Media Releases

27 September

Malls go orange for democracy

Selected shopping centres in Waitakere will gain a splash of electoral orange during the first week of October. Waitakere elections personnel will be out distributing information pamphlets, "Choice" balloons and assisting those not already enrolled in the current elections to arrange a special vote.

Shopping precincts involved are Catherine Mall 04 and 05 October, Lynn Mall 06 October, Westgate 05 and 06 October. Staff will be available to assist voters at these locations between 11am and 3pm each day.

"Even now with voting already underway it's not too late for those not enrolled to obtain special voting papers in order to vote by noon Saturday 13 October" says Waitakere Electoral Officer Darryl Griffin. "Come to the shopping locations on the designated days and look out for elections staff in bright orange shirts, giving out balloons with our cartoon character "Choice" along with plenty of information."

There will also be staff from elections.org on hand to enrol those not already enrolled to vote.

Completed voting papers will need to be posted to the electoral officer or handed in at designated libraries before noon on 13 October.

 

26 September

Trash to Fashion wins gold

Waitakere's Trash to Fashion event has won a gold medal at the International Festival and Events Association (IFEA) 2007 Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards in Idaho, United States.

Despite the stiff competition - there were over 1500 entries from the world's top festivals and events - Trash to Fashion won gold in the Best Events Video Section for events produced for under US$250,000.

Trash to Fashion project manager Naomi McCleary says the award is a "tribute to the many talented individuals who contribute to Trash to Fashion to the creative team and to the hundreds of designers and
young people who focus their minds and spirits on creating fabulous body art from the throw aways of our society".

"Trash to Fashion is high performance coupled with the vision of a society which cares for the planet," she says.

Waitakere City Events Manager Barbara Cade says she was very honoured that the city had received this recognition from world events peers and beat out some very stiff competition from some well known
international events.

"Winning a gold award such as this demonstrates that Waitakere is capable of producing world-class events and that Trash to Fashion assists in raising the standards and quality of events worldwide," Mrs
Cade says.

 

25 September

McCormick's Cottage lost to arsonists

One of Waitakere's more historic buildings has been virtually destroyed in what appears to have been an arson attack over the weekend.

McCormick's Cottage on Harbourview - Orangihina Park, was torched sometime on Saturday night, leaving only two chimneys, one badly charred wall of the cottage itself and the remains of a lean-to.

Police and fire investigators believe that an accelerant was used.

Waitakere City Council has posted security on the site and is seeking an urgent heritage assessment to see if the remains still have heritage value.

The cottage is believed to have been built in the 1880s by Henry McCormick, an immigrant Irish shipwright who worked at Calliope Dock, Devonport.

It is believed that at least some of the timbers were from an old scow, the "Stapha", brought across the harbour in a rowing boat.

Thought to have been originally a summer cottage - or bach - the cottage eventually became the McCormick family home.

Waitakere City Council "inherited" the building, which is listed at a Category 2 heritage building under the District Plan, from the former Auckland Harbour Board at the time of the city's formation in 1989.

Waitakere City Council plans to restore the cottage had been held up by a legal dispute over the land on which the cottage stood.

 

24 September

Waitakere Mayor Addresses Women's Issues Forum About Family Violence

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey today welcomed Minister of Women's Affairs Lianne Dalziel to the city and talked to her women's issues forum about the action against family violence campaign he is currently involved in.

The Waitakere campaign is the local version of the government's national Campaign for Action on Family Violence being led by the Ministry of Social Development.

In Waitakere billboards and newspaper advertisements feature the mayor, former All Black and league legend Va'aiga 'Inga' Tuigamala and Outrageous Fortune television star Robyn Malcolm declaring family violence is "not OK in Waitakere".

"We are taking family violence very seriously in Waitakere because it needs to be taken very seriously," Mayor Harvey told the forum.

"It was logical and right for us to get in behind the government's campaign which has a simple message. Family violence is not OK. It is not OK and it's not OK in Waitakere."

Mayor Harvey also told those attending the forum about his Mayoral Taskforce against Family Violence which he is co-chairing with Dr Pita Sharples.

The Waitakere campaign was launched on September 5 and Mayor Harvey says he has been encouraged by the huge amount of support he has received for the initiative.

"Being a mayor is all about leadership and that's what I'm doing in Waitakere. Together we must and can eradicate the scourge that is seeing our women and children killed."

 

21 September

Waitakere - a City for Peace

Waitakere today (United Nations International Day of Peace) officially celebrated becoming a City for Peace.

About 100 people involved in peace work in the city attended a launch function at the council chambers hosted by Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.

"By becoming a City for Peace, Waitakere has built on its eco and safe city agendas and joins the increasing number of Peace Cities around the world," says Mayor Harvey.

