Latest news with #IslandBay
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Napier City Rovers aim for top four as Island Bay fight relegation
'At the bottom of the table, it's really tight,' Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson said. Napier City Rovers players celebrate during their 6-1 win over Island Bay in Wellington earlier in the 2025 Central League. Photo / Neil Reid 'Any of those five teams in the bottom half could still get relegated. 'Obviously, Island Bay have moved quite aggressively and changed their coaches and have got a little bounce with their result against Waterside Karori. I'm sure they'll come to Bluewater Stadium with confidence. 'It won't be an easy game and they're all obviously fighting for their lives down there. 'It will be another difficult game, but we're confident of getting a result and if we perform well again.' Napier City Rovers earlier toppled Island Bay 6-1 on the road in Wellington in round five of the Central League in April. The side's win over Upper Hutt last Saturday was one of their best in front of goal all season. It came six days after Napier City Rovers' 2025 Chatham Cup campaign was halted by a gutting 3-2 loss to 2024 champions Wellington Olympic. Goalscorers against Upper Hutt included Sam Lack, slotting home his 11th goal of the season. Sam Lack was amongst the goals again for Napier City Rovers in their win over Upper Hutt City Football last weekend. Photo / Neil Reid Just as importantly as Napier City Rovers' attack, the side's defence also held firm, with goalkeeper Harry Townsend keeping a clean sheet. 'I was pleased with the performance, the result and it was great to score a few goals,' Robertson said. 'I said to the players beforehand that someone at some stage is going to get a battering really, in terms of goals scored against them ... we've been threatening to do that all season. 'We've been dominant in most games without ... scoring the goals, but on the weekend ... we were good. We were clinical, we finished our opportunities. 'Now we need to repeat that.' Wins are what are needed from Robertson's team as they chase their pre-season goal of qualifying for the National League for a fourth successive season. To qualify, they need a top-four finish. They are currently in fifth place, two points behind fourth-placed Western Suburbs. The run home includes clashes against the second-placed Miramar Rangers and the league leaders, Wellington Olympic. Both of those clashes will entail road trips to Wellington. The final stretch of the Central League campaign will also require some juggling from Robertson, selection-wise. Both midfielder Cameron Emerson and striker Eric Kostandini Ziu have received four yellow cards. A fifth will lead to a one-match suspension. Emerson has consistently been one of Napier City Rovers' best players throughout 2025. Cameron Emerson – who bought up his 100th first-team appearance for Napier City Rovers earlier this year – has been a consistent standout for his side all year. Photo / Neil Reid Ziu has impressed up front since coming into the squad in June after a stint playing in Australia. Three further players are set to miss some of the remaining matches because of overseas travel, including inspirational captain Jim Hoyle, who is heading to Europe for his honeymoon. Another factor to juggle is just who Robertson selects for the four foreign import spots he is allowed in match-day squads; he currently has five English players, meaning one must miss out each week. Some selections in the 2025 Central League run home will be a balancing act for Napier City Rovers head coach Bill Robertson. Photo / Neil Reid Finally, like all other clubs in the Northern, Central and Southern leagues, he has to ensure a minimum of 10% of playing time is given to under-20 players (aged under 20 on January 1 of that season) on the roster. 'Balancing the selection of the squad is tricky at the moment,' Robertson said. 'There are a few players that are going to be unavailable through life basically: personal trips away and family stuff. 'That's just the nature of balancing the squad throughout the season. 'Making sure we're our strongest each game to pick up wins is important and something that I'm considering each game.' Inside the Rovers video series: Episode 1: Match Fit Episode 2: Teen's Dream Episode 3: New Beginnings Episode 4: For Keeps Episode 5: Kiwi Steve Episode 6: Capital Punishment Episode 7: Bouncing Back Episode 8: The Centurion Episode 9: The Running Man Episode 10: Family Pride Episode 11: On Target Episode 12: Road Trip Blues Episode 13: A-League Bound Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
06-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Landslide hits well-known Island Bay house
