KILBIRNIE Pool expansion supporters are fighting to keep hopes of an extension alive.

Public submissions close tomorrow for the Wellington City Councils long term plan and supporters want to get the pool’s extension pushed into schedule B.

As it stands the plan is in schedule C with items which are not currently budgeted for over the next 10 years, but items in A and B are.

To get public support pool goers, club members and anyone involved in water sports have been sending in submissions and signing postcards that have been given to the council.

Wellington High Performance Aquatics’ trustee Luvaine McDonald says she has thousands of postcards from supporters to give to the Council.

The need for a larger pool space is recognised in the swimming community.

“Right now we need a new pool to cover all aspects of aquatics,” says Mrs McDonald.

The pool hosts many clubs from swimming, diving, underwater hockey and water polo and are “bursting at the seams” says Mrs McDonald.

“We are pushed to the limits at the pool,” she says.

They also realise that it is not just needed for high performance aquatics.

“It’s about well-being and community,” says Mrs McDonald. “We also need to consider the public when events are going.”

Councillor Jo Coughlan says the costs are currently estimated to be around $20million for 35 metre pool or $24million for a 50 metre pool.

“This is to meet the demands on pool space and to meet the needs of pool users from learn to swim to those involved in aquatic sport,” says Mrs Coughlan.

An example of this is water polo says Sarah Polaschek, chair of Wellington water polo.

“It would be ideal to have more water polo appropriate pool space and more space to have competitions,” she says.

Once all public submissions have been reviewed, the council will decide whether any changes are needed before adopting the final version in late June.

Previous votes on various proposals for the pool have had mixed results.

The first vote on March 24 2011 to include a $650,000 feasibility study in the Draft Annual Plan was passed nine votes to five.

The second vote held on June 16 2011 to include a $650,000 feasibility study in the Annual Plan was lost six votes to nine.

The third vote on June 29 2011 to commit $150,000 to the initial concept design of the pool was passed in favour 11 votes to four.

CAPTION: Competitive swimming at Kilbirnie pool. Image: stuff.co.nz

READY TO GROW: Rows of Taupata, a native coastal shrub, at the council nursery.

THE MAYOR of Wellington will be getting her hands dirty planting native shrubs and trees with the help of volunteers to celebrate Arbor Day and World Environment Day, on June 5.

3,000 native plants will be planted by mayor Celia Wade-Brown and volunteers in the Oruaiti Reserve, a coastal area near Seatoun, according to Wellington City Council.

“This kicks off the start of the council’s expansive winter planting of 50,000 native plants,” says Myfanwy Emeny, Biodiversity Coordinator of the Parks and Gardens unit.

The unit’s theme this year is “Coasting Along” which focuses on coastal plants and habitats.

Cabbage trees, ngaio, taupata and spinifex are just some of the coastal plants that an estimated 150-200 volunteers will help plant in the reserve, says Miss Emeny.

Shrub land will also be created to help reduce the rabbit population and encourage native species to breed, she adds.

“The shrubs will create nesting areas for the little blue penguins around Breaker Bay, and also encourage the lizard population.”

Native coastal vegetation and dunes are some of New Zealand’s most threatened ecosystems, according to the Department of Conservation website.

“We’ll be restoring dune plants, like the spinifex, which tends to get trampled on by people,” says Miss Emeny.

New Zealand’s first Arbor Day was on July 3, 1890, in the Wairarapa. It marks the beginning of the planting season and encourages people to plant and care for trees.

It is now observed on the same day as World Environment Day, a United Nation’s initiative started in 1972.

Miss Emeny says anybody can come and help with the planting.

“Hopefully there will be a good turnout. I think a lot of children from Seatoun School and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori school will be involved.”

The council says it produces 90,000 native plants annually for the city’s natural areas.

The Port Nicholson Trust, who own the reserve, have teamed up with the council to hold the event.

More details about the event and volunteering can be found here.

SEWING BEE: Time bankers Bryant Hardwick and Olivia Richardson at a Newtown Community centre stitch share. IMAGE: Wellington South Time Bank.

SINCE its launch in October last year, the Wellington South time bank has experienced rapid and steady growth.

This month, the bank made the 100 member mark.

The bank works on the proviso that members offer their time and skills to other members of the group and receive the time and services of others in return.

Wellington City Council currently funds the time bank coordinator salary for 20 hours per week.   City Councillor, Stephanie Cook says,

“Time banks are a brilliant initiative and I’d like to see others set up around Wellington.”

The current membership offers services such as gardening, cooking lessons, job search and IT help and sewing to name a few.

