IMAGE: www.co.washington.or.us

WELLINGTON’S five public indoor pools are all finding it difficult to meet demand at peak times.

Wellington City Council’s recreation and sport facility development manager Jamie Delich says: “The two summer outdoor pools are also experiencing overcrowding at similar times – but only when the weather is at its best.”

Last year councillors agreed to allocate $11 million to pool development in the city over the next 10 years.

Councillor Celia Wade-Brown says that part of the budget is likely to go into refurbishing school pools for the first time.

She says that a system must be worked out so that school pools can be made available to others outside school hours so the public can also benefit from the pool upgrades.

“Fewer drownings and more fitness are essential in this maritime capital,” she says.

Ms Wade-Brown says that she would like to maximise the use of existing resources to save energy time and money.

Wellington City Council recreation manager Julian Todd says in a statement that the decline in school pools in the city has also contributed to ever-increasing demand for the city’s pool space.

“In the 1980s, there were 83 schools in Wellington – 48 of which had a pool… Now just 22 school pools are left and only 11 are in use,” he says.

Fifty schools in Wellington use public rather than school pools.

This puts pressure on public swimming pools and on schools, as they face greater costs for transport and can’t afford the time away from the classroom, he says.

This year, councillors are inviting the public to voice their opinion on fair use of pool space.

Those interested in commenting should visit the council website and make a submission via the Have Your Say section, which will be made available from early April through to mid May.

The council has also proposed that development work on some pools be completed over the next four years. Proposals include:

• installation of a new teaching pool at the Karori Pool
•  a new teaching and hydrotherapy pool and water-play area at Keith Spry Pool, Johnsonville
•  a hydrotherapy pool at the Wellington Aquatic Centre
• a new roof and insulation for Tawa Pool and a retractable roof at Thorndon Summer Pool.

National research conducted by Nielsen in 2008 found that many schools were giving less priority to swimming classes than in the past due to financial and infrastructure limits.

It was found that only one in five 10-year-olds could swim 200m – the benchmark that Water Safety New Zealand considers necessary to swim and survive in the water.

Upper Hutt City Council recently heard oral submissions on a draft gambling venue policy which aims to cut class-four electronic gaming machines (pokies) permitted throughout the city from 183 to 174.

An extraordinary meeting of council heard many views in support of and against their plans at the fourth meeting on this subject, marking the end of public consultation.

Katherine Raweti, a public health promoter from the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand opposed the proposal, sharing a personal story of how gambling affects families.

She says her sister got involved with a problem gambler and although they both earned over $100,000 a year, they often lacked money and sometimes food.

Eventually, after a three-day gambling binge, the man assaulted Katherine’s sister, showing, she says, “the impact gambling can have on families and communities, not just immediate family but also the wider family”

The Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand supports a “sinking lid” policy, which means there would be a district-wide ban on more class-four gambling machines being added.

This policy would reduce the number of venues over time but wouldn’t affect existing venues.

The Trust House Community Trust supports the current policy and said gaming machines were made for entertainment and there were more than enough of them in Upper Hutt to provide such entertainment.

President of the trust, Bernard Teahan says alcohol and gambling need to be treated with a “significant degree of community care”.

Mr Teahan says the majority of people enjoy gambling in a balanced, responsible way and by doing that the community is benefitting.

“All profits from gaming machines go back to the community,” he says.

The council received eight written submissions since December when public consultation began, five of the eight submitters wished to speak at the extraordinary council meeting.

The gambling venue policy is reviewed every three years.

Some of the key changes in the 2009 policy are:

• More consideration towards the location of gambling venues such as near churches and schools,
• Information in the policy that gaming machines must not be visible from the footpath, street, road or highway,
• An additional plan to encourage clarity regarding the distribution of gambling funds. The percentage of funds acquired that is returned to the local community on average and the percentage that goes into each category (eg, sport, health and education, etc).

Between September last year and February this year, the council surveyed Upper Hutt people on gambling. Ten questions were asked and 157 people responded.  The majority of people were against gambling:

•  67% said there were too many places to gamble in Upper Hutt, of those, 64% felt there were too many gaming machines.
• 78% felt the current cap of 183 was too many machines
• 81% thought gambling was socially undesirable
• 95% agreed there should be a cap on the number of gaming machines in Upper Hutt
• 88% thought this cap should be a “sinking lid” cap
• 90% said they didn’t want gambling venues in high deprivation/risk areas.

 A second extraordinary meeting of the council will consider submissions this week. The full council will then consider the final gambling venue policy at a policy committee meeting on March 31.

 The council will adopt the final policy at a council meeting on April 7.

WELLINGTON restaurant Logan Brown has recently achieved Enviromark’s bronze standard for lowering its carbon footprint.

