Inside...A message from the mayor

2 | Councillor Steve Taylor

3 | RemarkIT

3 | Elections on the way

4 | Funding for groups and events

2 | New look websiteMontana and Drew, visitors from our sister city Mesa, Arizona were welcomed with a powhiri onto Ōrongomai Marae last week. We’re very pleased to have Montana and Drew here with us and are continuing to fill their calendar with local treats and activities. They are now in their final week with us and are looking forward to hosting Ruby France and Jordan Knapp in Mesa, later this month.

Over the next month we do a lot of celebrating of volunteers. The 2019 Young Achiever Youth Civic Awards were held at Expressions Whirinaki on 5 June and Upper Hutt’s section of the Wellington Airport Community Awards will be held at the same venue on 3 July. We have National Volunteer Week this month (17 – 23) where we say “Cheers” to our volunteers, and we’re also asking for nominations for this

year’s Civic Awards. This may seem like a lot, but it’s a ‘drop in the bucket’ compared to the value that volunteers provide to our community. Aside from the tremendous amount of work that they do, and all that they achieve, the mere act of volunteering (however small) is a noble venture that ultimately builds toward a strong community.

The upgrade to the sports fields at the back of Maidstone Park has seen some delays due to weather. Because of the grow-in period following construction, we’re not expecting to make use of the new grounds before the middle of next year once the grass has had time to reestablish in the ground. In the absence of their availability, we’re making use of other grounds around the city. This upgrade is Stage 1 of our Maidstone Sports Hub project as detailed in the Long Term Plan 2018 – 2028. These are new sand-based turfs. They are not artificial but have been carefully engineered to international standards to provide a robust playing surface with adequate drainage for years to come. The second stage of this project is scheduled for the 2022 – 2023 year with the redevelopment of the clubrooms.

Wayne Guppy | mayor

/mayor.wayneguppy

Valley NewsUPPER HUTT CITY

June 2019 | Upper Hutt City Council news

Civic Awards Do you know someone who has done some outstanding and innovative voluntary work for our city and community?

Any resident of Upper Hutt who has done meritorious voluntary community service for the city is eligible to be nominated for a Civic Award.

A Civic Award recipient will not have received other public recognition for their community service in the form of other awards (unless in exceptional circumstances).

A nomination must be signed by at least two residents of Upper Hutt. A nomination from an Upper Hutt organisation must be signed by at least two executive members of that organisation.

Nominations received by Friday, 5 July will be considered for this year’s awards.

If a nomination is successful, we will contact the nominee to find out if they wish to accept the award.

More information and nomination forms available online at:

UPPERHUTTCITY.COM /CIVIC-AWARDS

A word from Councillor Steve TaylorThere has been a lot of work happening behind the scenes in Council, as the major projects of our ambitious 2018 – 2028 Long Term Plan progress. One project that I am particularly excited about is the long-overdue Maidstone Max upgrade.

First open 18 years ago, Maidstone Max fast became a regional attraction for families. With the best skate park in the region, riders of all ages honed their skills, pushing their limits as they made great friendships and lasting memories.

However, the park has since lost its shine, and is now rarely a regional destination of choice. We’ve earmarked $3.8 million for

redeveloping Maidstone Max. Preliminary design work is well underway to re-establish this facility as a destination playground.

The new skate park, designed by top NZ designers Rich Landscapes, will offer a range of new and improved facilities for all levels of riders—catering for scooters, bikes, and skateboards. The new playground areas are being designed to provide for youth of all ages, with designers working alongside Rich Landscapes to ensure a cohesive space that flows together as one, mitigating safety concerns.

Meanwhile, the newly upgraded playgrounds at Harcourt Park

will reopen soon, and the safety matting at Trentham Memorial Park playground is almost complete. This will ensure both these parks will be available while the Maidstone Max upgrade is underway.

In Upper Hutt, we are proud of our parks, our reserves, and our open spaces. With these significant investments into the play areas of three of our finest parks, we will be encouraging the next generation to further treasure our great outdoors.

New look online

Annual Plan updateThanks to everyone who submitted feedback during our Annual Plan 2019 – 2020 consultation. We received 204 submissions and had 11 presentations from members of our community during the hearings process. Council are now considering the feedback and will decide on any changes to make, with the final document going for adoption at the Additional Council meeting on 26 June.

The new branding is now online for Council, H2O Xtream, and Upper Hutt Libraries. Our existing corporate brand remains unchanged, so there will be no immediate impact to signs, brochures, and publications, vehicles, or business cards. For H2O Xtream, and Upper Hutt Libraries, the new brand will be rolled out over time as items are produced. All costs are being met within existing budgets.

Council has a new online presence.

Chief Executive, Peter Kelly says Council has been looking at how it can transform the way it delivers services to be more customer-centric and accessible.

“It’s important for any organisation to have its customers at the centre of its thinking, and for us that’s our residents, business people, and visitors. Along with a new online brand, we‘ve completely redeveloped our web environment to be accessible and mobile responsive, offering enhanced content to improve the experience for people visiting our site and accessing our services.”

Upper Hutt has the benefits of a close-knit suburban community and balanced lifestyle supported by open spaces, nature, and parks. The new online brand and logo centre around a ‘U’ device that shows the balance of community and lifestyle, connected as one city. The new online brand includes variations for core council services H2O Xtream, and Upper Hutt Libraries, creating a strong visual alignment between these long-standing services and Council.

