Media Releases

July 2008

30 July 

Waitakere City Council hosting Big Latch On

Waitakere City Council is delighted to host one of the city's world mass breastfeeding record attempts - the Big Latch On - on Friday, August 1.

About 50 breastfeeding mothers are expected at the council building in Henderson at 10am, the same time other 'latch ons' are planned around the country.

The event, part of World Breastfeeding Week 2008, is being organised by the Women's Health Action Trust and is supported by the West Auckland Parents Centre.

The women will attempt to break the New Zealand record set last year when 937 women breastfed simultaneously.

Parents Centre and La Leche League believe breastfeeding is the ideal form of infant feeding and encourages breastfeeding mothers in Waitakere to take the chance to celebrate their success and connect with other breastfeeding mothers.

Waitakere Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says that as soon as she heard the organisations were looking for a venue to hold the record attempt she offered one of the rooms in the council building.

"It's just so appropriate. We support our local community as much as we can. Waitakere Central was purpose built to accommodate this city's needs and that included allocating a special room for breastfeeding, something we absolutely support."

30 July

Waitakere receives top award for action on climate change

Making a valuable contribution to reducing the effects of climate change today earned Waitakere City Council a top award from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).

Waitakere Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse received the 'Milestone 4' award from the Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Trevor Mallard, at the Local Government New Zealand annual conference in Rotorua.

Waitakere is one of only two councils to achieve a Milestone 4 award, which assesses how well a local authority has done in carrying out its local Climate Change Action Plan from the Milestone 3 stage of the government-funded Communities for Climate Protection - New Zealand (CCP-NZ) programme.

Part of the wider ICLEI International Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, the CCP-NZ programme involves councils working through a series of milestones to assess their local climate change impact, set goals to reduce their impact and implement local greenhouse gas emission reduction projects.

For a Milestone 4 award, a local authority must achieve a five percent saving in either its corporate or community greenhouse gas emissions.

Waitakere reached the five percent saving threshold by its corporate activities alone, without needing to take into account its community initiatives, such as the EcoWise West retrofit programme for 1,000 households and the appointment of an Eco Design Advisor to help homeowners, designers and builders make new homes and renovations more sustainable and energy efficient.

As part of the CCP-NZ programme, the Council has cut greenhouse gas emissions by running its facilities and street-lighting more efficiently, purchasing smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles for its transport fleet and encouraging staff to use more sustainable travel modes to get to and from work.

The Council's energy efficiency projects are producing ongoing savings of almost eight million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, worth about $1.3 million. Many of the City's key facilities, such as its civic centre, libraries and leisure centres, demonstrate the use of solar water heating, solar electricity and wind power.

Independently rated as one of the top sustainable buildings in New Zealand, the multi award-winning Waitakere Central Civic Centre is the City's showcase for practical environmental design. It integrates architecture, engineering, art and urban design to demonstrate the eco city's sustainability principles and includes passive solar principles, extensive use of daylighting and innovative systems for air, water and waste handling.

"Since becoming New Zealand's first eco city in 1993, Waitakere has developed an international reputation for leadership in addressing environmental issues through council-community partnerships," says Waitakere Deputy Mayor, Penny Hulse.

"As an eco city, we constantly strive to put in place new ways of doing things to create a more sustainable future and try to encourage and inspire the people of Waitakere to do the same. It is that approach that makes Waitakere the innovative, forward-thinking place it is. I was proud to accept this award, not only on behalf of Waitakere City Council but also on behalf of our residents who are making a conscious effort to preserve and protect our environment."

ICLEI Oceania Chief Executive, Wayne Wescott, says Waitakere City Council's many climate change actions have had substantial flow-on benefits for the community.

"Implementing actions, such as reducing waste, using energy efficient products and encouraging alternative forms of transport, not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but they significantly improve the quality of life for the community," he says.

"Waitakere has truly embraced the principle of 'Think global, act local' and is demonstrating that they can make a tangible difference in the area of climate change."

The Council is already working towards achieving Milestone 5, which involves taking an inventory of the greenhouse gas emissions from its own activities and the community as a whole and comparing them to the emission levels measured in 2002 for Milestone 1.