The restaurant is among 21 businesses that joined Enviromark, an initiative launched by Greater Wellington Regional Council in June 2009 with the aim of helping businesses to reduce carbon emissions.

The programme has three standards – gold, silver and bronze – accredited by Enviromark that businesses work to achieve.

Logan Brown co-owner and head chef Shaun Clouston ( above right) was asked by the regional council early last year to take part in the eMissions programme.

He says the initial cost of enviro-proofing the restaurant was high, but the restaurant will save money in the long run by being involved.

The restaurant has had all its lights changed to a more energy-efficient alternative, and is in the process of purchasing more environmentally friendly fridges and ovens.

As well as making sure the restaurant is safe for staff and energy efficient, Mr Clouston also purchases fish stock from renewable sources and refuses to serve tuna, as it is becoming endangered.

Businesses involved with eMissions receive access to a business sustainability adviser, who calculates carbon emissions and subjects businesses to energy and waste audits.

Mr Clouston says during one review, the auditor searched through their entire rubbish bin to make sure everything was in order.

Michelle Hayward, a sustainable business facilitator for Greater Wellington Regional Council, says the council has run these types of programmes since 2006 with a high level of success.

“The costs will stay low as our model is to improve our own internal efficiencies.”

She says partnering with other councils and government agencies, as well as asking the businesses involved to pay a joining fee, mean the cost of running the programme is kept low.

Although the programme doesn’t finish till July this year, Ms Hayward says she has already had other businesses asking about the next intake.

The programme is sponsored by Greater Wellington, the Porirua, Hutt and Wellington City Councils, and the Shell New Zealand Sustainability Fund.

Environmental management took up 5% of the council’s $154 million operating expenditure budget in the year to June 2009.

Map showing the extent of a one-in-one hundred year flood over Greytown and Carterton

GREYTOWN residents are set to decide whether they need new flood defences at the cost of higher rates bills.

New maps showing the extent of a one-in-100 year flood of the Waiohine River have been sent to homes in the area after extensive mapping was done by Greater Wellington Regional Council.

The maps show the majority of Greytown, as well as parts of Carterton, submerged.

Regional council flood protection manager Graeme Campbell is confident the new flood walls will go ahead, despite a $5 million price tag.

“The cost of flooding to the town would be well into the millions anyway, the cost to each household is massive in a flood.”

The entire Wellington region will pay half the cost, with those in the affected areas expected to pick up the rest through a rates rise.

One Greytown resident, Sally Rhodes, thinks the flood defences are a good idea, but has her reservations about the cost. “I think it is necessary, but $5 million is a lot of money.”

The council already has money set aside in the Long Term Regional Plan for a project like this.

Major consultation with local residents is due to begin in the coming months, with the flood protection work planned for completion in 2014.

The existing flood banks have been there, in some part, for nearly 100 years, with various upgrades, most recently in 1999.

These flood defences would protect the town from a one-in-20 year flood only, Mr Campbell says. “There’s plenty of room to improve on that.”

Other, cheaper options have been discussed and include installing better warning systems in the upper reaches of the river and having stronger emergency evacuation plans in place.

Mr Campbell says this option is unlikely to be chosen by residents as they have more to lose from a major flood than an entirely rural area.

Graph showing the level of bacteria found at Castle Point beach. The red line is the point where action is to be taken.

Wairarapa’s popular swimming spots have far exceeded the accepted level of bacteria from sewage this summer.

Castlepoint Beach showed some of the highest levels of contamination from enterococci bacteria, at more than five times the level required for action to be taken, reports from Greater Wellington Regional Council show.

Enterococci bacteria are found in sewage and can cause infection to open cuts as well as diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vomiting if ingested.

The source of the contamination is agricultural run-off and treated sewage from towns such as Masterton and Greytown, the overflow of which is let out into the Raumahanga River after heavy rain, says regional council environmental scientist Summer Warr.

The Raumahanga River has been one of the worst contaminated, with six of the seven testing spots showing unacceptable levels of e-coli.

Ms Warr says the levels were higher than usual and likely a result of high rainfall in the eastern catchment areas directly before the tests were carried out on February 1 and 3, the days with the highest levels of contamination.

One testing point, Raumahanga River at Kokotau, showed four times the level of e-coli required for action to be taken.

Despite the high results in recent tests, Wairarapa beaches are rated as “good” in a 2009 Greater Wellington Regional Council report outlining water quality in the area.

Streams and rivers fare far worse in the report, but Ms Warr says the results are somewhat biased because of higher readings after rain in certain areas.
 
During summer months, all major swimming spots in the region are tested weekly and the results posted on the regional council’s website.

Because of the large changes in contaminant levels after rainfall, the council advises people not to swim in the days following heavy rain.