"Too many New Zealand cities are becoming more dangerous and unsafe and here in Waitakere we are prepared to do something about it. As a council we are acting as the 'glue' for a peaceful future for your younger generation."

As part of the event, Mayor Harvey unveiled Waitakere's Declaration of Peace to hang in the council chambers and encouraged Waitakere residents to be active in promoting a culture of peace.

He also asked those attending to observe a moment's silence for murdered woman An An Liu.

Guests were able to view the international exhibition Building a Culture of Peace: For the Children of the World produced by Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in conjunction with the office of the United Nations under secretary general Anwarul Chowhury.

Jimi Wallace, general director of SGI-NZ introduced the exhibition which together with the UN Culture of Peace initiative promotes a comprehensive and inclusive framework that fosters thinking, commitment and action for peace.  (NOTE: The exhibition will be on display at the YMCA Massey and Massey Library until October 22).

United Nations Association of New Zealand national president Anthony Vallyon also spoke, congratulating Waitakere on its City for Peace initiative.

At the end of the event, 30 white doves were released.

"Some people might say our City for Peace declaration is merely words but they are definitely not hollow ones," said Mayor Harvey who is also the new president of the Peace Foundation.

"All successful causes start with a vision and an invitation to other people to share it. The action plan we are also 'unveiling' today details what peace initiatives are already underway in Waitakere and builds on those. This is about hope for the future and we can wear this with enormous pride."

Many of those attending today's event contributed a small offering which to them or their organisation symbolised peace which will be displayed at the council.

When Waitakere decided to become a City for Peace earlier this year Mayor Harvey wrote to Auckland's other three cities asking them to consider a similar declaration.  Auckland is making its declaration on Sunday (September 23).

 

21 September

Winning the 'wow' factor in customer service

Madelaina Adams wins customer service award

Waitakere City Council call centre representative, Madelaina Adams was back from maternity leave for only a few months when she was chosen as one of three top Customer Services Representative from hundreds around the country by CRM Consulting Ltd.

CRM's annual "audit" of New Zealand's call centres is considered a valuable benchmark and training programme in customer service standards.

Madelaina's friendly attitude, professionalism and 'wow' factor contributed to the surprise win that has delighted Waitakere City Council's call centre team.

"Everyone is thrilled for her. We're really excited about it," says call centre manager Caroline Rakich.

"It's awesome for a council to be awarded this honour because we're up against some pretty slick customer service representatives from the private sector including banks and businesses like insurance companies and top auto dealerships just to name a few," says Caroline.

All the call centre staff took on the CRM audit as a personal challenge and Madelaina's award has only inspired them to achieve even high standards of customer service.

 "They are a passionate bunch - and are fully committed to customer service. We have very high standards when looking for call centre staff to represent the council," says Caroline.

CRM's judges pose as callers to test the representatives in how quickly they answer the call, their greetings, product knowledge, sales awareness, communication skills and empathy.

The calls are recorded and rated against a huge range of responses.

Once the 71 call centres were tested as a whole, the top CSRs were singled out and, Madelaina was named as one of the top three Most Outstanding Customer Representatives.

Madelaina - "absolutely delighted" with her win - speaks highly of the supportive atmosphere at Waitakere's call centre.  "It's just great here, I love it. That's why I came back," she says.

Many former call centre staff go on to customer service roles in other parts of the council.

"Call centre people have an amazingly broad knowledge of the council. The council's 'product' is huge and it's always changing," says Caroline.

 

21 September

It's time to vote

Waitakere City voters will be able to cast their votes in the 2007 local authority elections from tomorrow (Saturday 22 September).

Voting papers are being mailed to registered voters today. Most Waitakere residents will start receiving their papers tomorrow, with all papers expected to be delivered by Wednesday 26 September. People who have not received their papers by then should contact Waitakere City Council's Electoral office.

The voting papers will use both the Single Transferable Voting (STV) and the First Past the Post (FPP) voting systems.

The Waitemata District Health Board elections will use the STV voting system to elect their members. For these elections voters are required to rank the candidates they want to vote for in order of preference (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc). Waitakere City Council and Community Board positions, both Licensing Trusts and the Auckland Regional Council will be using the FPP system. For the FPP system voters are required to put a tick alongside the candidate/s they wish to vote for.

Voting papers will contain clear instructions on how to vote using both systems. All the STV elections in the voting papers will be coloured yellow while the FPP election will be white.

"People should read their papers carefully before casting their vote to ensure they are using the right voting method.

"Although electoral rolls have now closed, people can still enrol to vote. However, they will need to request special voting papers," Electoral Officer Darryl Griffin says.

"The last date to enrol is Friday 12 October. I would encourage anyone who has not yet registered to do so and cast a special vote. It's their opportunity to have a say on how the Waitakere City is run over the next three years."

