Thorndon / Pipitea Community-driven Response Planning

Community-driven planning, using the world cafe meeting style, held on Tuesday 9th September 2014, at the Pipitea Marae and Function Centre.

Another engaging Thorndon community meeting coordinated by the Thorndon Residents' Association.

Notes harvested from the table discussions are here.

A list of matters arising for immediate attention are listed here.

Community-driven response planning  (click here to view more photos)

Link to the draft community response plan.

Special Community Meeting - resilience against natural events & community development

A community-led emergency response plan in Thorndon/Pipitea is this year’s major project for the Thorndon Residents’ Association. As residents we need an approach that works for our community, driven by our community, in partnership with the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO), WCC, local businesses and other stakeholders.

Many Thorndon/Pipitea residents attended a community briefing in September 2012. Scientists and Council officials cautioned against complacency. The message was clear: to get through a major natural event such as a major earthquake, our community needs to not only be adequately familiar with our surroundings but especially about one another, so that we can better look after ourselves. In a major event we could need to do this for many days, in trying conditions, before any official emergency response could fold into action to assist us. The 2012 meeting made it clear that we needed to step up to the challenge. 

As an inner city suburb Thorndon has some interesting characteristics, which make our scenarios unique –  astride the major fault line, an inner-city gateway suburb, through which all the region’s lifeline services pass –  water, sewerage, electricity,  road, rail and sea transport. Thorndon is also uniquely fortunate in hosting many especially valuable organisations within our community. All our special neighbours have their insights to share too, and strengths and skills to help in developing an approach to growing community resilience.

It is time for the community to meet and talk about how we'll grow our resilience against natural events. It's really about the community coming together, getting to know more about ourselves, and knowing how to act, before anything happens.

Please spread the word as we not only need to meet you and hear your views also views but from as many others as we can from across Thorndon / Pipitea. Your contributions on how to enhance our community's vibrancy and preparedness are a necessary and valued part of growing community resilience.

This specially facilitated meeting has been designed to be both informative and enjoyable.
You are invited to the

Pipitea Marae and Function Centre 

on Tuesday 9 September 2014, 

arrive from 6:30pm for a 7 - 9pm meeting. 

Please RSVP for this public meeting to assist catering (entry is free). Just click on the button above to RSVP online.

Share this information with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours and invite them to also consider participating in this special meeting.
If you know someone unable to RSVP online please advise them to call 934 6888.

Acknowledgements
The TRA is collaborating with the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) on this project. The community meeting and related initiatives are actively supported by WCC, Thorndon New World, Pipitea Marae and Conference Centre, and numerous other local entities and stakeholders.

Report: TRA Annual General Meeting

This evening the Annual General Meeting of the TRA was hosted by the  Kingsgate Hotel. Members, neighbours, friends and Councillors (City and Regional) enjoyed the opportunity to mix and mingle during a networking hour prior to the AGM. Everyone appreciated both the hospitality of the Kingsgate team and their support of the Association. The meeting venue was perfect and this considerably assisted a smooth navigation through the agenda prepared by Sadie Laurenson (Secretary), and led by William Neal (Chair). The meeting relaxed into productive discussion, focused on reports from Committee Portfolio leads. Matters arising were considered and helped identify priority issues for the Association to focus on during  2013-14.

Here are some of the resources from this evenings' meeting:

• Agenda and outline of the meeting
• Minutes from the AGM 2012  (adopted)
• Report from the Community Safety Portfolio
• Report from the Planning & Environment Portfolio
• Submission on Regional governance
• Officers and Committee of the TRA (confirmed)
• Draft Minutes of AGM 2013

WCC Revists Earlier Assessment Not to Provide RECYCLING WHEELIE BINS to Hobson St

Recycling wheelie bins were introduced across the city in 2011; but not to the properties in Hobson St, situated on the Thorndon Flat.

Residents from Hobson St recently re-approached the Council regarding the earlier assessment of their street as being not suited to Council supplied recycling wheelie bins. The early assessment had indicated that Hobson St had a high volume traffic flow (similar to Tinakori Rd), and that due to the road width there was potential to block access to emergency services. 

Recently CitiOperations revisited Hobson St. The results of the re-assessment are that:

• sidewalks are of sufficient width for wheelie bins - allowing for easy pedestrian flow,
• road width - with vehicles parked either side - had between 5 and 5.5m clear for two large vehicles to pass,
• other than during the school drop-off period, the vehicles per hour was as low as 60.

Part of this re-assessment included following both Refuse and Recycling trucks during collections in Hobson St to confirm they posed no risk or significant vehicle delays. 

With new data to hand, the Council confirmed that for a number of properties that were located near breaks between residents' parking bays, recycling wheelie bins would be suitable. 

The archive call-log for Hobson St was revisited to re-assess previous requests for recycling wheelie bins that had earlier been declined. Those residents will be receiving a letter in the week commencing 5 November to offer them the option of a recycling wheelie bin and need not re-request an assessment.

Properties that are still considered as not suited include: 
- multi-unit dwellings,
- shared drives of more than 5 properties, and 
- properties that are not used as residential.

Hobson St residents who feel that they would benefit from a Council supplied recycling wheelie bin and have not already called-in, are now invited to log a request for re-assessment by telephoning the Council on 499 4444.

Zac Jordan, Manager CitiOperations
M. 021 227 8356 or E. zac.jordan@wcc.govt.nz

Older TRA posts about mobile recycling bins:
- who-binned-our-recycle-bins (May 2011)
- private-roads-and-recycling (June 2011)

What do we want?

The Rotary Club of Wellington is hosting this one day forum. A chance to hear a top line up of speakers and to make your own point. 

25 October 2012 at the VUW Pipitea Campus
The registration of $55 includes teas and lunch.

All details here:   rotaryforum.org.nz  
Wellington is what we make it and you can be part of shaping it. Now in its second successful year, this highly topical community forum asks; what kind of city and region do we want? How should community views be expressed in local government? What are the initiatives by business and communities that will help Wellington become the place we want to live and work in? What can you do to influence it? 

City Council needs to improve communication concerning planning information

When heritage proposals descended on Thorndon three years ago, the TRA members and Thorndon residents generally, unveiled numerous shortfalls in WCC's consultation and engagement approach especially from a residents' perspective.

The Citizens Engagement Directorate had existed for quite some time. Yet by 2012, apparently the Council continues to struggle to effectively communicate with impacted communities.
Refer: http://www.wellington.govt.nz/news/display-item.php?id=4928 
Could this be yet another recent example? The Mayor is moved to observe "... a significant Plan Change ... may not have been sufficiently clear." That's a scenario that will resonate with many TRA members! The Mayor also refers to an unsatisfactory situation which "... highlighted the importance of how the Council communicates planning information to potentially affected communities."

A number of years have passed since the Citizen Engagement directorate was established. Hasn't there been sufficient time to overhaul WCC's consultation/community engagement processes, especially when it comes to District Planning proposals?