One participant makes environmentally friendly cleaning products and teaches others to make them.

Coordinator Hannah Mackintosh says there are some good stories about how the time bank is making lives easier.

“One member is a single parent in full time work.  She has no car and was having to pick up groceries daily in town.  Now another member takes her to the supermarket on a regular basis.

“Another member makes cards but had difficulty getting to the shop in Tawa where she likes to purchase her craft supplies.  Now she gets a ride there with another time bank member.”

The first time bank in New Zealand started in Lyttelton three years ago.  Project Lyttelton chair Margaret Jefferies discovered time banking while at a conference in New York and pulled together a team to pilot the Lyttelton Timebank.

The bank has provided a focal point and source of support for residents there since last year’s earthquakes.

The concept of time banking, also known as trade time, is the brain child of American lawyer Edgar Cahn.

He believed that social service organisations were failing to get help from the people they were trying to assist.

He called this a “deficit based approach” to social service, where organisations view the people they are trying to help only in terms of their needs.

This contrasts to an “asset based approach” which focuses on the contributions they can make towards their communities.

The concept of time banks is now well established in New Zealand and there are several operating across the country.

A software package called “Community Weaver” developed for time banks is used to track time credits in each exchange.

Coordinators in New Zealand meet via SKYPE on a monthly basis to share news and ideas.
People interested in knowing more about Wellington South Time bank can make contact by calling Hannah at the Newtown Community Centre, Mondays to Wednesdays 920 6708.

There is also a Facebook page named Wellington South Time Bank.

MONEY transfers made by Tongans living in New Zealand to their homeland makes up 12.5 per cent of Tonga’s gross domestic product, stats by The Economist shows.

An Economist Magazine report has placed New Zealand among the world’s top countries for sending money to poor regions.

According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development report, approximately US$146 million was sent to Tonga in 2006.

It says US$382 million in remittances were pumped into Samoa’s economy in 2006.

Palei Tuiano of Porirua sends money to Tonga as his contribution to family gatherings and intends to continue.

“It’s like a Tongan or islander thing where you help your family back home whereever you are in the world,” says Palei.

“We do it to pitch in with family funerals and weddings.”

New Zealand remittances sent to Tonga and Samoa are ranked seventh and eighth on the list compiled by The Economist.

Amelia Sau grew up in Tonga and is now living in Porirua.

“I send money home to my mother for her to pay for things she needs paid off,” says Amelia

Remittances sent home from Samoans in New Zealand made up 11.5 per cent of Samoa’s gross domestic product, ranking them at number eight in The Economist report.

“Most islanders who moved here made sacrifices to get here, so sending money home is a thank you to our families,” says Amelia.

New Plymouth’s Lupe Maunganai says Samoans are sending part of their income home for the same reasons as Tongans.

“$800 for a funeral and $800 for a relative to move to NZ, that’s the most,” says Lupe.

In 2011 remittances to poor countries totalled $372 billion, according to the World Bank.

The Economist report also shows remittances to poor countries dropped by 5% in 2009 then bounced back in 2010 to record levels.

FOODSTUFFS Wellington says it wants collaboration with local skaters to create a unique new skate park.

At a meeting this week the company asked for local feedback on relocating the skate park north of Whitby Bowling Club and on the initial scheme.

However, property development manager, from Foodstuffs Wellington Co-operative Society Ltd, Mark Lash says people were more concerned about designing the new facility.

“It all comes down to the actual design [of the skate park], we want to engage everyone so it is designed and built properly.”

He says location is not going to affect the skate park plan, because Porirua City Council will make the final decision about placement.

“Our preference is to relocate the park so there will be more room because we are concerned about the amount of space.”

Foodstuffs plans to build a 3000 square-metre New World supermarket next to Adventure Park, which is why the current skate park to be upgraded or moved.

Stephen Nicholson, one of around 50 people who attended, says the meeting was “quite positive” but the location of the park isn’t his main concern.

“We just want to be involved in the planning, and he has asked me to email him the plan we drew, so he can get an idea of where to begin.”

Mr Lash says the next step is to organise the Foodstuffs architecture, a skate park designer and possibly the PCC to sit around a table and create a of couple designs.

He says these will be given to Stephen Nicholson, who created a Facebook page for users of the park, to get feedback.

The first proposal for the new park, pictured above, which was posted on the Kapi-Mana News website on April 3, was met with hostility, including comments calling the design “rubbish”.

“It is clear that no skaters were asked for their ideas because there are no stairs, ramps and rails with any sort of flow,” says Mr Nicholson.

