wellington Archive

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  The flyover, the tunnel and the bulldozers - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has released their plans for a flyover next to the Basin Reserve, a second Mt Victoria tunnel and the widening of Ruahine St and Wellington Rd up to seven lanes. Despite clear opposition to the flyover, the NZTA have offered Wellingtonians two options of the same 8 metre high [...] read more
  July 8, 2011 2:37 pm - 8 Comments
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  Wellington 2040? How about Wellington now? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  Good on the Wellington City Council for taking a long view and developing a Wellington 2040 strategy – all too often in politics short term thinking leads to poor decision making. The Council have recently released a summary of public submissions, which make for interesting reading…well green reading. To begin with, the message is overwhelmingly [...] read more
  October 21, 2010 4:50 pm - 10 Comments
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  Wellington continues to go green - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Great local election result for the greens in Wellington. Celia Wade-Brown has come within 40 votes of toppling Kerry for the  mayoralty. There are up to 900 special votes still to count. We will find out final results on Wednesday. Iona Pannett on city council and Paul Bruce on regional council have been returned. Awesome job. Lisa [...] read more
  October 9, 2010 7:19 pm - 7 Comments
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  Auckland rail about to overtake Wellington? - by frog

  
  
  
  Rail service management in Wellington and Auckland seem to be experiencing a bit of a role-reversal lately. Wellington has a long history of (relatively) good public transport, starting with electrification of the regional rail line in the 1950s, and the highest bus and train mode share in the country.  This has no doubt contributed to [...] read more
  August 13, 2010 5:42 pm - 8 Comments
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  Good news for Wellie commuters, now fast track Auckland too - by frog

  
  
  
  A third main line has been opened that will significantly increase capacity in and out of Wellington station.  Although the works aren’t entirely complete, from this week rail commuters should be benefiting from increased reliability and frequency. This is great news for all commuters.  As more people are able to take the train, there is [...] read more
  July 26, 2010 10:18 am - 5 Comments
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  Blush: All Whites in Town - by frog

  
  
  
  Wellington crowds turned out in their thousands to cheer the All Whites back home from their successful World Cup campaign. And the Greens were there too alongside them. It’s real hard to keep the feel-good factor at bay when you see a wide-eyed kid with their beloved football headed for a Leo Bertos signature. These [...] read more
  July 21, 2010 3:23 pm - 1 Comment
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  100% fare increases: 100% stupid - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  [Disclaimer] In the spirit of Parliamentary transparency I need to start with acknowledging I have a vested interest in the issue. I live downtown Wellington and often I bus it to work. In fact I love Wellington’s city buses. Why? To start with a big chunk of them are wind-powered – in the sense they [...] read more
  June 16, 2010 9:30 pm - 15 Comments
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  Water and democracy - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Every New Zealander should be worried about Rodney Hide’s latest bill on local government — which will allow our water supplies [DOC] to be controlled and managed by private companies for 35 years, and will force Councils to focus only on ill-defined ‘core business’ [DOC] (which excludes, amongst other things, the environment).’ Multinational corporations are [...] read more
  May 5, 2010 6:40 pm - 18 Comments
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  Large Wellywood sign – really?? - by frog

  
  
  
  “They should put one over the Cake Tin too saying “Cake Tin” and one over the Beehive saying “Beehive” and one over Mount Vic saying “Mount Vic” and one over any other landmark they can find. Because signs are cool. Especially when they are big like that one in Hollywood.” read more
  March 9, 2010 12:12 pm - 50 Comments
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  The last ocean - by frog

  
  
  
  The Ross Sea is described as the world’s last ocean. The Greens support making the Ross Sea a Protected Area, which would mean protecting the Ross Sea’s Antarctic toothfish from fishing. Do you agree? read more
  November 5, 2009 9:33 am - 8 Comments
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  The Great Bus Robbery - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  These are good times to own a bus company in Wellington. One company, Infratil, owns more than 90% of the bus market here. Whenever the regional council puts up a tender for a new bus service, there’s only ever one bidder. It’s a virtual transport monopoly and Wellington’s ratepayers are paying up to 20% more [...] read more
  October 20, 2009 1:56 pm - 8 Comments
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  Cyclists frock up for a safe climate - by frog