Examples of Waitakere's key energy efficiency achievements:

• Installing an EnergyPro monitoring system to keep track of all energy consumption (electricity, gas and water)
• Installing 145 solar path lights in parks, 96 photovoltaic panels at the Massey Leisure Centre and Library, a 1 kW photovoltaic system and solar water heating in Waitakere's new Civil Defence headquarters and solar water heating panels at the Waitakere Central Civic Centre, Waitakere Central Library and West Wave Aquatic Centre
• Upgrading lighting and air conditioning at the Council's former civic centre in Waipareira Avenue
• Upgrading traffic and pedestrian signals to LED lighting
• Installing a wind turbine onto Waitakere Central (in partnership with Vector)
• Conducting energy efficiency reviews for Titirangi War Memorial Library and Community House, Massey Leisure Centre and Library and Ranui Community House and Library
• Undertaking energy efficiency projects at West Wave and the Waikumete Crematorium
• Saving 7,000 litres of petrol and diesel in the Council's vehicle fleet during 2006/07 (with more savings expected as fleet vehicles are replaced with smaller, more fuel efficient models)

29 July

Entries sought for J.T. Diamond Essay Competition

Amateur writers are being asked to delve in to their Waitakere memories and the region's history for the 2008 J.T. Diamond Essay Competition.

Organised by the Waitakere Library and Information Services and the West Auckland Historical Society, the competition encourages entrants to write in essay form either memories or historical research related to Waitakere.

Memories can be the writer's own or other people's recollections from letters, diaries or interviews.

If writing an historical essay, the writer must conduct original research on a selected competition topic. The list of topics is available online at www.waitakerelibs.govt.nz

The competition aims to carry on the work of pioneering Waitakere historian John Thomas (Jack) Diamond, whose extensive collection of works was donated to Waitakere Libraries and Information Services by his family.

There are three age groups:

• students aged 10-13 years;
• students aged 14-18; and
• adults (excluding professional writers).

There are prizes for first, second and third in all categories.

There will be an overall winner announced, who will receive a sparkling prize of diamond jewellery, donated by Franich Jewellers in Henderson.

Schools compete for the West Auckland Historical Society Bullock Trophy. Individual prizes include the West Auckland Historical Society Prize and Mayors Prize.

Entry forms and further information are available from all Waitakere libraries, the West Auckland Historical Society at Mill Cottage, Sel Peacock Drive, or from the Waitakere Libraries website www.waitakerelibs.govt.nz. Entries close on Friday August 22nd at 5pm.

For assistance with research, phone the local history staff at Waitakere Central Library on 839-2260 or email localhistory@waitakere.govt.nz.

29 July

Waitakere weathers weekend storm - but residents urged to prepare for the next

While Waitakere weathered the weekend's storms without incurring too much damage, the Council is warning residents to prepare for a second bout of bad weather due to arrive today.

Around 45mm of rainfall was recorded across most of the city over a 24-hour period last weekend, although a particularly high rainfall of 63mm was recorded in Waitakere Township. However, no major flooding was reported.

The Council fielded a number of calls about storm-related incidents, particularly in regard to fallen trees and localised flooding. Four Council teams worked through the weekend proactively clearing cesspit grates and culvert entries, which assisted in keeping blockages to a minimum.

There were 40 callouts for trees and branches that had fallen onto roads or footpaths, including three reasonably major events where falling trees had taken out power lines on Laingholm Drive, South Lynn Road and Konini Road. The fallen tree at Laingholm Drive caused a prolonged power outage affecting residents and local sewerage pump stations. A 100KVA generator was deployed on Sunday morning to West Coast Road water pumping station to ensure water supplies to the reservoir were maintained, however normal power was restored before the generator was required for service.

There were also four reported road slips, but these were located above road level and considered minor.

With more heavy rainfall and high winds are forecast to hit the region on Tuesday night or Wednesday, Waitakere Civil Defence Manager, Bill Morley, urges residents to be prepared.

"We urge people to use common sense and to not do anything to put themselves in danger, unless they have to," he says. "It's good to have a battery-powered radio, spare batteries, spare torches, spare water and at least one telephone that doesn't require electrical power. Also be careful with candles and put them in a safe container in a safe place, where they're less likely to fall or be knocked over."

Mr Morley says in high winds, it's best to stay indoors.

"Don't go outside unless you have to. The ground is sodden at the moment and high winds are likely to bring down trees onto properties and power lines," he says.

Mr Morley says residents can help minimise flooding in the next storm by clearing leaves and other debris from their own drains and the cesspit grates in front of their houses to allow a free flow of water.

Mr Morley also asks residents to save non-urgent calls for service until after the storm has passed, so as not to clog-up the network. Keep calls to council and emergency services for emergency requests for assistance only, he says. For any power outages, call the faults number on your power bill.