Enrolment forms and information are available from Waitakere Central, 6 Henderson Valley Road or call us for advice.

 

20 September

"Big Belly" To Solve Big Problem

Sunlight and "smart technologies" are being used to tackle a major problem on the streets of Waitakere.

The City Council has installed two solar powered litter bins- the first of their kind in the country.

The bins, nick-named "Big Belly", have been imported from Australia.

A solar panel on the top of the bins stores energy which in turn drives a "ram" to compact the rubbish inside.

Compacting the trash means that the bins only have to be emptied once or twice each month, rather than 2-3 times a day for conventional (60 litre) bins.

Mayor Bob Harvey says not having to pay contractors to empty bins so frequently will off-set the cost of the solar powered receptacles within two years.

"We are trialling them in Henderson and early indications are that they are hugely successful," he says. "If the trial is successful we will install them in all of our town centres."

"This is using smart technology of the future to solve the environmental problems of today. It is a practical, environmentally friendly, answer to a problem that all towns and cities face."

Mayor Harvey adds that hopefully an arrangement can be made with the Australian manufacturers so that the solar bins can one day be made in New Zealand.

 

20 September

Mayor calls for minute's silence for An An Liu

More than 500 people from Waitakere's Asian community will tomorrow (Friday, September 21) observe a minute's silence for An An Liu.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey will lead the silence as part of the opening of the city's annual Moon Festival.

"It seems this family had strong connections with the west and that there was a history of domestic violence," says Mayor Harvey.

"Waitakere is also currently running a 'family violence is not OK in Waitakere' campaign so this tribute is just so right.  A death like this one is very rare in the Chinese community and I want to offer to stand beside our community at this terrible and traumatic time."

Mayor Harvey also noted tomorrow was United Nations International Day of Peace.

"Family violence is a scourge for every culture and we need to move quickly to eliminate it so peace can start in the home," says Mayor Harvey.

"The Moon Festival is still a celebration of our Asian communities and the contribution they make to this city but we cannot sweep tragedies like this under the carpet. Our hearts go out to little Qian and her family for their loss and to all the others so tragically affected by family violence."

Waitakere's Moon Festival features storytelling, Chinese fortune-telling and food and entertainment and gives New Zealanders a glimpse into a culture other than their own in an effort to promote greater cross-cultural understanding and tolerance.

As well as the family violence campaign Mayor Harvey and Maori Party co-leader and local kaumätua Dr Pita Sharples are involved in a newly established Mayoral Taskforce against Family Violence.

 

20 September

ARC Produces "Excellent" Decision

Waitakere City Council has welcomed an ARC committee's decision on filming in the region.

Yesterday the Auckland Regional Council's Parks and Heritage Committee ruled on a report which looked at possible restrictions on filming at key sites in the Waitakere Ranges. The report was part of a review of the ARC Regional Parks Management Plan. 

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey and Councillor Penny Hulse, along with film and television industry representatives, made formal submissions on the proposed changes, which the committee has now decided against.

"The Waitakere Ranges are a unique natural environment and must be protected for generations yet to come," says Mayor Harvey.

 "But the management of the area must also be balanced with pragmatism. What the ARC has come up with is an excellent balance between the economy and the environment."

"The film industry knows how important the locations in the Ranges are to their survival and I am certain that film makers won't do anything to jeopardise that."

The report and recommendations of the ARC Parks & Heritage sub-Committee will now go to a full Council vote on the 24^th of September.

 

19 September

Ranges Bill Gets Second Airing

A Bill to manage the Waitakere Ranges and surrounding areas from further development is due to have its second reading in Parliament today (Wednesday).

The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill was first introduced into the House in February 2006 and has been recommended by the Local Government and Environment Select Committee. The Bill is jointly promoted by Waitakere City Council, Auckland Regional Council and Rodney District Council. Waitakere MP Lynne Pillay is sponsoring the Bill through Parliament.

It establishes the 'Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area', which includes the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, residential areas around Titirangi, the foothills of the Ranges, coastal villages such as Piha, Karekare and parts of south-west Rodney District.   Some 17,000 people live in the area.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey stresses that personal property rights are not affected by the planned legislation. The Bill does not replace the Resource Management Act, nor replace or "undo" district plans prepared under the RMA.

"It does not take away or change the status of any private or public land. It does not change anybody's property rights. If a property is being farmed today, it can continue to be farmed. If a business is being run from the property today, it can continue to be run in the future. If there are any existing rights the bill does not change these."

After today's reading in Parliament the Bill will be further debated, at the House in Committee stage where individual clauses are debated and any amendments agreed to, or voted down.

Below is the speech that Waitakere MP Lynne Pillay gave when introducing the bill for its second reading in parliament.