Mr Lash says the draft plan was a chance to gain feedback, which will enable him “to seek direction in regards to the design”.

“The initial design is simply a “proof of concept”  he says, and the intent is to illustrate that a skate park can fit on the alternate piece of land.

“The outcome will likely be completely different,” says Mr Lash.

EPILEPSY FIGURES: Number of young Maori and non-Maori hospitalised with epilepsy from 2000-09. IMAGE: Ministry of Health report

The report shows that 1029 Māori children and young people were admitted to hospital with the condition between 2005 and 2009, compared with 2471 non-Maori children.

The figures mean Maori make up 29% of young people hospitalised, and non-Maori, 71%.

In contrast, Maori make up 15% of the population, while Pakeha make up 77%.
 
The report, The Health of Maori Children and Young People with Chronic Conditions and Disabilities in New Zealand, was commissioned for the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service,

Maori averaged 0.45 admissions per year, or approximately one every two years, and there were 2338 admissions altogether. 

Non-Maori averaged 0.47 admissions per year, and there were 5831 admissions altogether.

The statistics show hospitalisations per 100,000 children dropped between 2000 and 2009 for both Maori and non-Maori, but the drop was much greater for non-Maori, especially between 2004 and 2009. 

The report says hospital admissions were high amongst Māori infants, with rates declining gradually during childhood to reach their lowest point at eight years old. Rates increased again during the teens and early twenties, to reach a second peak at 22 years old.

The report says these admission rates were “significantly higher” than for non-Maori young people.

Epilepsy New Zealand’s Verity Colgrave says it may be to do with how well Maori understand epilepsy.

“We see far more European people than we do Maori people. We just don’t have as many Maori people contacting us.”

Mrs Colgrave says Epilepsy New Zealand doesn’t have any specific programme that they use when working with Maori.

“We address their individual needs.”

According to the report, epilepsy is the most common serious neurological illness in children and young people, but it often has no known cause.
                   
Between 2005 and 2009, the hospital admission rates for rheumatic fever, bronchiectasis and diabetes were also much higher for Maori young people than their Pakeha counterparts.
 
Diagnoses of Down syndrome, neural tube defects, cystic fibrosis, developmental delays/intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy and autism were also much higher in Maori young people than non-Maori young people.

The link to the full report is below: http://dnmeds.otago.ac.nz/departments/womens/paediatrics/research/nzcyes/pdf/Health_of_Maori_Children_and_Young_People_with_Chronic_Conditions_and_Disabilities_in_New_Zealand.pdf

Property Development Manager, from Foodstuffs Wellington Co-operative Society Ltd, Mark Lash says it is a chance to gain feedback about whether the relocation is acceptable, enabling him “to seek direction in regards to the design”.

“If there is widespread support, we will continue with the development. If feedback is to the contrary, then we will likely continue with the status quo.”

The first proposal for the new park, which was posted on the Kapi-Mana News website on April 3, was met with hostility, including comments calling the design “rubbish”.

Stephen Nicholson has been skating at the Whitby Park for 10 years and says draft designs are dissatisfying.

“It is clear that no skaters were asked for their ideas because there are no stairs, ramps and rails with any sort of flow.

“$150,000 is a lot of money and it would be a waste if it isn’t built properly,” he says.

Mr Nicholson has created a Facebook page called the Whitby Skatepark Constructive Criticism Alliance to represent park users.

The page, with just over 40 members, was formed for people to post comments and ideas, including their own drawn plan.

“We’re looking for positive feedback.  There’s already enough negativity.”

However, Mark Lash of Foodstuffs says the relocation of the skate park is “simply being considered as an option”.

“The initial design is simply a ‘proof of concept’, and the intent is to illustrate that a skate park can fit on the alternate piece of land,” he says.

Whitby residents and the police are both concerned the current skate park is a breeding ground for delinquents and anti-social behaviour.

Community Constable Simon Bygate says the car park gets abused due to its secluded location, with late night drinking and vandalism.

“It tends to be people who don’t use the skate park for its proper purpose, who give it a bad name.”

Mr Nicholson acknowledges that it is a place that attracts people for the wrong reasons.

However, he hopes that Foodstuffs will build the new skate park with everyone’s considerations in mind.

“Eventually, we will just have to take what we can get,” says Mr Nicholson.

Mr Lash says that Porirua City Council owns the skate park and they will make the ultimate decision about whether the project will proceed.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday 15 May, 7.00pm, at St Mary’s Anglican Church, in Whitby.

For more information email mark.lash@foodstuffs-wgtn.co.nz

SWEETS, meat, cosmetics and drink filled Westpac Stadium at the weekend for the Wellington  Food Show.