28 July

Dan Burden walks the walk at Waitakere

Walkability mentor Dan Burden meets Councillor Linda Cooper at Waitakere City.

Walkability mentor Dan Burden couldn't be happier with the high price of oil.

"I'm jubilant. We've been wasting oil for too long," he told more than 100 at a Waitakere City Council seminar.

An international authority on traffic calming, liveable communities, healthy streets and smart growth, Burden said walking is the best medicine because it's good for physical wellbeing as well as emotional and social health.

Recently listed by Time Magazine as one of the six most important civic innovators in the world, Burden served for 16 years as Florida's Department Of Transport's first State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator and in 1996 founded Walkable Communities.

"How do you deal with people who are poised to oppose change? You just lay it out logically and in the end, they can't find fault with it. The smart growth models are sustainable, prosperous and they bring people back together... breaking the cycle of strip development. Streets are transformed... some of them have been 're-civilised' by taking lanes out (also known as 'road diets') and vehicle miles come down with proper placement of buildings."

Burden said people need to accept traffic congestion to understand why it is happening and make it their "friend", until the right mix and balance are achieved and real communities re-created.

"The era of excess is grinding to a halt - the original "mobility leap" didn't take care of cities and the alternative (with which we live now ) is less healthy... the modernist movement built monuments to ourselves and put pedestrians somewhere else. In fact, I tend to agree with Prince Charles when he said that the modernists did more damage to London then Hitler's bombs."

Burden is in New Zealand to attend the New Zealand Walking Conference in Auckland on August 4 and 5 where he is the keynote speaker.

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Dan Burden Presentation (Size 8882K)

Stadium Lights Jump Hurdle

An independent planning commissioner has approved the erection of floodlighting at the Douglas Track and Field, in Henderson.

An all weather, international standard, athletics track and associated sports fields were developed in 2005-2006, in conjunction with construction of the new Trusts Stadium. A grand-stand was added and officially opened last year.

The application to erect four, 28 metre high, floodlights was made by the Waitakere City Stadium Trust. The floodlights would be erected at each corner of the sports field, which is inside the running track.

After publicly notifying the application, Waitakere City Council received 17 submissions, mostly from surrounding residents concerned about “light spill” beyond the boundary of the field and extra traffic and noise generated by night-time events.

In approving the work go ahead independent commissioner John Childs has imposed several conditions.

They include:

•  Landscaping and planting to “soften” the visual effects of the light towers
•  Lights are not to operate between 11pm and 7am

Waitakere On Stand-by

Emergency Management (Civil Defence) staff in Waitakere City are on stand-by.

That comes with news that a major storm is due to hit the region over the weekend (see weather notification from the Met Service below).

Waitakere's Civil Defence Manager, Bill Morley, says his staff and a specially trained volunteer rescue team are ready to swing into action if needed.

"Some of our low lying areas are prone to flooding and slips are always a possibility, particularly round the Waitakere Ranges," says Mr Morley. "So we are taking sensible precautions. We don't want to panic anybody, but we have to prepare for the worst."

Mr Morley is urging people to heed advice from his organisation and others, such as police.

"If the weather hits us as is predicted people should only go outdoors if they absolutely have to," he says.

"Driving will be treacherous and coastal areas such as Piha and Karekare can expect huge seas. People just have to use their common-sense and stay put instead of venturing out."

A low is crossing the north Tasman Sea today and is expected to deepen rapidly as it approaches northern New Zealand Saturday morning.

The unusually intense low is forecast to move over Cape Reinga late Saturday afternoon then track southeastwards to lie near the Coromandel Peninsula at midnight and near East Cape midday Sunday.

A front ahead of the low is expected to bring widespread rain to the North Island by the end of Saturday and gales are likely to affect most parts of the North Island.

The heaviest rain should be in Northland,northern Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay ranges and these areas streams and rivers could rise quickly along with some surface flooding.

East to southeast gales may affect many parts of the North Island with strongest winds gusting to around 120 km/h in parts of Northland, Auckland,Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, the central North Island,Manawatu and Wellington.

MetService advises the public that winds of this strength have the potential to cause damage and make driving hazardous.Boaties are advised to make moorings secure as high winds and large waves are likely about northern and eastern coasts of the North Island.

For the latest weather and forecast charts please go to http://metservice.com/default/index.php?alias=mapsandobservations

Waitakere hopes for slice of Rugby World Cup action

Waitakere hopes to be a major player in Rugby World Cup 2011 by providing one of the key training venues at the Trusts Stadium, which the All Blacks have used as a training base in the past.