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print this document.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill - Speech by Lynne Pillay (Size 15K)

 

19 September

Centre of Modern Writing - Shadbolt House

Waitakere has ensured that the legacy of one the country's most well-known authors - Maurice Shadbolt - will live on while simultaneously helping create an environment to nurture New Zealand's future writers.

The Waitakere City Council today formed a partnership with the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to develop a Centre of Modern Writing at Shadbolt House in Titirangi.

Waitakere's arts manager Naomi McCleary says that the decision is a victory for the cultural heritage of Waitakere - and just as importantly, is a serious investment in its future.

"The decision to go ahead with a Centre of Modern Writing at Shadbolt House not only recognises and helps preserve the huge impact Maurice Shadbolt had on literature in this country but the partnership with AUT is a prudent way to progress the project," she says.

'It has turned out to be a great synthesis of AUT's plan to develop a Centre of Modern Writing and council's desire to honour the late Maurice Shadbolt with a site of excellence in writing - in the very location that almost the entire canon of his work was produced.

"It is also a very fiscally responsible move - not only will the Centre of Modern Writing bring students and jobs into the city but in the coming year an independent trust will be set up and will be tasked with part-purchasing the property from council."

The council bought the late Mr Shadbolt's Titirangi property in September 2006 - he and his family had lived for 42 years in the home, where he produced such acclaimed works as "One of Ben's", "Season of the Jew" and "Monday's Warriors".

The School of Modern Writing is expected to open in 2008.

 

 

19 September

Waitakere Mayor becomes indigenous tournament patron

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey is the patron of the inaugural 2008 World Indigenous Touch Tournament to be held in Waitakere in January next year.

Maori Touch NZ approached the mayor because the event was being held in his city and because of his long standing support of, and partnership with, Maori.

Waitakere was the first council in New Zealand to establish Te Taumata Runanga, a standing committee of council representing Maori.

"I was absolutely delighted to say yes to becoming the patron for this incredibly important event," said Mayor Harvey.

"Initiatives such as this do so much for the whole community and I am proud the inaugural event is going to be held in this city."

The January 23 to 26 tournament will be held at Parrs Park in Glen Eden and there will be an official civic function and launch for all the teams, event sponsors and dignitaries at Hoani Waititi Marare on the afternoon of the 23rd at which Mayor Harvey will speak.

The opening ceremony will be held on January 24 and 40 teams are expected to take part.

Maori Touch NZ is hosting the inaugural event and is working with Waitakere City Council staff to ensure the city stages a world class event.
 

 

19 September

Many submittors have an opinion on proposed café at Piha

A proposal to establish a new café at Piha has attracted 172 submissions, with 100 supporting the proposal, 71 opposed and one was neutral.

Submissions have now closed.

Preserve Piha Ltd proposes to develop the café at 20 Seaview Road on the site currently occupied by the old telephone exchange and the post office.

The proposal calls for the removal of the Post Office building and the conversion of the telephone exchange to a café.

The company says that it expects the majority of its custom will be drawn from local people or people already visiting Piha to go to the beach or attend an event.

Accordingly, the company says, it does not expect that the café to generate significant additional traffic.

Noise issues have also been addressed by reducing the opening hours by two hours -from 7am - 7pm, compared with the originally proposed 7am - 9pm.

However, this will still not allow the café to meet noise restrictions on Sundays and public holidays.

The company has also applied to the Auckland Regional Council for a consent for its plans to treat wastewater on site.

Supporters of the proposal say they will welcome the new café, which will add to the amenities of Piha and provide a meeting place for locals.
Opponents had a range of issues including extra traffic, wastewater disposal and noise.

While there is a clear majority favouring the café, this does not guarantee it will be granted resource consent, this is decided on the extent of compliance with the Resource Management Act - not on the number of submissions for and against.

Accordingly, the council will now review the submissions and is not expected to make a recommendation until November or December.

Preserve Piha Limited is a private company whose shareholders include former All Black Marc Ellis and two piha residents, plus three others.

 

17 September

Waitakere scoops major awards

Waitakere has seen more awards than Hollywood on Oscars night, with no less than six major commendations announced in just a few weeks.  

These came on the back of a string of awards the council received here and abroad over the last year. 

The recent awards have been to individuals as well as to the organisation - with CEO Harry O'Rourke and Call Centre operator, Madelaina Adams, both getting national awards for public service. 

At the end of August retiring CEO, Harry O'Rourke, became only the seventh person to receive the Society of Local Government Managers' (SOLGM) top honour, the Distinguished Management Award.

Mr O'Rourke received his award at the SOLGM national conference.  

At the same event, the council won the Process Management category award and the overall Supreme award in the New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards.

