by Ian Apperley
While it was a positive step for the Mayor of Wellington to hold an urgent meeting yesterday concerning the city’s sewage and water issues, many questions remain. Read more »

Photo: Patrick Morgan

by Lindsay Shelton
The need for an off-road cycleway between Petone and Ngauranga was being described as “urgent” in 2008. The urgency was clear because a prominent cyclist had been killed at the Petone roundabout. We had a reminder of the urgency this week, with the memorial ride after the death of another cyclist on the same road. Read more »

by Lindsay Shelton
“It’s unacceptable,” was the verdict after a water main in Island Bay broke twice in two days last week. The verdict came from an authoritative organisation – Wellington Water, the council company that’s supposed to stop the water mains from breaking. And since then the company has said that all the recent breaks are only “bad luck” – a verdict (first voiced by mayor Andy Foster) that is no longer possible to take seriously. Read more »

Photos by Roy Murphy

by Roy Murphy
A new annual festival called “Two Wheels Good” opened yesterday at Prefab Lane in Te Aro to celebrate all things two-wheels, whether you’re a passionate cyclist or casual scooter rider. The title is a reworking of the saying in George Orwell’s satire “Animal Farm”, in which the sheep constantly bleat, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” Read more »

by Diane Calvert
The water infrastructure problems in Wellington are escalating. Until now we have been dealing with matters on a case by case basis. But real systemic issues are coming to the fore – too many issues to manage in our normal reporting and accountability structure. Time has come for this to be treated as a civil emergency. It has to be the #1 issue for the Council to deal with. Read more »

From Nicola Willis MP
To David Wright, Chairman & Colin Crampton, Chief Executive Wellington Water
Dear David and Colin,
I am writing to raise my serious concerns about the poor performance of water infrastructure in Wellington City. This is a serious environmental and public health challenge that requires an immediate, transparent and substantive response. Read more »

by Ian Apperley
In my last article, I wrote about the Wellington City Council facing stasis after 120 days of being in office. The question is why? There are unintended consequences to a lack of ability to create change, and we are starting to see those. Read more »

by Benoit Pette
Sometimes, presents come from unexpected people. Sometimes, you would rather do without those presents. Take Totara Road in Miramar: it seemed fine, with a nice asphalt covering, but it needed to be resealed because accountants said it had exceeded its lifecycle. So over the summer holidays, the Wellington City Council resealed three sections of it. But instead of resealing using asphalt, the council went with “chip seal”. Read more »

by Conor Hill
At the Chamber of Commerce this week, National MP Chris Bishop outlined his party’s high level vision for Wellington (and NZ) transport. Frightened that the intellectual rigor mortis that afflicts that organisation might be contagious, I did not attend. And after reading reports on the speech (here, and here, and here), it sounds like it was either a bit of absurdist comedy or utter fantasy. Read more »

by Ian Apperley
It’s been 120 days since the City Council elections and progress has been lacking. Issues from the campaign trail remain live and problems unanswered. Shelly Bay, traffic congestion, ageing and collapsing infrastructure, housing, and the continued closure of buildings in the CBD due to earthquake issues…. Read more »