Annual Plan 2019 – 20201 JULY 2019 – 30 JUNE 2020

UPPER HUTT CITY

UPPERHUTTCITY.COM

Business movementsNew

Tank (The Mall)

Waitomo (Fergusson Dr)

RemarkIT (Maidstone Tce)

Moved

Driving Miss Daisy

(Princes St)

Suburban Fitness (Main St)

Perfect Denture (Main St)

Duo Photography (Main St)

Wheeler’s Footwear

(Main St)

Kristin’s Flower Shop

(Wallaceville)

Zil Barbers (Main St)

Tigerlily (Main St)

Upper Hutt Therapeutic

Massage (Main St)

RemarkITRemarkIT officially opened on Maidstone Terrace on 13 May, with Conservation Minister and Green Party MP Eugenie Sage cutting the ribbon alongside General Manager, Tim Findlay.

RemarkIT have moved to Upper Hutt from Porirua and Tawa to bring their growing team of over 30 staff under one roof. RemarkIT’s primary business is to refurbish and re-home computers (and other electronics equipment), partnering with the Digital Wings Trust to see computers re-homed where they are most needed.

They are supporting the circular economy approach to business extending the life of technology and reducing waste. Upper Hutt City Council is pleased to support green IT at its best! Check out their website to see what else RemarkIT offer and you may also like to view their online store at remarkit.co.nz

For more information on Digital Wings, go to digitalwings.nz

A warm welcome to Waitomo We are very pleased to welcome cheaper petrol prices to the region in the form of Waitomo Fuels.

Waitomo officially opened to the public on 14 May with some fanfare, that saw the Fergusson Drive location inundated with customers looking for the opening special.

Waitomo is located on the former Oderings site, just north of the Montgomery Crescent roundabout.

Local body Election Day is on Saturday 12 October this year (closing at 12.00 pm). This is the time we elect local people to represent, guide, and govern the affairs of the city over the coming three years.

Consider the decisions Council makes on your behalf, decisions that affect you and your family

and the quality of life in Upper Hutt. Are you satisfied? Do you want to see change?

Whether or not you’re happy with the way things are, this is the time to participate in the governing affairs of the city. Both action and inaction produce results. The question is—which result do you want?

CONSIDER STANDING

You don’t have to be unsatisfied to stand for your local council. Sometimes incumbent councillors move on, which leaves an opening. You may feel that there is a group of people you could specifically stand for, or you may just want to invest back into your community.

Nominations open: 19 July – 12.00 pm, 16 August

VOTE

Make yourself heard. Vote for the people you want to represent you and your community for the next three years. Vote for status quo, vote for change, or vote for a mixture of both.

Voting period: 20 September – 12.00 pm, 12 October

Local body elections on the way...

Nomination documents available 1 July

Nominations open

19 July

Nominations close at 12.00 pm

16 August

Voting period opens

20 September

Voting closes 12.00 pm

12 October

Results announced

17 – 27 October

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

Remember your 1s and 2sPlease remember that we are no longer accepting recyclable plastics numbered 3 – 7 at the Recycling Station in Park Street. There are currently no domestic nor international markets for recycling these plastics.

We are only accepting plastics with

symbols or on them.

Please sort your recycling before you arrive at the station and remove items from any bag. Plastic bags filled with recyclable material get sent straight to the landfill.

It is important that we all do our best to prevent non-recyclable items from going into the station as it is costly to have them sorted further down the line.

CHEERS to ourVOLUNTEERS

CHEERS to ourVOLUNTEERS

Cheers!Volunteer week is coming up this month (16 – 22 June). We’ll be thanking our local community groups by saying “Cheers to our volunteers” on our community noticeboards around the city. Keep an eye out for the signs in, Riverstone, Whakatiki Street, Ebdentown (Fergusson Drive), and Totara Park.

3 funds up for applicationsBoth Council and Central Government have funds available for specific purposes to help groups and individuals achieve their vision for the benefit of the community.

EVENTS FUND CREATIVE COMMUNITIES

COMMUNITY GRANT

Council has a contestable pool of event funding available for supporting a limited number of events in Upper Hutt City each year. Events will support Council’s long term vision with preference given to new and/or significant events.

For more information and to apply, go to upperhuttcity.com/ events-fund

The Creative Communities (CCS) funding scheme offers support to any not-for-profit group or individual to put together a community-led art project.

Creative communities is a Government scheme administered by Council. For more information and to apply, go to upperhuttcity.com/creative-communities

The Community Grants Funding Scheme is open to any not-for-profit group that services Upper Hutt residents and contributes to community wellbeing.

For more information and to apply, go to upperhuttcity.com/community-grants

Open: 1 – 30 June Open: 1 June – 15 July Open: 1 June – 31 July

CHEERS to ourVOLUNTEERS

Gibbons Street sewer replacement making good progressContractors for Wellington Water are continuing with replacing and upgrading the sewer along Gibbons Street.

As works progress the road closures and traffic diversions are gradually moving south down Gibbons Street toward the Main Street intersection. We’re currently around half way through the duration of the project.

Thanks to everyone who uses this street—especially affected residents—for their patience. Please continue to take extreme care around the works area to maintain safety for the workers and the public.

The sewer replacement is part of our asset management programme. This project is being managed by Wellington Water. For more information, please go to: www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/work-in-your-area/gibbons-street-wastewater-pipe-project/

W upperhuttcity.comF /upperhuttcitycouncil

T (04) 527 2169E askus@uhcc.govt.nz

Upper Hutt City Council838 – 842 Fergusson DrivePrivate Bag 907Upper Hutt 5140