This is the latest in a long list of contaminations in Wairarapa’s rivers and streams, including last year when a farmer was prosecuted for keeping his livestock fenced in around a river.

STEPHEN Press with his the trophies recognising his 2009 and 2010 international award.

LOCAL freelance cameraman Stephen Press has been called a “camera god” by American website, B-roll.net.

The website, which is a worldwide showcase for talented camera operators, chose Mr Press as winner of the 2010 ‘Best of B-roll.net’ International section from 400 clips entered worldwide.

“It’s an award from my peers, so is very special to me,” says Mr Press, who also won the award last year.

Three of the 10 clips he entered for this year’s award are on the B-roll.net website, which introduces Mr Press as a “camera god”.

The Eastbourne man started his career in 1984, when he joined Avalon Studios as Television Assistant.

He later moved on to England, where in 1996 he worked as a freelance cameraman on programmes such as Coronation Street, and filmed British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major, as well as the Spice Girls.

Having filmed so many famous people over the years, he claims not to get excited about meeting them any more but does confess to going weak at the knees when he met Billy Idol.

Most of his work comes from word of mouth and from having contacts in production companies.

He says there is “plenty of work out there”. The types of  jobs he covers includes news, movies, and documentaries.

In a career where he has covered most areas, he says the thing he likes most is that he has “free access to life”, allowing him to witness a variety of different situations and cultures.

One of his favourite assignments was a flight in a Skyhawk jet with the RNZAF, when he filmed a military training exercise for over two hours.

His advice for people who want a future in this role is if they want to succeed they should hone their skills in lighting, and have a good idea about how their story will be told in film.

Mr Press says if he didn’t have film he “would go mad”, however he does have other talents. He is a published author of a series of short stories called The Princess Diaries, and he also tutors at Whitireia Journalism School.

On the internet:

For a full list of results visit: www.b-roll.net

Work by Stephen Press is at: www.spress.ning.com

PAT NGOHO, American artist and professional skateboarder, was in  Wellington for the art show Eyes Wide Open last month.

The Californian was in the Capital with what he called “a celebration of skaters who have fallen [died] who have opened our eyes to the larger world of skateboarding”.

“By bringing it here and including the Kiwis along with this show has just made everything more rich,” he says. “It’s been a great education for all of us to see what’s going on in different parts of the world in skateboarding and in art.”

Pat compliments Wellington in particular, calling the city one of the tour’s best stops.

“It’s a little bit more laid back than some of the others so with that comes a bit more relaxed feel from the whole group of pros who all travel together… The locals are wonderful and accommodating,” he says.

Pat is from Los Angeles, but has been to New Zealand three times for art shows.

He says surfing and skateboarding are big parts of the culture and lifestyle in his part of the world.

“As a little surfer growing up they just came hand in hand, if you weren’t surfing you were skateboarding. It was a form of transportation, it was a form of artistic expression and in California skating was on the move.”

Art and skateboarding have always gone hand in hand for Pat as he grew up around both.

He says the biggest similarity between them is artistic expression. They both have “pools” of ideas that can be taken from and added to at any time.

Some of Pat’s artwork is painted directly onto blank skateboards which are then used for the sport.

He says this idea came from the early Dog Town artists who put art on skateboards because there were no screen-printing companies making production skateboards.

“They took it upon themselves to create their own art and over time the kids would go skate on it and wear it in and you’d have those characteristics of the skating and it really became part of the art to see that it was used for its intention.”

Pat says there were no opportunities to skate professionally when he was a kid. But he went on to win awards like the 2008 World Cup Masters Bowlriding championship title and is a member of the Santa Monica Airlines Skateboard team.

“I’m inspired by so much of skateboarding,” he says. “I go around the world and come across these kids – the way they skate and what they’re doing is so amazing it just makes you smile and reinforces what you do as a skateboarder. You just do it because you love it and because it just burns a fire within you.”

In his abstract artwork he often uses a lot of bright colours, such as reds and yellows. He says these colours show his Californian connection.

“There’s a strong palette throughout the state through its sunsets, through the architecture and just in nature, as a surfer as a skater we’re exposed to this really huge spectrum of colour and you see beautiful palette.”

Pat enjoys New Zealand art and says he likes the strong Maori themes he sees within the art here.

He also says he enjoys the positive attitude he has experienced in our country.

“New Zealand is a really beautiful place… Especially Wellington, it’s really an optimistic place it really pushes itself, in small ways like being the first fair trade capital. It’s like ‘these guys are really taking the initiative’ and it’s wonderful to see that a small town like this can have such a strong impact and have so much control over their destiny.”

Pat’s passion for art and skateboarding take up so much of his time that he has no other hobbies.