  
  
  
  On an awesomely clear Saturday in Wellington, around 150 cyclists gathered on the waterfront to show their support for the 350.org campaign and better cycling infrastructure, and to celebrate having fun on bikes while saving the planet. Cyclists of all persuasions showed up, from glamourous frocks on bikes through to the lycra set, families with [...] read more
  August 24, 2009 11:58 am - No Comments
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  Climate change is now – urgent action needed for Pacific - by frog

  
  
  
  One person who won’t be impressed by the Government’s greenhouse gas emissions target announcement (so pathetic that John Key was labelled a piker by Jeanette Fitzsimons on National Radio this morning) is Reverend Tafue Lusama of Tuvalu. He speaks at 1.15pm today at Samoa House in Auckland, where he will appeal for stronger action on [...] read more
  August 11, 2009 10:17 am - 110 Comments
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  Wellington’s unpopular new tunnel still going ahead - by frog

  
  
  
  Wellingtonista quickly summarises the protest this morning about the City Council’s plans to go on a massively expensive road building spree from Ngauranga to Wellington airport. The plans include a Basin Reserve flyover and further car tunnels under Mount Victoria and The Terrace (just as we enter a financial crisis, peak oil and the need [...] read more
  October 31, 2008 3:57 pm - 13 Comments
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  A floral tribute - by frog

  
  
  
  There has been a lot of mumbling and despondency from political candidates and activists across the political spectrum over vandalized and destroyed billboards and hoardings.  So I was delighted when I just spotted this sweet little counterpoint on the Wellingtonista: We’ve already seen political signs bringing out the worst in people, but check this out: [...] read more
  October 19, 2008 9:32 pm - 12 Comments
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  Wellington vs the worms - by frog

  
  
  
  The endosulfan pesticide debate arrived in Wellington today via local newspaper the Welllingtonian: However, council spokesman Richard MacLean says if a sports field were “completely over-run by worms we would use the pesticide to get rid of them”. Does that happen? Has anyone ever actually been playing cricket and then moments later been dragged under [...] read more
  October 15, 2008 2:14 pm - 3 Comments
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  Transport policy – $1 off peak fares anywhere in your city - by frog

  
  
  
  Jeanette announced the Greens’ transport policy – ‘Smart Moves’ yesterday at one of Wellington’s Car Free Day events. She noted that the key elements of the policy were ‘more choices for commuters and protection from prices at the petrol pump.’ Here’s the problem: This year we are spending just under $2 billion on roading work, [...] read more
  September 22, 2008 3:31 pm - 53 Comments
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  Car Free Day – Wellington - by frog

  
  
  
  This photo below shows the space fifty people in cars take, and the space taken by the same amount of people in a bus.  It’s also supposed to show the space the same number of people on bicycles take up, but the cyclists seem to be mingling in sociably with pedestrians and and other gadabouts [...] read more
  September 22, 2008 12:21 pm - 19 Comments
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  Car Free Day – more from China - by frog

  
  
  
  Beijing’s massive traffic restriction programme, launched just before the Olympics is coming to an end: The return to Beijing’s traffic- and smog-heavy status quo will mark the end of what may have been the world’s largest pollution control experiment: a restriction on cars, factories and construction that lasted for two months and resulted in the [...] read more
  September 19, 2008 9:18 am - 10 Comments
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  Permanent parliamentary recess - by frog

  
  
  
  I’m reluctant to show this image in case people take it as an encouragement for more global warming. Nevertheless, from the artist who put together the controversial and artistic Green Party Matariki calendar, AJ Hunter, here’s an interpretation of Wellington in 2200 after climate change has returned the swampy pre-colonial shoreline to the steps of [...] read more
  September 1, 2008 4:43 pm - 18 Comments