These awards recognised the way Waitakere managed the relocation of the council from its old civic centre to Waitakere Central, utilising its own internal project management resources.

In the same week the council learned that the Waitakere Central building had received another award.  

This was for the world-leading vibration-damping system, that allows the Waitakere Central to be comfortably located beside a busy double-tracked railway. 

This award was presented by the Association of Consulting Engineers of New Zealand to the system's designer, Alan Reay Consultants.

In early September Madelaina Adams was one of three Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), nationwide, to receive The Most Outstanding CSR Award at the CRM Awards.

Some 90 call centres throughout the country are evaluated through a mystery shopping survey each year, to arrive at the award nominees.

In the same week, Waitakere learned that its Project Twin Streams had come second to the Danube - and ahead of China's Yellow River - in the international Theiss Riverprize competition, for projects aimed at restoring major waterways around the world.

Earlier in the year, Project Twin Streams was highly commended in the Sustainable Urban Communities category, at the Auckland Regional Council's Sustainable Environment Awards.

Several days later the council accepted one of the ACC's New Zealand Community Safety and Injury Prevention Awards.   

This was for the Ola Fa'asaoina project that was developed between the Samoan Church, Waitakere City Council, the ACC, police, Land Transport New Zealand and Plunket.

Other awards in the last year include two excellence awards from the New Zealand Property Council for Special Purpose Property and Urban Design Property; the supreme Creative Places Award,  from Creative New Zealand, for arts integration in the built environment [specifically the Civic Centre and Waitakere Central Library] and;  the Unitec complex.

And the United Nations LivCom Award for the world's most liveable city with a population of 200,000 or less.

The Council's Trash to Fashion® Awards and Moon Festival are also finalists in the global 2007 International Festival and Events (IFEA) Haas and Pinnacle Awards to be announced soon in, Atlanta, United States.

The Waitakere events were selected as finalist from 1500 entries, world-wide.

 In the same period, the council successfully renewed its World Health Organisation Safer Communities Accreditation and declared itself a City for Peace, joining an increasing number of cities world-wide that have become peace cities.

 

11 September

Connecting Massey safely

The people of Massey have provided valuable feedback on how to safely connect their community.

After an extensive consultation exercise, which included a touch screen survey of Massey residents in a number of locations, a mandate has been put forward to address safety issues near the end of the North Western motorway.
The council has approved immediate action to block off access to the drain which runs beneath the motorway.

Transport strategy manager Kevin Wright says the 15% response rate to the survey showed it was an important issue for the Massey community.
There was support for a variety of solutions, including to further investigate options surrounding the building of a pedestrian bridge and road connection.

"A significant proportion of Massey residents want to see the idea of a safe motorway crossing further explored, but few were happy with the status quo.

Few want to see the continued practice that's taking place daily, which involves members of the community regularly crossing under the North Western Motorway via an underground culvert (a stormwater drain).

Cr Penny Hulse, chair of the City Development Committee, thanked the people of Massey for their valuable feedback.

"We are working with Transit NZ to take immediate steps to improve the safety of pedestrians, by ensuring the culvert is properly fenced and blocked off.

"We will continue to work with the community to develop a neighbourhood accessibility plan to improve access to the parks, shopping centre and community facilities, and to better link Massey residents with facilities in their community.

"We will talk with Transit NZ to provide a pedestrian bridge early (as they did for State Highway 20) so that there is good access connecting Massey residents and providing an alternative pedestrian link when roading works begin."

The council needs to consider funding through its Annual Plan and Long Term Council Community Plan process for its contribution to any pedestrian bridge or road connection.

There will be further opportunities for community input into the funding decision and final design of any future crossing.
 

 

11 September

 

City and church join forces to win safety award

Waitakere City Council turned on the headlights for Ola Fa'asaoina ('to save lives') the ground-breaking project recently acclaimed at the New Zealand Community Safety and Injury Prevention Award ceremony.

Ola Fa'asaoina started with a simple parking ticket. Actually, heaps of parking tickets were involved in the beginning.

Church members of the Henderson and Ranui EFKAS Church congregations contacted fellow churchgoer, Constable Fagaesea Siaki of the Henderson Police, and Kitch Cuthbert of the Waitakere City Council, for help with their parking woes. "Two years ago, Constable Siaki came to us with the parking ticket problem. That was the genesis that turned into a community issue for the congregation of 400. Many didn't realise that parking is prohibited on dotted yellow lines," says Ms Cuthbert.

"We worked together to develop solutions, which included the council implementing parking restrictions to make parking more accessible to church members," she says. The ticket issue sorted, Ola Fa'asaoina's scope broadened to tackle other road safety issues, such as driving without a licence, when and how to use child car restraints and the often lethal combination of youth, alcohol, drugs and speed.

