Opinion from Inner-City Wellington
It is vital that any redesign of Te Ngākau – Civic Square recognises that inner-city residents now make up the largest suburb in Wellington in terms of population (in the smallest area of land in Wellington) and, as this population is expected to grow considerably, it is essential that, as well as being developed as the Civic heart and cultural hub of the city, the Square can also be seen as the heart of the inner city community. Key to this is retention of outdoor space, especially green space, and inclusion of surrounding internal community amenities at ground floor of ‘new’ buildings. Read more »

Press Release – Kapiti Coast District Council
The 2020/21 Māori Economic Development Fund is now open to whānau, hapū, iwi and mātāwaka in Kāpiti to help develop their business or social enterprise. Read more »

Wellington.Scoop
Roadworks on Cable Street outside Te Papa caused traffic delays for an hour this morning, not only on Aotea Quay but also on the motorway. At 8.55, NZTA advised that vehicles heading into the city were queued back to the Ngauranga interchange. Read more »

News from WCC
The Wellington City Council is seeking interest from potential tenants for the first apartments in the Te Kāinga programme. The apartments are part of the Council’s Te Kāinga programme to provide quality, secure, affordable and long-term rental accommodation in Wellington. Read more »

by Geraldine Murphy for ICW
With seismic strengthening deadlines for ‘earthquake prone’ buildings looming for many owners, including apartment owners, has anyone given any thought to the availability of construction resources to complete the work within the timeframes? Read more »

Report from RNZ
Some families in emergency housing are reporting their children are becoming emotionally distressed because of their living conditions. Demand for emergency accommodation has escalated last year with the number of emergency housing grants increasing by half. Read more »

News from Hutt City Council
Petone Wharf has today been closed to the public so that repair work can be carried out after damage from the two earthquakes that happened over the Christmas break. Read more »

News from Porirua City Council
A safer city and fairer fees for responsible dog owners are the goals of proposed changes to Porirua City’s dog control bylaw. Read more »

News from REINZ
The total pool of properties available for sale in New Zealand falls to record lows, continuing to put pressure on house prices, with a new record median house price for the fourth month in a row according to the latest data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ), source of the most complete and accurate real estate data in New Zealand. Read more »

Report from RNZ by Harry Lock
A Whānau Ora provider in Lower Hutt says escalating rents are driving families out of their homes and into emergency housing. Read more »