activities.