"There were powerful synergies at work", says Ms Cuthbert. "The council activated the police, ACC, Plunket and Land Transport New Zealand. "And we had God on our side".

With the council's help, the church established a committee that included representatives of ACC, the NZ Police, Land Transport NZ, Plunket and the Waitakere City Council, which developed a module-based programme. Innovative initiatives included training bi-lingual driver licensing tutors and offering cheaper learn-to-drive courses. The church's youth group acted in informative skits to encourage more people to learn the road safety rules.

The project reaped results: 116 church members gained learners' licences, 42 now have a restricted licence and use of car child restraints rose from 74% to 96%. The Ola Fa'asaoina project is the latest WCC road safety project to win praise. The council's work with the Tongan Church in New Lynn won a 2004 Road Safety Innovation Award and the Mangere Immigration project won the same award in 2006.

The council is currently training Pacific people to become driving trainers.

"Now the Henderson and Ranui EFKAS church has taken ownership of the programme that's become something of a model for other communities. Ola Fa'asaoina is now being rolled out in other Pacific churches in Waitakere and the North Shore. Constable Siaki, who does Pacific liaison work in Waitakere, is keen to see the award-winning road safety initiative Ola Fa'asaoina applied in other communities around New Zealand," says Kitch Cuthbert.

 

11 September

Waitakere hosts national forum on public libraries and diversity

Librarians from around the country have converged at the Waitakere City Council for the National Forum on Public Libraries and Diversity.

The two-day conference, organised by Waitakere Library & Information Services, attracted some high profile speakers from around Australasia, including New Zealand Race Relations Commissioner, Joris de Bres, the director of the Office of Ethnic Affairs, Mervin Singham, the National Library's director of Services to Maori, John Mohi, and the multicultural consultant to the State Library of New South Wales, Oriana Acevedo.

Attendees also heard from advisors working in the areas of migrant services and refugee resettlement.

In opening the conference Cr Judy Lawley commented on the significance of our libraries in growing Waitakere as a Learning City.

"One of the particularly special contributions of our libraries", she said, "is towards our goal of celebrating diversity".

"Information is vital for new immigrants settling into the city and I'm delighted to see so many of our new citizens using the libraries".

In his address, Mr de Bres reminded the audience that libraries need to make the most of opportunities to engage with, and provide resources for, residents of all nationalities, from birth onwards.

"You are not just an information hub but a meeting point," he said.

"You are helping people access the diversity of stories and cultures of all communities in New Zealand.

Whether you're in Auckland or Invercargill, your people need to know what's going on in the rest of New Zealand as well as their own communities."

Discussions at the forum covered such topics as improving access to information for refugees and how multi-cultural services can become an integral part of library services.

A workshop facilitated by the library manager of Fairfield City Council in Sydney involved each forum attendee developing an action plan that identified a goal focussed on a selected community and defining specific steps required to undertake outreach programmes, collection development and training.
 

 

10 September

Road safety work continues at busy New Lynn crossing

Improvements to the pedestrian crossing near New Lynn are the latest measures undertaken by Waitakere City Council to improve road safety around the school.

Additional broken yellow lines were painted beyond the pedestrian crossing this week, giving motorists better visibility of the crossing and helping eliminate the queuing that occurs when cars are turning right into the shops opposite the school.

New Lynn Primary School principal Greg Roebuck is the first to admit that the roads near his school pose a danger to pedestrians and motorists alike. Not only has his roll doubled in the past six years, bringing an increase in the number of parents driving to and from the school, but an increase in traffic generally is affecting pedestrian safety. Congestion problems centre on the nearby roundabout. It is situated near a busy shopping area with two entrance and exit points and feeds traffic into four streets, all of them with on-street parking and two containing school pedestrian crossings.

"It's very, very busy - and very difficult for both pedestrians and motorists," says Mr Roebuck. "Unfortunately it's just one of those areas that need to be looked at."

The Council has been working with Mr Roebuck over the past year to find solutions to the area's road safety problems. Earlier this year it installed barriers at the roundabout to stop children crossing unsafely, improved road markings, installed crossing lights and gave the school fluorescent cones and coats for its crossing wardens.

"All credit to them. They are trying hard to address the problems and get things going," Mr Roebuck says. "We're still in the process of evaluating what else needs to be done, but I feel confident that we'll get there."

Kitch Cuthbert, the Council's Team Leader for Road Safety says while there have been some immediate and medium-term fixes, a number of long-term options need to be investigated, such as relocating pedestrian crossings away from the roundabout, reducing the amount of on-street parking near the roundabout, changing parking options at the local shops, reviewing speed limits and road markings and possibly even altering the layout of the roundabout itself.
"We have a number of things in the pipeline to address and we're continuing to work to make that environment safe for all pedestrians and road users," she says.