The Auckland region - supported by Waitakere - has bid to host two quarter-finals and the bronze final, with Waitakere City Council putting forward the Trusts stadium as a training venue for international teams.

The Waitakere Stadium complex is regarded as one of the best training venues in the country. It incorporates the Trusts Stadium (New Zealand's largest indoor sports facility), the Douglas Track and Field (a first class football field with grandstand and, soon, floodlighting) and several other training fields.

"Obviously we'd be delighted if we got to host the All Blacks but Waitakere is fully behind the Rugby World Cup and we'll be pleased to host any team," says Mayor Bob Harvey.

"This is an unsurpassed training venue and if it can contribute to the success of any team, that will enrich the whole World Cup," he says.

The Trusts Stadium has developed an excellent reputation in hosting international events, the most recent of which was the 2007 Netball World Championships.

The stadium is close to Auckland city by motorway, close to the Lincoln Road and Te Atatu on and off ramps and has ample parking.

Waitakere is also a key proponent of public transport and believes that there will be excellent access by both bus and train.

"The games aside, we also support and will be a part of being a host region," says Mayor Harvey.

"This is not just about the players on the field. Tens of thousands of tourists will flock to New Zealand and Auckland and the international media spotlight will be on us. This is another opportunity to show the world that whatever we do, we do well.

"Waitakere will be part of a region that provides impeccable hospitality. We want this region to rock and we'll be doing our best to attract tourists into Waitakere to show them what hospitality is really all about," he says

"Our major point of difference culturally is probably that we are the eco city - with the Waitakere Ranges as a major attraction. Many tourists will want to come out here just for that reason. And of course, we have a natural connection with the wine industry - and a centre for the arts."

July 18

Waitakere hosts symposium on affordable housing

Waitakere is hosting a major affordable housing symposium on Tuesday, July 22 featuring government ministers and a range of noted academics and social housing professionals from New Zealand and Australia as speakers.

The Minister for Housing, the Hon Maryan Street, and the Minister for Building and Housing, the Hon Shane Jones, will be joined by the National Party's spokesman Phil Heatley and the Green Party's Sue Bradford at the Rental Affordability Symposium at the Kelston Community Centre.

Large numbers are expected to attend given it is election year.

The symposium is being organised by the Australasian Housing Institute in conjunction with Waitakere City Council and Community Housing Aotearoa to examine what is happening in relation to rental affordability and secure tenure and the issues for renters.

The politicians and presenters will provide their insights and ideas about what to do to address this growing concern.

"Decent, affordable and secure housing is at the heart of a civilised, inclusive society and a globally competitive economy," says Therese Quinlivian, Director of Community Housing Aotearoa and one of the conference organisers.

"It is also potentially the biggest policy challenge emerging for the housing industry in New Zealand. This symposium will explore the challenges and identify the potential solutions."

There is a top line-up of international and local speakers. Adam Farrar the Executive Director of the New South Wales Federation of Housing Associations will give a presentation on the Australian National Affordable Housing Forum, a project bringing together participants from the housing, development and finance sectors, as well as from unions, community groups, local councils and academic experts to stimulate informal discussion about principal goals and priorities for a National Affordable Housing Agreement.

Other speakers include Kaye Saville Smith, Andrew King and David Zussman who will present findings on the current state of the rental market, rental affordability and its impacts on families and children. Scott Figenshow and Tricia Austin will also provide information on the latest international models of Secure Tenancy that could be applicable here.

A full programme is available on www.housinginstitute.org.

11 July

Waitakere Mayor welcomes Government housing announcement

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey today welcomed the government's planned $1.25 million upgrade of Housing New Zealand's Rata Village complex.

The upgrade was announced at the New Lynn village by Housing Minister Maryan Street who said the upgrade would mean healthy and dry houses.

"I am very pleased the government has decided to take action at Rata Village," says Mayor Harvey.

"It shows a strong commitment to healthy homes for state housing tenants, the development of New Lynn as a major town centre and Waitakere in general."

Mayor Harvey also said that while the upgrade had been a long time coming the minister was to be applauded for her quick action following a visit to the site just two months ago.

9 July

Council grants $50,000 for historic railway station re-roofing

Michael Joyce of the Henderson Heritage Trust, with Councillor Brenda Brady (left) and Councillor Judy Lawley, outside the old Henderson railway station.