“If you just start getting into crazy hobbies like collecting cars or camera equipment, which I was at some point, it just became a little too much: You become scattered and no good to anybody.”

A POD of orca whales delighted spectators on Wellington’s south coast today as they hunted their prey.

Hundreds of people chased on foot and in cars to catch sight of the six whales during their feeding frenzy.

Nona Parry (57) from Kelburn had never ever seen a whale before “ever” and was thrilled to spot one of the orcas body surfing.

Two surfers at Houghton Bay were warned out of the water as the pod approached them and said later thyey were relieved to be out of harm’s way.

Xavier Print (7) from Island Bay also saw a whale for the first time today and thought it was “awesome”.

The pod was last seen heading towards the seal colony at Red Rocks.

IMAGE: stuff.co.nz

THE commercial interests of Wellington city councillors will soon be made available on the council’s website.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast (left) told councillors she is putting her interests on the council’s website following a number of queries made by members of the public concerning her commercial interests.

All councillors, except for one, have agreed to put their interests up on the website – however it is unclear if their spouses’ interests will be included in the Register of Interests.

Council communications manager Michelle Brooker says the decision has been made by individual councillors and is about being transparent to the public.

“We [the council] are going to put up our Register of Interests up on the website once the Democratic Services Department have checked that the information of councillors is up to date.”

It is not currently a legal requirement to do this. The Manukau City Council in Auckland is the only council which publish a register of their councillors’ interests.

Under the present system, set out in the Local Members Interest Act 1968, the Mayor and councillors must declare personal and or commercial interests as they arise at meetings and debates.  If a person has a conflict of interest they are excluded from the meeting.

Maria Van Der Meel from the “City is Ours” campaign has been collecting signatures for an ePetition which is calling for the Register of Interests for elected members of council and their spouses to be made publicly available on the council’s website.

She is pleased with the council’s decision.

“The Register of Interest is not available to the public, because I asked to view it, and it wasn’t an option,” she says.

As a result she started the ePetition which will be presented during public participation at the Strategy and Policy meeting, after the new council is sworn in.

“It’s not aimed at anyone per se, it’s just for the purpose of transparency,” says Ms Van Der Meel.

Auckland anti-corruption campaigner Penny Bright says that the Register of Interests should be available to the public.

Ms Bright has made an Official Information Act requesting to see the Register of Interests from 85 councils nationwide.

“You are reliant on the integrity of individual councillors to stand on their hind legs and declare an interest at the time something is an item of business.

“If an interest is not declared, how can it be checked for a conflict of interest?  Who’s double checking?”

Declaring commercial interests, like parliamentarians do, should already be a statutory requirement for councillors and mayors, says Ms Bright.

She says there needs to be a legislative change to The Local Members Interest Act 1968.

PUBLIC PICKINGS: Young fruit trees in Brooklyn.

ON a Tuesday evening Brooklyn residents Mel Beirne and Kelda Hains can be found tending the fruit trees in Wellington’s only organic community orchard.

The project is about to be duplicated just five kilometres away, when Owhiro Bay community gardens at 72 Happy Valley Rd opens to the public tomorrow at 10 am.

Fruit trees in the community orchard with the Harrison St flats behind

The orchard was planted late last year, after Transition Towns Brooklyn was granted a licence to lease a small area of land from Wellington City Council.

The ground the orchard stands on was leased to Transition Towns Brooklyn by the council for 10 years for an annual rent of $1, with a 10-year right of renewal.

So far the orchard consists of 13 trees, mainly apple and peach, but also almond and quince. Another 10 pear and plum trees are to be planted this winter.

The trees will produce fruit in three to five years’ time, and any fruit they do produce is free for the taking of local residents.

The organic trees are located on the walkway between Harrison and Garfield Sts in Brooklyn, between council-owned flats and private residences.

Mel Beirne says Transition Towns members are developing the orchard and carrying out garden projects for the community. “The first planting was done with the playcentre over the road. The kids love it.”

The orchard doens't just produce edible fare

Mrs Beirne hopes the orchard will begin something that future generations can enjoy.

Transition Towns Brooklyn is an incorporated society with a focus on sustainable living and building healthy communities

The group was frustrated by the time it takes for the council to act, but happy to have support from councillor Celia Wade-Brown in advising the group in the best way to approach the council, and putting the group in touch with other people who could help.

Councillor Wade-Brown has donated plants to the project and would like to see several such gardens or orchards in each suburb.

She says these projects “build community, produce healthy local food, offer exercise, friendship, financial independence and fellowship in creating a lasting community asset”.

In accordance with city council guidelines for community gardens, adopted last September, the orchard is in an otherwise unused area, and operates on a strictly non-profit basis.

Crs Ray Ahipene-Mercer and Celia Wade-Brown planting a vine at Strathmore School last year