However, with a woman knocked over on the crossing recently, Ms Cuthbert says both pedestrians and motorists need to be more aware of their surroundings.

"We urge the public to slow down and drive to the conditions, especially around schools. Before crossing, pedestrians need to eyeball the driver before they step out. Painted white lines don't make you bullet-proof."

 

7 September

Building Booming in Waitakere

There are no signs of the building industry slowing down in Waitakere.

Despite a dip in the number of building consents issued nationwide, Waitakere City's construction industry remains solid.

In August 191 building consents were approved (an average of eight per day).

There was a slight, expected, seasonal fluctuation in July (when consents dipped to 175), but in August the number of consents bounced back, says Waitakere City's Chief Executive Harry O'Rourke.

"And we expect these sorts of levels to continue for some time to come."

Mr O'Rourke says that since January the Council has issued, on average, just over 200 consents each month. "So the building sector is very definitely strong in Waitakere," he says.

Mr O'Rourke says another pleasing aspect is the quick turn-around of building consents. "The majority of consents are being processed within the statutory 20 day period," he says.

"And in August we averaged 21 days. For home owners and developers time is money so while mindful of our regulatory obligations, we are continuing to focus on getting the right result for them in as short a time frame as possible."

 

7 September

Adopt a second team competition

School children in Waitakere have the opportunity to win tickets to the upcoming New World Netball World Championships with the launch of an "Adopt a second team" competition.

The competition encourages school classes from Year 4 to Year 8 to support a team other than the Silver Ferns, and learn more about both the team and their country by answering a number of questions and displaying them creatively on an A2 poster.

Winning classes will be allocated 30 tickets to one of their adopted team's pool matches at The Trusts Stadium in Waitakere.

For a registration pack, schools can contact Jan Ziegler-Peri on (09) 379 2020 or their local sports trust.

Entries close on 21 September, with judging to take place the following week.

The New World Netball World Championships are being hosted from 10 to 17 November.

Competing countries include Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Cook Islands, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Malawi, Malaysia, Samoa, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago and Wales.

 

7 September

The 2007 Infratil-Waitakere Community Awards

They sing, they dance, they entertain - but most of all they make sure their audiences have a ball.

And it is this dedication to bringing merriment to people's lives that saw the Razzlers, who have performed for over a decade in Waitakere, win the supreme award at 2007 Infratil-Waitakere Community Awards.

The eccentric entertainers perform pantomimes, variety shows and host entertainment evenings throughout Waitakere's rest homes and RSAs to help spread laughter and fun to their audiences.

Any money the Razzlers make from their performances is channelled straight back to those most in need in the community - in the past year they have given over $2000 to help buy toys for crippled children.

The Razzlers received $1500 for winning the supreme award.

The Infratil-Waitakere Community Awards are designed to recognise and acknowledge the valiant efforts of the voluntary organisations providing services in Waitakere.

In the other categories, Friends of Arataki won the Heritage and Environment award, with the West Lynn Garden Society and the West Auckland Historical Society both runners up.

The Razzlers scooped the Health and Wellbeing award while the Friendship Centre Trust and Toughlove New Lynn & Massey were runners up.

The Waitakere Christmas Festival won the Arts and Culture prize with the White Cloud Choir and the Thai Cultural Society finishing second.

The Sport and Leisure category was won by the New Lynn Community Activity Centre while the runners up were the Glen Eden United Sports Club and Waitakere Cricket Club.

In the Educational & Child Youth Development category there were joint winners: Parents Inc and the Tasi Ae Lasi Samoan Teachers Association.

The runner up in this field was the Life Education Trust.

The category winners each received $500.

 

6 September

Local NZ Idol star hits the stage in Project Twin Streams Glen Eden Celebration Arts Performance

Glen Eden resident Indira Moala, who was a runner up in the last series of NZ Idol, will be the star attraction at a Project Twin Streams Arts performance, to be held at Glen Eden Intermediate School at 7pm on 13 September.

Indira will be finale of the evening, which is being held to celebrate the involvement of the local schools in Project twin Streams. Entry to the event is by gold coin donation and this includes interval refreshments.

The evening will also include performances from:

• Glen Eden Primary School with an adventure story in a stream setting - directed by John Goudge.
• Kaurilands Primary School with an item from their Junior school musical, 'Mandy's Garden'.
• Glen Eden Intermediate School performing Sina and the Tuna - directed by Tui Mamaki.
• Kids 4 Drama
• Bev Birch School of Dance with three environmentally themed dances.

Sarah Cole, Project Twin Stream Glen Eden coordinator said, "We are delighted to have Indira at our celebration evening. The arts performance will be a wonderful opportunity to come along and see what the young guardians of our streams have to say about the streams and their vision for it."