A grant of $50,000 to re-roof the historic Henderson Railway Station was today made by Waitakere City Council.

The Council's Culture and Community Committee agreed to grant $50,000 to the Henderson Heritage Trust (HHT) to assist with making essential repairs to the station building, ensuring it remains weathertight and structurally sound until a lease agreement can be reached with the New Zealand Railways Corporation (ONTRACK).

The HHT, which has worked in partnership with the Council to achieve the successful restoration of local buildings such as the Falls Hotel and St Michael's Chapel, wishes to restore the station for use as office space. However, it needs to demonstrate ownership of, or long-term lease arrangements for, the building in order to secure additional funds from charitable trusts, such as ASB, Lotteries and The Trusts.

Committee chairman, Councillor Judy Lawley, says while the station was re-painted in 2007 as part of a quick make-over, significant work is now needed on the building to halt its decay and to restore it to its former glory.

"The station is a key building in the Henderson town centre and is listed as a Category I heritage item," she says.

"The Council will do all it can to make an appreciable difference to the long-term viability of the station, not only by offering a $50,000 grant to re-roof the building but by offering support in negotiating a lease.

"Not providing this support might force the Trust to abandon the station building, leaving it open to vandalism and loss."

Pear tree propagation project comes to fruition

Councillor Judy Lawley with a new pear tree propagated from heritage varieties in Cranwell Park.

Pear trees propagated from original heritage varieties at Henderson's Cranwell Park are to be planted in a number of sites around Waitakere to ensure their long-term survival.

The trees at Cranwell Park are part of original plantings made by the Cranwell family who lived on Buscomb Ave over 100 years ago.

There are approximately 40 heritage pear trees to be planted in historically significant sites around Henderson, starting with Tui Glen, Cranwell Park and the old Corban Winery Estate, and Harbourview/Orangihina Park in Te Atatu. Trees will also be donated to Oratia Primary and to New Lynn's Sustainable Living Centre as a way of demonstrating the close connection between the eco-city vision of sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Orcharding, viticulture and farming became the predominant land uses in Waitakere at the turn of the 20th century, after land had been cleared for the area's early industries, such as timber milling, gum digging and ceramics. In fact, Waitakere was known as Auckland's "fruit bowl" up until the 1960s, when demand for housing started to fragment the existing orchards and vineyards. However, there is growing interest today in heirloom/heritage varieties of trees and a number of orchards have developed niche markets for these older varieties.

"The late Gordon Sunde, a former councillor whose family is synonymous with orcharding and viticulture in this city, raised the importance of preserving and propagating the pear trees in Cranwell Park and Parrs Park as a tangible link with Waitakere's orcharding past. That is a vision that we are proud to honour today," says Councillor Judy Lawley, chairman of the council's Culture and Community Committee, which today gave the go-ahead for the plantings.

"The preservation of these trees on public land means that they can continue to be relevant to the community today."

Robert Cranwell, an English immigrant who came to New Zealand in 1862, planted one of his original orchards, the "Pomaria Orchards", immediately north-east of the Henderson township between 1889 and 1891. A hundred acres of apple, pear, peach, plum, fig, apricot, orange and lemon trees were planted. In 1906, Mr Cranwell left each of his children 25 acres of frontage onto Lincoln Road. He died in 1916. A grand-daughter, Dr Lucy Cranwell, became an internationally-renowned botanist, who was for many years botanist to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Waitakere supports call to reduce legal blood alcohol limit

8 July

Inaugural Waste Not grants cover range of waste minimisation projects

Nearly $100,000 has been granted to 13 applicants to Waitakere City Council's inaugural Waste Not Fund granting round. A further seven projects will receive "in-kind" support.

The successful grantees were chosen by a committee of Councillors Hulse, Neeson and Battersby, from 35 applications, and ratified at the July Finance and Operational Performance Committee (FOP).

"It was wonderful to see the community taking responsibility for sustainability initiatives and the range and scale of what is being attempted is exciting," says the FOP chairman, Councillor Ross Clow.

"This is the eco city in action. It is not the council imposing solutions but the people of the city taking up the challenge to transform sustainability from words into practical actions that individually and collectively will take us forward," he says.

Five cents from every Waitakere City official grey, user pays, refuse bag provides the funding for the scheme, which is designed to promote and support as many waste minimisation initiatives as possible in the city.