The aftermath of a slip in Island Bay, Wellington. Photo: Supplied A Wellington resident has broken her foot and her well-known house on the city's South Coast may now be out of use, after a major landslide brought down rocks and trees following torrential rain last week . Deborah East says she had to evacuate from the property on The Esplanade due to the risk of falling rocks, and Island Bay residents were taking boxes to the site to help her husband move out. She said it was a very large slip and it was now unsafe to be there. "The whole house is under a lot of pressure from the weight of rocks. The pressure from behind has caused a dwang to actually come out of the joist and poke through into the room, and the front door is very stiff to open." She said the slip occurred about 4.45pm on Friday. It also hit the gas water heater at the back of the house behind the kitchen and a water pipe, which caused water to dash down the steps and into the kitchen. When she returned on Saturday early afternoon, a wayward rock fell on her foot and broke it. The house is a well-known property in Island Bay, with a boat attached on the front of it. East, a former real estate agent, said the property was 100 years old. "It was a beautiful house, it was a quirky house, and we loved it. But nobody's died, that's the big thing - we and our dogs have got out okay." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Future of Wellington aquarium uncertain due to coastal erosion and sea level rise
The Island Bay Marine Education Centre - also known as The Bait House - has been operating since 1996. Photo: Facebook/Island Bay Marine Education Centre The future of a beloved Wellington aquarium on the city's south coast is uncertain, as the council considers removing or repurposing the building due to coastal erosion and sea level rise. The Island Bay Marine Education Centre - also known as The Bait House - has been operating since 1996, providing marine education programmes to the community. Wellington City Council is considering the changes in the next five to seven years, as part of its draft coastal reserves management plan. Southern ward councillor Nureddin Abdhurahman is calling for a public meeting in Island Bay to discuss the aquarium's future. "It's well-loved," he said, adding that about 25,000 people visited each year. "It's an education space as well, where young children go and learn about marine science." A Wellington City Council spokesperson said the building was vulnerable to coastal erosion and sea level rise - and it was also yellow-stickered, with earthquake strengthening required by 2032. Modelling showed the building would become increasingly vulnerable to flooding and storm surge events over the next 10 to 20 years, the spokesperson said. Abdurahman said while work needed to be done on the building, he questioned whether it needed to be removed entirely. He said the community had a right to hear directly from the council about it, and that drop in sessions held in Evans Bay, Lyall Bay and Wellington Central was not enough for the level of public interest. "If the council is saying we need to remove it, council needs to justify and make the community aware of the reasoning behind it. "The community also have the right to question and interrogate some of these proposals, and why they don't support it," Abdurahman said. Residents RNZ spoke to in Island Bay did not want the aquarium to go. Mike Curtis said it would be an "absolute travesty" to lose the aquarium. "We've got grandchildren who go there and they love picking up the starfish and touching the little crustaceans. It's sort of a living museum, as opposed to a static one and so it's really good for education." He said sea erosion would happen in the future, but the building could be kept going for now and replaced later. Julian Bianco said the Bait House was "well-treasured" in the community. "Even today my daughter was asking 'can we go there' but it's only open on Sunday, it would be disappointing to see it go." The council spokesperson said no decisions had been made about the future of the Bait House, and the plan was to investigate options over the next five to seven years as it manages coastal infrastructure. The council doesn't have a plan to replace the aquarium in another building, the spokesperson said, but it would be reviewing feedback from the public as part of the consultation. The spokesperson also said the council had not decided whether it would hold a public meeting with the community about it. The building is owned by the council and leased to the Wellington Marine Conservation Trust on a monthly basis. The spokesperson said any decision on the fate of the building would need to be made by 2032. The Island Bay Marine Conservation Trust declined an interview with RNZ, but a spokesperson urged people to give their feedback on the draft plan. In a post of Facebook, they said it came as a shock that the Bait House was under review. "Since 2004, we've poured our heart and soul into this little building. "We transformed in from a derelict eyesore that was scheduled for demolition into our Island Bay Marine Education Centre. "A welcoming sanctuary where people of all ages, all nationalities and all walks of life can learn about our treasured marine environment." Consultation on the draft coastal management plan closes on August 5, with the council holding another drop-in session on the plan at the waterfronts markets this weekend. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
