Latest news with #HuttCityCouncil
Scoop
14-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hutt City Council Chief Executive Releases Pre-Election Report
Hutt City Council has published its 2025 Pre-Election Report ahead of the local elections in October. Chief Executive Jo Miller said that while the report is a statutory requirement, it also serves as an opportunity to widely share the challenges and opportunities facing the Lower Hutt. Hutt City Council's pre-election report makes it clear there are a number of challenges and significant work ahead. The Long Term Plan includes a $2.8 billion investment for infrastructure through to 2034 - most of which is going directly into water and transport. "We are starting work on Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi (RiverLink) - a combined $1.5 billion investment in partnership with the Government and Greater Wellington Regional Council. This is the largest project ever delivered in the city's history," says Jo Miller. "At the same time, we are working to set up a new regional water entity from 1 July 2026." Miller says there are exciting projects ahead but also real pressures. "The incoming Council will need to make some hard calls. Our costs are rising and there is a need to look carefully at what is being spent and why - and how we can improve our performance in a way that doesn't add significant costs to ratepayers. "The current form of local government is not sustainable beyond the medium term given the scale of the financial challenges councils across the country are facing. As water reform and changes to the planning system via the Resource Management Act arrive, important discussions are starting to occur on amalgamation options for councils in the Wellington region." In response to some of the challenges facing local government, Hutt City Council is already using innovation to boost performance and find efficiencies with the use of technology, particularly Generative AI. Use of AI tools has saved tens of thousands of hours of staff time. Work is now ongoing to build on these improvements and leverage recent investment in modern digital tools. As part of our wider work exploring how AI can help us connect more effectively with our community, Hutt City Council has created a new podcast series unpacking the Pre-Election Report. Narrated by an AI version of Chief Executive Jo Miller's voice, the short episodes aim to make the report's insights more accessible and easier to engage with. "Within our increasing use of AI, I suggested that we do something innovative and deliver New Zealand's first AI podcast highlighting the pre-election report. It's not only a way to showcase AI use, it actually makes the content more accessible to more of our community - like the visually impaired." People interested in standing for Council or just keen to learn more about how the city is run, are encouraged to read the Pre-Election Report. It includes lots of useful information, graphs and data. It also lists other documents you can read if you want more detail. Key election dates: 4 July: Candidate nominations opened. By 19 October: Declaration of final election results.
Scoop
13-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Riverbank Market To Move To Dowse Square – Mayor Announces New Site For 2026
Press Release – Hutt City Council The new location was selected after detailed planning and engagement. Its close to the current market site, can host existing stallholders, and is well-connected to public transport and parking. Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry has announced that the Riverbank Market will relocate to Dowse Square and the surrounding Civic Precinct next year, while major construction work takes place. The market has been a fixture of Lower Hutt's weekends since 2005 and attracts thousands of visitors each Saturday, making it one of the largest and most popular weekly markets in the Wellington region. The market needs to move to make way for improved stopbanks as part of the $1.5 billion Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi RiverLink project which also includes transport improvements and reconnecting the city to the river. 'We've made it a priority to keep the market central and local. The new location is a practical way to help attract foot traffic to the CBD and support local businesses through a time of disruption and change,' Mayor Barry says. 'Market-goers will still be able to enjoy their Saturday morning routines-now with nearby attractions like High Street shopping, Riddiford Garden, the Dowse Art Museum, and the War Memorial Library just steps away.' The new location was selected after detailed planning and engagement. It's close to the current market site, can host existing stallholders, and is well-connected to public transport and parking. Work is underway on a resource consent application for the move, and a confirmed relocation date will be announced in due course, allowing stallholders and the public adequate time to prepare.
RNZ News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
A chocoholics dream, Hutt Hot Chocolate challenge kicks off
A chocoholics dream, a competition to create a unique hot chocolate drink. The Sweet as Hutt Hot chocolate challenge was started in 2015 by the Hutt City council to help regenerate the city centre and coax people out during the cold months. This year there are 13 finalists, including the mid winter'd, gingerbread flavoured with hints of cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla bean, as well as the "squirrell swirl", salted caramel with smooth peanut butter and snack sized snickers bars on the side. The winner is decided by a public vote and a panel of judges. One of those judges, Toby Sanderson spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Scoop
08-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Thousands Of Free Native Plants For Lower Hutt – Let's Get More In The Ground
Press Release – Hutt City Council Locals can register for up to five free native plants to grow in their own backyards or community area. Weve doubled the total number of plants available this year, up from 2000 last year, as we push to reach 114,000 native plantings by 2025. Lower Hutt residents can again be part of the Mouri Tupu: Planting for the Future initiative with 4000 free native plants up for grabs to brighten backyards and community spaces. Locals can register for up to five free native plants to grow in their own backyards or community area. We've doubled the total number of plants available this year, up from 2000 last year, as we push to reach 114,000 native plantings by 2025. Mouri Tupu is about getting more native plants in the ground across Lower Hutt, on berms, in backyards, and in community spaces. Last year's response showed locals are keen to get involved and this year we're scaling up so even more households can take part. To help reach the city's planting target, residents who successfully register can collect their plants at one of four collection days: Proof of Lower Hutt residency, such as a utility bill or library card, will be required upon collection. Mayor Campbell Barry says an integral part of the Mouri Tupu initiative is about empowering residents to take part in greening their city. 'This is about rolling up our sleeves and getting more native plants in the ground. We've already hit 73,000 and we're not slowing down. Giving plants straight to locals is a simple, practical way to get more people involved in the work to green and protect our city.' About Mouri Tupu Mouri is the life force or energy present in everything; not just living things like animals or plants, but also inanimate objects, places, and man-made items. This energy is nurtured and grown, or neglected and stunted, depending on our interaction with and care for the energy. Tupu refers to the early stages of the plant life cycle and encompasses the whole process of growth itself. Mouri Tupu is our way of recognising that everything has the potential to grow and thrive, powered by the energy that flows through all things, and sustained by our interaction and care of it. This is why we are committed to ensuring a community in which everyone thrives; and we can only thrive if our environment is suitable.
Scoop
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Hutt City Council Affirms Commitment To Free Speech, Free Speech Union Settles Court Case
Following a legal battle between Hutt City Council and the Free Speech Union over the Council's censorship of inserts on Council sites, the parties have agreed to settle. The Council will make several public statements affirming its commitment to free speech, and its role as a gateway for information, not a gatekeeper, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. 'It is not the role of local councils to decide what ratepayers do and don't read. We took Hutt City Council and its Chief Executive, Jo Miller, to court when they refused to resolve the matter with us. Local ratepayers deserve better. 'The Hutt City Council removed a paid advertisement insert by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research (NZCPR) from newspapers from all council sites. The insert was from 'Treaty of Waitangi – An Explanation' by Sir Āpirana Ngata and was published in 31 NZME and Stuff newspapers. 'However, we now welcome Hutt City Council's agreement to settle with us and their commitment to free speech and the right to impart and receive information and opinions as a critical part of our society. They've also acknowledged that if similar situations arise in the future, the Council would be likely to adopt a different approach. They've confirmed that the role of the local library is not to act as a gatekeeper of information, and that ratepayers should be free to access information. 'Local councils around the country should take note. They can't pick and choose when Kiwis' speech rights apply. Ratepayers not only deserve, but also have a right, to decide whether to engage with content or not. Local councils must respect this.'
