Wellington Waterfront

Stories

Detergent war

ACTION for Environment has accused East by West ferries of using excessive amounts of detergent, thus polluting the harbour, affecting the Little Blue Penguins and the marine environment. Managing director Jeremy Ward says the allegations make his blood boil, as… Continue
Mayoral Candidate on Owhiro Bay rezoning

WHILE water-quality at Owhiro Bay has been given the all clear, “council-quality” remains dubious, says mayoral candidate Allan Probert. Last week the Environment Court rejected a proposed housing development in Owhiro Bay after residents challenged the Wellington… Continue
The $400,000 toilet

WELLINGTONIANS may not be able to have a say over proposed developments on the waterfront. The 2010/11 Waterfront Development Plan is being discussed by the Wellington City Council on Thursday. Councillors will then vote whether or not to open it up for public… Continue
End of inner-city indoor sport?

SAVE Our Sport spokesman Ralph Highman has given the red card to the Wellington City Council over its decision to build an indoor sports centre at Cobham Park. In a full council meeting this month councillors voted to build a 12-court sports centre in Kilbirnie… Continue
Forest by the sea

IT took three days for a forest to spring up along Cobham Drive. However it is not a natural forest of leaves and branches but man-made. Called Wellington Urban Forest , it is a sculpture by Dutch artist Leon van den Eijkel and it looks like a giant child’s… Continue
Chinese welcome garden move

THE Wellington Chinese Garden Society says plans for buildings at Waitangi Park make it necessary to shift the proposed garden to Frank Kitts. The society has welcomed the development of a design brief for Frank Kitts that includes a Chinese Garden as a way… Continue
See you in court

The Wellington Civic Trust’s Peter Brooks says the flaws in the proposal for a Hilton Hotel on the Outer T may yet be the project’s downfall, as the Trust and Waterfront Watch prepare to appeal against the hotel in the Environment Court. HEARING commissioners,… Continue
Waterfront plans change again

TWO cornerstone waterfront projects are in doubt this week throwing the future shape of the waterfront into confusion. The Waterfront Development Subcommittee on Monday considered moving the Chinese Garden proposed for Waitangi Park to Frank Kitts Park as part… Continue
The toxicity of our city

Is Waitangi Park toxic? A warning sign discouraging people from touching the stream surrounding Waitangi Park went up this month. The project suffered a $4.9 million budget blow out and a break with the original contractor after elevated lead contamination… Continue
Hilton no icon

A Hilton Hotel on the Outer T would contradict development plans for the waterfront, and the Resource Management Act, says the Wellington Civic Trust. The Trust told the resource consent hearing last week that it undercuts the Wellington Waterfront Framework,… Continue
A hard road for the Hilton

THE Wellington Regional Council, Greater Wellington, has added its voice to those opposed to the development of the Hilton Hotel on the Outer-T of Queen’s Wharf. Greater Wellington recommends the proposal be declined because it will have significant adverse… Continue
We want Shed 11

TWO Wellington arts organisations want Shed 11 to be their permanent exhibition space. The New Zealand Portrait Gallery and the New Zealand Centre for Photography, both of whom have enjoyed exhibitions in the waterfront space, propose a joint venture there… Continue
Axe WWL, says Waterfront Watch

WATERFRONT Watch wants Wellington Waterfront Ltd (WWL) wiped out. At the watchdog group’s annual general meeting on Sunday, members passed a remit asking Wellington City Council to take direct responsibility for development on the waterfront following a highly… Continue
No Resolution

Disputes over access to and parking on Taranaki Street Wharf continue to divide the rowing clubs and the groups that propose to develop the area, Wellington Waterfront Limited (WWL) and the Tenth’s Trust. THE clubs and the developers are still at loggerheads… Continue
Art of change

THE threatened Wellington Rowing Clubs have organised a fundraising exhibition to raise money for their legal costs. Thirty-five Wellington artists have submitted more than 100 works depicting the boatsheds, lagoon area and inner harbour before the view is… Continue
Location location location?