04-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New fare-capping scheme proposed for Wellington
Daran Ponter, Andrew Little and Tom James announce their public transport plan in Island Bay. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman A new fare-capping system could encourage an extra 300,000 trips on Wellington's public transport system each year, says mayoral candidate Andrew Little. Under the proposed new scheme, bus and train users would pay for up to eight trips a week - and any additional trips would be free. The plan was announced this morning - outside a rain-soaked Island Bay bus stop - as a joint policy alongside regional council candidates Daran Ponter and Tom James. Little said the move would help lower the cost of living, reduce congestion and encourage public transport use. "If you're a regular bus user - four days a week you take your bus to work - the fifth day you take the bus you'll get that for free. "Any travel you do in the weekend - you might go and see a Phoenix game, you might go and see [the] Hurricanes playing - you'll get that for free as well," Little said. Little said he was a regular bus user, but had passed up his usual express service into Wellington City in order to make the announcement. Ponter said the cap on bus and train fares was expected to cost up to $4.5 million each year - which the regional council would try to find "internally". "We can afford that if we juggle other things that we do. "Bus use in the Wellington region has grown by 110 percent since Covid, but we're still keen to maximise use on public transport. This proposal will really benefit those people who regularly use public transport by incentivising them further," Ponter said. The candidates said they were unified in their commitment to continue the implementation of a safe cycle network alongside expanding public transport use in the city. "You only have to look down Adelaide Road to see cycle lanes and bus lanes working superbly," Ponter said. He said the regional council was poised to add additional buses to cope with the estimated 300,000 extra trips the plan could bring. "We have an order of articulated buses for the number two route - precisely to deal with these types of circumstances - a route that is growing significantly and will come under additional use as the consequence of a policy like this," Ponter said. Labour regional council candidate Tom James said - if elected - the candidates would also be looking at other policies to help the reduce the cost of public transport further. "Auckland Transport works with businesses to subsidise their employees use. We'll be looking at teaming up with the private sector to reduce bus fares even more and also looking at places like New South Wales where they have brought in an all day off peak [fare] on their Friday. "We'll be considering further proposals like that to further encourage people to take the bus and train," James said. Daran Ponter, Andrew Little and Tom James in Island Bay this morning Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman Island Bay locals greeted the proposal with cautious enthusiasm this morning. Regular public transport user David Barnes said the system would "make a big difference" across his weekly costs. "I think it's a great idea. It would bring Wellington into common practise with Auckland and other overseas cities and it's a direct incentive to use public transport. "It would save a lot of people money and probably not cost that much more because all those services are already running. I can't see any downsides," Barnes said. Veterinary regulator Kelly Etuata said she was in full support of the initiative and was encouraged that Little was "listening to the community". "With people that are normally catching the bus everyday to get to work - with the cost of everything these days - it probably does help a little bit," Etuata said. Island Bay resident Paul Brownie said something needed to be done to rein in the price of Wellington's bus services. "It really needs to be done in Wellington. The bus fares are ridiculous. The per section fares just don't make any sense anymore. "I was just over in Brisbane and they have a cap of 50 cents per journey. So we were basically travelling around Brisbane all day for a dollar a day. "You can't even get from one bus-stop to the next in Wellington for a dollar. The pricing scheme here is just way out of touch," Brownie said. Brownie said he was optimistic that the public transport system could cope with any added demand. "The service certainly has improved in the last six to 12 months to what it was a couple of years ago where - particularly on this run - you were getting two or three buses in a row cancelled. Last thing people want to be doing is standing at bus-stops for half an hour waiting to get home," Brownie said. He said the proposal would put a "definite plus" in the candidates' column when weighing up his votes for council. "As long as, if what they're proposing, actually happens. If they're going to put it as an election campaign then they have to stump up and actually do it. "Our roads around Wellington are not getting any wider and easier to drive around so if we can take a bit more traffic off the roads then it's got to be a good thing," Brownie said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Homelessness told through the eyes of a wāhine Māori