The grants ranged from $324 to the Oratia School's Zero Waste Bokashi Trial to $18,040 for Project Full Circle's commercial organic waste composting trial. Bokashi is a form of composting and Project Full Circle aims to divert commercial organic waste, such as that from supermarkets, away from landfills to be composted.

The most sophisticated project was the Weedfree Trust's pyrolysis/biochar pre-feasibility study. Pyrolysis is a way of heating biodegradable substances without oxygen, with one of the possible by-products being a form of charcoal called biochar. Biochar is beneficial to plant growth. This was granted $4,500.

Of the 13 recipients, 12 were organisations, including Charlie's Trading Company which received $10,000 towards Project Rinse, a bottle washing system to allow drink bottles to be returned and re-used. Westgate Shopping Centre was granted $10,600 to assist with trialling recycling bins for the public and recycling facilities for businesses in the mall. Henderson Valley School received $10,000 to upgrade its boiler from coal fuel to woodchip technology, while Envision New Zealand, an environmental and economic development consultancy, was granted $7,500 towards the establishment of a Product Stewardship Council.

Low Impact Limited was granted $12,874 to trial a commercial scale, modular worm farm and Vision Waitakere Gardens (a gardening group within the retirement complex) received $7,100 for purchasing a worm farm for the complex.

Of the remainder, The Manawanui Ariki Charitable Trust was granted $5,000 for a youth initiative using recycled materials; Henderson Valley Play Centre will use its $1995 to buy a paper recycling press; and the New Zealand Nepalese Association received $1,000 to educate Nepalese immigrants in minimising household refuse.

The other grant was to an individual, Adam Buckingham, who is making 100 activity centres for pre-schools, using waste materials.

This brought the total granted to $93,733.

Seven other initiatives will receive "in-kind" (non-cash) support. The Council will offer training to the Alalofa a Sasae and the Auckland Nui Community Trust for their members to run sustainable living courses. Green Bay Kindergarten, Kelston Intermediate School, St Dominic's College and Waitakere College Environmental Group will be offered kerbside recycling bins, discounted compost bins, information materials and similar, for waste reduction projects.

"Waste Not in Massey" will receive information displays to use at the Massey community's Te Raa Mokopuna Day 2009.

8 July

West Wave makes a splash

The West Wave Aquatic Centre is a finalist in three separate categories of the Bank of New Zealand Waitakere Business Awards.

The centre, run by Waitakere City Council, is recognised as one of the finest competition and recreational pool complexes in the country.

It has been named as a finalist in the Tourism and Leisure, Large Business and Employer of Choice categories of the awards.

"With a record number of entrants this year Waitakere is indeed proving to be a place where enterprising ideas can blossom," says John Wadsworth, the CEO of Waitakere Enterprise which runs the annual awards programme.

"We congratulate all of the finalists for making it this far. It really is fantastic to be involved in these awards, which benefit not just business in the area, but the community as a whole."

Recently West Wave won another accolade, receiving the National Swim School Promotion of the Year Award from the Swimming Coaches and Teachers of New Zealand organisation. And the complex, which includes a state of the art fitness centre and gym, just ushered in its millionth customer so far this year.

"West Wave is a magnificent asset to this region and indeed the country," says Mayor Bob Harvey who adds that several of the New Zealand swim team to compete at the Beijing Olympics train at the Henderson complex.

Overall winners will be announced at the 2008 Bank of New Zealand Waitakere Business Awards Gala Dinner on Friday 31 October.

Demo work to start

Work begins tomorrow (4 July) on demolishing the old New Lynn Hotel, on Great North Rd.

Demolition expert Ivan Yukich has spent the past few days preparing the site and shoring up the building before moving in with a 20-tonne excavator.

He describes the job as one of the most challenging he has undertaken in 25 years. "Structurally the building is possibly the worst I've seen," he says. "And that poses safety risks. You can't just go in and bowl the thing. We will have to pick away at it, piece by piece."

He expects the job to take several days.

The hotel was built in 1882. Over the years it became a boarding house and then flats.

Waitakere City Councillor for the New Lynn Ward, Derek Battersby, says the previous owners wanted to demolish what was an historic building. "So we had no choice but to refuse the application and purchase the building ourselves, in order to preserve it."

Unfortunately those negotiations took some years and in between the building was gutted by fire.

"The fire almost certainly put saving it out of the question, but we still had to explore every option to rescue and restore it anyway," says Cr Battersby.

"Demolition was a last resort, but the place is now in such a state that it just can't be saved."

Bricks and any other salvageable material will be kept and, hopefully, used in some sort of community artwork.

