Column from Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter
Rates and Reforms
Facing proposals from the Beehive on local government reform and rates capping wasn’t the Christmas present Greater Wellington or its partners wished for. However, we were aware that change was coming and that a lot would be asked of us as Councillors to navigate fiscally challenging times. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty about the proposals in the news already but let me reassure you – we are not daunted by the prospect of reform, nor will we shirk the duties we’ve been elected, by you, to perform.
Reform of some shape has been on the horizon for a long time, and now that it’s looming large, we’re committed to ensuring service continuity, strong governance and engaging with our communities.
The proposed rates cap raises concerns about service quality and risks cutting essential services to meet targets. We’ve already worked to reduce rates below Long-Term Plan targets and a cap would limit infrastructure investment and shift the cost of aging assets to future ratepayers.
The impending reforms are complex, but we remain 100% committed to engaging with communities and ensuring strong representation throughout this challenging period.
Staying safe in regional parks this summer
One of the services we provide as an environmental authority is monitoring fire risk in our regional parks over the summer fire season – a service that’s becoming all the more important as we see extremes of weather and increased temperature as a result of climate change.
The latest spell of hot, dry weather has been a good reminder about the importance of being fire safe to protect our special places and vulnerable native species before heading into our parks this summer.
Once again, we have implemented safety measures across our parks to protect visitors, staff and the environment. These measures include a colour-coded system that you may already be familiar with and is similar to the one used around the country by Fire and Emergency NZ.
Ranging from green to red, the risk levels can trigger specific restrictions within a park, which may mean that some sections close at certain times of the day or the whole park closes if extreme levels of risk are detected.
With Akatarawa Forest and Queen Elizabeth Park both in Kāpiti, you are spoilt for recreational choice from family picnics to walking, but we know it can be frustrating if you are unable to access our beautiful regional parks over summer. However, our priority is safety – protecting people, nature, and property from increased fire danger.
This is the third year we have implemented this system and as we see more frequent and extreme weather events like the fires in Tongariro, it is vital that we have these systems in place to reduce the risk of someone being caught in a wildfire in a regional park.
There are many different ways that a wildfire can start and not all of them are caused by human error. But nobody can outrun a wildfire with Wellington’s wind behind it. That’s why our teams will be closely checking factors like temperature, humidity, grass dryness, and recent rainfall to evaluate how easily a fire could ignite and spread.
If you are visiting a park throughout the summer, check Greater Wellington – Wildfires in regional parks before you go, to know the risk level and familiarise yourself with our safety tips. The risk level and safety advice will also be posted at park entrances and on social media which may suggest visiting the park in the morning or late evening, when the risk is lower.
With this system in place for your safety, I hope you are able to make the most of Greater Wellington — Summer Events in our beautiful parks this summer, and that you and your loved ones have a happy new year.