 

6 September

Helping keep Waitakere safe

For well over a decade now Waitakere has been championing health and safety initiatives in its workplaces, in the community and most importantly, in its households.

Since the early 1990s when Waitakere first made its commitment to community safety, many local businesses have supported initiatives that have promoted safety and injury prevention.

On Friday, 7 September the Safe Waitakere Injury Prevention Board and the Child Safety Coalition are holding a joint event which will celebrate the input that local businesses have put into this area.

The event will not only acknowledge these companies, but also challenge them to continue and further develop their community support for safety and injury prevention.

Examples of the input from Waitakere businesses include: support for distribution of information flyers, placement of posters, product donation and discounting, support for personal approaches to clients, utilisation of employee time for meetings and prize packages.

In 1999 Waitakere City successfully became the first World Health Organisation accredited Safe Community in New Zealand.

Interested media are invited to attend the function which begins at 5.30pm, 7 September.

 

5 September

Waitakere mayor launches local campaign for action against family violence

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey today launched a local version of the government's national campaign for action against family violence.

The $14 million national Campaign for Action on Family Violence is being led by the Ministry of Social Development and the Families Commission in association with communities and Waitakere is the first city to produce a local version.

In Waitakere, billboards and newspaper advertisements funded with help from The Trusts, will feature the mayor, former All Black and league legend Va'aiga 'Inga' Tuigamala and Outrageous Fortune television star Robyn Malcolm declaring family violence is "not OK in Waitakere".

"We are taking family violence very seriously in Waitakere because it needs to be taken very seriously," says Mayor Harvey.

"The time has come for action. Dr Pita Sharples and I are co-chairing a Mayoral Taskforce against Family Violence and it was logical and right for us to get in behind the government's campaign which has a simple message. Family violence is not OK. It is not OK and it's not OK in Waitakere."

The campaign will add to raising awareness of family violence that is already happening in communities and is designed to help change attitudes and behaviour towards family violence.

When approached by Mayor Harvey to lend her high profile to the campaign Robyn Malcolm was quick to accept.

"All that is good in our communities starts with the family. Children are our future and our hope," she says. "Violence within the family contributes to the erosion of our communities and hope for a good future. If we do nothing else we must work all seasons for safer environments in which to raise our children.

"We must also work to provide greater support for those many families under such extreme pressure they then use violence as an out. It is a complex problem but one that must be dealt with. We are all responsible."

At the Waitakere launch, attended by around 60 people who work in the family violence area, Mayor Harvey was joined by the Ministry of Social Development's Deputy Chief Executive: Social Services Policy Nick Pole and Chief Commissioner, Families Commission Rajen Prasad who also made presentations.

The national campaign was launched at Parliament yesterday and the 0800 number and website will be available from September 9 to coincide with the screening of the first television advertisements.

 

4 September

Project Twin Streams a finalist at global environmental awards

Waitakere's Project Twin Streams has been recognised as a global leader in the protection and restoration of the city's streams for future generations.

The project was runner-up in the prestigious, $AU$300,000 International Thiess Riverprize competition - the results of which were announced at the River Symposium in Brisbane last night.

Project Twin Streams was competing against three other international projects including the (eventual winner), International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), and restoration projects for Lake Simcoe (Canada) and the Yellow River (China).

Harry O'Rouke, CEO Waitakere City Council who presented Project Twin Streams to the symposium attendees said, "It is marvelous to see Project Twin Streams on the international stage - competing with such high profile projects as the Austrian Danube River entry and the Chinese Yellow River entry. It very much validates the amazing work which we undertake in the Eco-City."

The International Thiess Riverprize is a partnership between Riverfestival and the International Riverfoundation - which was established to advocate the protection and restoration of the world's rivers and waterways for future generations.
Project Twin Streams is a multi-faceted project which uses the power of community participation to restore restore 56 km of stream.

While the focus of the project is on stream bank restoration, the vision encompasses better stormwater management, how land is used, how households can become more sustainable, and how cycle and walkways along streams can influence public health.

The project is delivered by local communities in partnership with Waitakere City Council.

Community collaboration was clearly the name of the game with The Danube River project winning on the basis of its collaborative approach to improving the water quality in Europe's second longest river.

"We are clearly among the international leaders, in terms of using river restoration initiatives to manage our city better while building strong communities," says Mr O'Rourke.

This was confirmed by International Riversymposium chair Professor Paul Greenfield.

"As we move into a world of increasing complexity and uncertainty around water security, I am convinced those who develop and refine the knowledge and approaches for protecting, restoring and sustainably managing river systems, will become our water heroes," he said. "They are the global vanguards who have remained committed for many years to maintaining and rebuilding the health of rivers world-wide" he says.