Teiti Nepia says her five-months outdoors was a form of art activism, peacefully resisting the 'high cost of living and unsustainable market rents'. Photo: Supplied A last resort turned into a social experiment then an art project, and is now a short documentary called HOME - where a well-travelled wāhine Māori proves that home is what you make of it. Teiti Nepia has lived many lives as a chef - including directly under Uluru in Outback Australia or in Brooklyn, Wellington - but she still struggled to find a forever home. Her entire immediate whānau moved across the ditch and Nepia tagged along, but after her mother's passing and 10 years in Ahitereiria, she felt the need to leave. When the wāhine born in the late 60s returned to where she first moved to in the 90s - Island Bay - she lived with a friend until she found a long-term place to stay. "After a few months of trying to look, I just couldn't find something I could afford," Nepia said. She had attended interviews for flats and house sharing, but the people who had advertised rooms were 30-years younger than Nepia. "Although I'd make a pretty cool flat auntie, I don't think they want to live with their auntie, it wasn't really appropriate." Teiti Nepia on the beach. Photo: Supplied / Facebook Viable flatting options were slim, so she looked into one-bedroom studio spaces, but the weekly rent prices were too high. "Even though I could have afforded $400 a week, it would have taken out at least 60 plus percent of my hard-earned wage, my income, and it didn't sit right with me." For the summer of 23/24, Nepia took her trailer-hitched e-bike to various locations between Princess Bay and Ōwhiro Bay in Pōneke and set up camp while documenting her journey with a young camera crew. From public spaces to beaches to people's gardens, Nepia would hunker down in each spot for a night or three beneath the stars. Reading the cosmos was something she had learnt while living in the Outback in her swag. And since her Mum passed away, she finds solace in looking at the stars. Although she was already 'good at camping,' her five-months outdoors was a form of art activism, peacefully resisting the 'high cost of living and unsustainable market rents.' Although Nepia is well-travelled and a 'good camper,' she still made sure she was allowed to stay on public and private grounds before doing so. Photo: supplied / Teiti Nepia According to the 2023 Census, an estimated 112,496 people - or 2.3 percent of the census - usually resident population were homeless/severe housing deprivation. Census data revealed there were more homeless women than men, with more than 57,000 women without a home. Meanwhile, a study by Ihi Research has also found that four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa were Māori, with some being as young as 15-years-old. "You can see with your own eyes, the situation." But Nepia's short documentary called HOME puts a different spin on homelessness. Instead, she shows people how to respect the land while being homeless, and how to do it without leaving a trace. Nepia said homelessness is not just about those sleeping on the streets in the CBD, but it is those who are freedom camping and the people living in their cars. "What happened to me was that I had this sort of 'activism' ignited in me, because I was so upset with the state of my country and more particularly, the state of my generation. "My generation was a generation where our parents were Māori, our parents were urbanised, and so my parents were encouraged to move away from where they had come from." Nepia's mum was from Ruatoria and her Dad was from Nūhaka. Both were native te reo Māori speakers, but when Nepia's parents moved away from the east coast, the language and connection to the whenua were lost, she said. The bike Nepia travels on Photo: supplied / Teiti Nepia Nepia is already planning her next documentary, and without spoiling it, she aims to follow the same kaupapa of camping freely outdoors, understanding other people's view on market rents and the cost of living while reconnecting with her parents' whenua - but she wants others to join her. "The premise is to come around aunty and help take Aunty T home." Since November, Nepia has been living in a social housing precinct developed by Kāinga Ora called Te Ō. "I feel so lucky to have got a forever home." HOME by Teiti Nepia will have its world premiere at the Doc Edge film festival , which begins next month. The film is automatically eligible for the Best New Zealand Short category. The winner of this category will receive an Oscar consideration for 2026. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