1 July

West Wave visitors top one million this year

Millionth customer Charlotte Brown (centre) with Councillor Assid Corban and Olympic swimmer Daniel Brown

When Charlotte Brown turned up for one of her regular water walking sessions at West Wave recently, her day suddenly took a turn for the better.

The Glen Eden resident officially became West Wave's millionth customer for the 2007/08 financial year and won a $150 voucher to spend in the complex.

This is the first year that West Wave has exceeded the one million visitor mark. The complex is getting about 150,000 more visitors than it was two years ago and is up by over 50,000 on last year.

A member of West Wave's fitness centre and an avid water-walker, Charlotte says it's a great community facility that her family uses on a regular basis. However, she considers her workout times sacred and loves to unwind in the pool or gym.

"This is my time for me," she says. "It's definitely a stress relief from work."

West Wave has gone from strength to strength since it was originally built back in the late 1980s in time for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. Extensions have since been built to better cater for recreational users and visitor numbers have increased year by year.

Building the indoor pool complex was the dream of Councillor Assid Corban, then mayor of the Henderson Borough, who secured funding assistance for a world-class complex through a funding partnership with the Government and the then Auckland Regional Authority.

"For a borough council to oversee such a mammoth project was a brave venture and showed great foresight. No-one else was ever going to build a pool of that quality in west Auckland. As soon as it opened it broke a lot of records due to its superior design. It's still the fastest pool in New Zealand and that's why our Olympic and Commonwealth trials are held there," Cr Corban says.

"But we also wanted it to be a total family destination, with the bowling club and the recreation centre next door, so it's great to see the improvements that the city council has made to it. It's now a real multi-purpose venue for competition, recreation and learning - and that makes it unique."

Waitakere and San Francisco "on similar paths towards sustainability"

Jared Blumenfeld: World-renowned speaker on sustainability

Waitakere City and San Francisco seem to be on very similar paths towards sustainability, according to Jared Blumenfeld, Director of the San Francisco Department for the Environment.

Mr Blumenfeld spoke to a large number of Waitakere City Council staff and councillors today, describing initiatives in San Francisco that either closely resemble those in Waitakere or vindicate the direction the city is taking.

The two cities " and the New Zealand government - have a Zero Waste policy and Mr Blumenfeld said that he knew of no other country that did.

"When people say to us, 'How can you have a Zero Waste policy?™ we say, ‘Well New Zealand does'," he says.

Mr Blumenfeld says the challenge in combating climate change is leadership. "We have the tools to do it and it™s not too late.”

Leadership can come from cities like San Francisco and Waitakere and the two cities should be looking to see what they can do together, he says.

Energy efficiency measures in San Francisco reduced consumption by 24 megawatts " or the electricity consumed by 24,000 homes. Waitakere is driving similar initiatives.

Both cities also have incentives to encourage homes to install solar cells on roof tops. In San Francisco, people can even access information on the Internet about their roof, to enable them to work out the best location for solar cells.

However, the San Francisco city rebate of $6,000 can only be claimed if the installation is carried out by low wage earners who are specially trained for the job. This creation of "green collar” jobs is a component in the concept of "environmental justice”, which tries to address the fact that people with low incomes tend to pay higher costs for unsustainable environments.

"The poor have the homes that leak heat and energy so they pay more to keep warm. They also pay a price in health problems. Likewise, air quality is often worst in poor neighbourhoods,” Mr Blumenfeld says.

The city was encouraging farmers™ markets so people can buy food produced close to home that has not been transported long distances.

"We tracked a piece of broccoli that had been grown on a farm 25 miles from San Francisco and had gone through the conventional handling chain. It had travelled several thousand miles before it arrived on our plate,” he says.

Other San Francisco council initiatives included the banning of plastic bags " which has led to 29 other cities and eight states following suit - not buying any bottled water and exploring both wave and tidal power for energy generation " options that could be good for Waitakere, he says.

His council also had a target of a 100% emission-free vehicle fleet by 2020, while "green building” using demolition materials in new buildings, was gaining momentum.

Mr Blumenfeld said a combination of factors, including Al Gore™s "An Inconvenient Truth” and Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans, had greatly increased Americans™ awareness of climate change and American society was beginning to reorganise around that awareness.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says Waitakere was thrilled to host Mr Blumenfeld, who is renowned as a leader in transforming communities into more sustainable ones.

"As we continue to make major strides towards being the eco city we want to be, it™s important to remain well informed about what others are doing, to be continuously challenged by new ideas and to receive inspiration as to what is possible," he says.