Companies from all over New Zealand gathered to showcase their products.

Tracy Levey has been coming to the show for seven years and likes the idea of giving Wellington a taste of her Alpine Gold fruit juice.

“We just wanted to introduce our brand to Wellington because we are from the South Island and thought the food show was a great way to promote our product,” says Tracy.

Quina Fina tonic water employee, Kirsty Warbrick sees the show as a way for people to try out different brands.

“I find it a good way for the reps to promote new products to a lot more people than just everyday supermarkets” Kirsty says.

Jasmine Griffin has been involved with the food show for a number of years and agrees the show is a great place to try new products.

Jasmine who works for Whittakers teamed up with New Zealand’s number one food magazine, Cuisine, to promote both the chocolate and the magazine.

“I came for Cuisine magazine but I am doing the Whittakers chocolate display because we [Whittaker’s and cuisine] are close and wanted to promote the new chocolate,” says Jasmine.

Nultz Gourmet’s Sheree Fitzi thinks taste testing is the best thing about the show.

“I think everyone comes to the show for all the taste testing,” says Sheree.

The show isn’t all about food – Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics displayed body products.

“Our product is made with fruit and vegetables and we thought that the food show is a great place to show people what else you can do with food,” says Brain Gullis- Overton of Lush.

This was the first time Lush attended the food show and was the trial run.

“We maybe are looking at doing it [food show] in Auckland and Christchurch next year.”

Adult consent to consume alcohol is a reasonable point of looming law changes, say teenagers

However they say splitting the purchase age between 20 for shops and 18 for on-licences such as restaurants and clubs would be unworkable.

The Alcohol Reform Bill is in its final reading in Parliament next month, and consent and the split age are two of the key changes.

Student Laura Gardner (17) agrees with underage teenagers getting consent from parents or guardians because it is not a challenge for most to get alcohol.

“Young people are binge drinking way too much and it’s so bad and all because it’s really easy to get alcohol.”

Student Rebekah Perry (17) says the laws will just be another challenge for rebellious teens.

She says the split purchase age is “a pain” and there will be easy ways around it.

“Parents and guardians will have power over their children’s drinking, however their arm only goes so far, if the children want to drink then they will.”

Confusion around the split purchase age is an issue among those spoken to.

“Well, I think that the split age is just too confusing, they should keep it as it is,” says student Kyla Burkinshaw (17).

Student Ashika Dayabhi (18) is also in agreement, saying that it is “stupid and annoying”.

She says the split purchase age will not stop teenagers from drinking less or being more responsible.

“Most people will end up drinking more at bars and clubs, most likely more liquor rather than being able to drink a bottle of wine bought from the supermarket.”

Statistics New Zealand figures released in the Alcohol Available for Consumption December 2011 report show the total alcoholic beverage available for consumption fell, mainly due to a drop in wine volume.

Figures show spirits containing more than 23 percent alcohol increased 217,000 litres to 13 million litres between 1996 and 2011.

“Ready to drink” beverages often drunk by teenagers, containing less than 23 percent, rose 2.4 million litres to 62 million litres between 1996 and 2011.

The number of standard drinks per person per day in 1996 has risen from 1.9 to 2.1 standard drinks in the year ended 2011.

WELLINGTON BUILDERS are enjoying a higher number of consents, but one builder says they are having to work at a lower rate.

In the 12 months to March there have been 1278 consents approved, according to Statistics New Zealand’s building consents figures.

The peak month was December 2011, during which 188 consents were approved.

So far this calendar year, there have been 296 approved dwelling consents issued in Wellington.

There were 114 consents issued in March 2011 and 136 consents in 2012, a 19 percent increase.

However, building values this year have dropped $10 million from $35 million in March last year.

Builder Ben Flynn (31) says there is more work around.

“People are now getting the work done. We’re taking more people on.”

However, builders are having to adjust to the financial cutbacks.

“Builders were making profit before the last census, now they have to lower rates to keep up because of the recession,”

There were 1559 consents nationwide for new houses in March 2012, the highest monthly total since September 2008.

Nationally numbers of consent approvals have risen 33% since April 2011, the month with the lowest approvals in 30 years.

Consents issued in Canterbury have increased significantly, with a majority of the locations being outside Christchurch City in surrounding districts.

Mr Flynn said he personally would not make the move to Christchurch.

“Definitely not. A lot of guys went down there for prospects, but there is a long wait to get any kind of work.

“I certainly can’t see a lot of guys from Wellington going down there.”