Mr Blumenfeld's visit to Waitakere follows that of Aichim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, on June 3. Mr Steiner specifically asked to visit Waitakere - New Zealand's Eco City - as part of this year's World Environment Day celebrations. Mayor Harvey gave him a presentation on Waitakere's achievements over the last 16 years since it declared itself an eco city and then led him on a tour of the award-winning Waitakere Central - considered at home and abroad as a leading example of sustainable building. "

The visits to Waitakere over the last month by these two leading environmental officials show that we have developed an international reputation for leadership in the area of sustainability," Mayor Harvey says.

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Jared Blumenfeld Presentation (Size 5858K)

1 July

Inaugural Waitakere Unsung Heroes named

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Unsung Hero award winners

Twenty two community minded citizens have become the inaugural winners of the Waitakere City Community Boards "Unsung Hero" Awards.

The Community Boards initiated the Awards because they wanted to acknowledge individuals or small informal groups who have made a difference at a grassroots level within their community.

Each board - under convenor Christine Shepherd of the Waitakere Ward - selected five winners who had made a contribution within their ward. They also chose two whose contribution was city wide

The inaugural Unsung Heroes are:

Waitakere Ward: Dave Norton for initiating the planting of a Pohutakawa forest at Bethells/Te Henga, and was instrumental in establishing the beachcare group; Jo Quatermass, long term secretary of the Huia R&R and general community service; Meredith Youngson, founding member of the Swanson R&R and of the Railway Station Trust and general services to Swanson; Caroline Grove for 30 years commitment to Karekare, teaching horse riding and contributions to Riding for the Disabled and her local community; Diane Loe for her voluntary services to the Oratia Valley Playgroup for 20 years.

New Lynn Ward: Bill Noue for services as a Pacific Islands Warden and for general services in New Lynn; Vincent Ainsworth for services to Citizens Advice Bureaux, Age Concern, St John's, the Cancer Society and as a charity collector; Tere Tuakana-Kapi for services to Glenora Bears Rugby League, Glenora Eagles Softball Club, the Glen Eden Community House and other community activities: Tony Russell and Peggy Higgins (nominated jointly) for a range of contributions to the Green Bay community including supporting many community organisations, local promotion, and voluntary protection of public property and; Betty Wing for services as resource co-ordinator to Citizens Advice Bureaux in New Lynn and Glen Eden and services in the Salvation Army Shop

Henderson Ward: Ramon Claridge for 17 years service to the West Auckland Hospice and services to the RSA; Hazel Tarr for services to the Henderson Citizens Advice Bureau for 33 years both as adviser and fundraiser; Georgia Ball for 20 years service to ToughLove - one of only two New Zealanders to hold the title of "Wise Counsel" - and for services to Neighbourhood Watch; Maria and Nick Nabor as operators of the Carelink Trust in Te Atatu Peninsula, providing food and budget advice to the needy and Beryl Breekvelt for 30 years service to both the Waitakere Hospital and the Titirangi Country Women's Institute, and as a Meals on Wheels deliverer.

Massey Ward: Raewyn Paterson for tackling petty crime on Herald Island through voluntary community patrols - an initiative now being taken up in Whenuapai; Brian Lay a 30 year member of the Massey and Birdwood Settlers' Association, 23 years as secretary/treasurer/custodian of the Massey Hall and other community service; Paulette Tinsel for services to at least 14 different community organisations in Massey, including Plunket, playgroup, the community house, sports teams, and anti violence work among other services; Manogi Pulevaka for road safety work in Ranui including running learner driver classes for local youth and for contributions to Pacific in the Park and: Thelma Dickens for bringing together women for social gatherings, mutual support recreation and arts and crafts - and even at 80, supporting and at times teaching, line dancing.

The two city-wide winners are Maureen Wood and Bob Benzie.

Maureen was one of a group of parents in the 1970's who started providing services to parents of children with intellectual disabilities. This led her to becoming a residential services auditor for the Ministry of Health. She has also given many years of service to Health Link, Waitakere Wellbeing Call to Action, The Disability Information Network, Auckland Disability Providers Network and other organisations.

Bob Benzie was responsible for establishing the Peace Garden at the Falls Hotel, and for fundraising that has been donated through the Waitakere Rotary Club to Dare, Truancy Trust, Hospice, Piha Surf Lifesaving among others and also; for his involvement with two schools in their Trees For Survival programme.