THE contentious siting of a proposed waterfront Maori meeting house(wharenui) right beside the rowing clubs, and a Hilton hotel on Queen’s Wharf has Councillor Ian McKinnon deeply concerned. He says it’s possibly too late for the rowing clubs but it’s not… Continue
Propping up the Hilton

WELLINGTON ratepayers will help pay for the proposed Hilton Hotel to be built on Queens Wharf. Wellington Waterfront Ltd (WWL), which is funded by Wellington City Council and waterfront property rentals, is committed to covering part of the developer’s cost… Continue
Millennium project nearly completed

BACK in the days when some people fretted about the Y2K bug, others were planning projects to mark the new millennium. One of those projects is set to get under way, six years later. Construction of kinetic artist Len Lye’s Water Whirler in Frank Kitts Park… Continue
Our Place, their coffee

THEY’RE drinking whose coffee at Our Place? Wellington’s coffee capital reputation is under siege. Cafés and restaurants at Te Papa have dumped Wellington’s Café L’Affare beans in favour of imported blends from a multinational food giant. The decision… Continue
Councillor’s claims – “utter nonsense”

WELLINGTON City Councillor Jack Ruben is up in arms over the shifting of a sub-committee meeting, discussing the Waitangi Park development, closer to Christmas. Holding the Waterfront Development sub-committee meeting on November 28 will mean the public consultation… Continue
Fraction too much friction

FRICTION around the council table is boiling over into legal attacks and personal vendettas that are affecting the ability of councillors to function normally. Can Wellington City Council continue to function while legal attacks and personal battles divert… Continue
Rowers making waves

THE Star and Wellington rowing clubs believe the Wellington City Council wants them off the Taranaki Wharf site they’ve used for more than 120 years. A resource consent application to allow a wharenui (Maori meeting house) and "develop public spaces", part… Continue
Gentlemen, switch off your engines

DISAPPOINTED doesn’t get close to describing Mayor Kerry Prendergast’s reaction to the scrapping of the V8 Supercar street race. "This would have been the biggest annual event in New Zealand," says Prendergast. There is nothing on the horizon that would… Continue
Waterfront watchdog bares its teeth

WATERFRONT Watch has slammed the Wellington City Council’s Waitangi Precinct design competition. A submission to the council highlights the concerns Waterfront Watch has with the brief for the competition. They suggest the council wait until they have commitments… Continue
End of city rowing?

CURRENT waterfront development might mean the end of Wellington rowing. Star and Wellington Rowing Clubs are concerned that Wellington Waterfront Ltd’s proposed redevelopment of the Taranaki Street Wharf could lead to the demise of the clubs. They are worried… Continue
Waitangi Park’s deadline

WAITANGI Park will be ready in time to take centre stage at the opening of next year’s New Zealand International Arts Festival on February 24. A dome will be built at the park for French dance company Les Arts Sauts new work, Ola Kala . "The park will be… Continue
Hello Hilton, goodbye lunchtime sport

SPORTY Wellingtonians are gearing up to fight for their venue. Shed One, which has become a popular indoor sports venue, will go when the Hilton Hotel is built on the outer T at Queen’s Wharf. Save our Sport (SOS) is a group formed to retain Shed One as… Continue
Foreshore Bill threatens waterfront hotel

WELLINGTON City Council may lose control of waterfront development when the government passes the Foreshore and Seabed Bill. The bill will turn ownership of the country’s seabed and foreshore, to the high tide mark, over to the Crown. It also recognises… Continue
V8 H8

URBAN designer Jan Gehl has slammed plans to build a street circuit on the waterfront to accommodate the proposed supercar race. Gehl has made a number of visits to the capital at the request of the council as it looks to use the expertise he has brought to… Continue

Reviews

Mayor for Cobham Park

THE Indoor Community Sports Centre should be in Kilbirnie says Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast . The latest flurry of debate over the best location for an indoor community sports centre is probably confusing many Wellingtonians so I think it’s essential to… Continue

Cover Story

Best of Wellington 2011

Fringe Festival

Briefs

From police to employers chamber
JOHN Wills has been appointed as interim chief executive of the Employers Chamber of Commerce (ECCC), effective immediately.
Save the Rhino
A concert this weekend features local performers including Jomba, Skapiti, and Siggy. It is part of an international awareness day to support the petition to the South African government to stop rhino poaching. The Waterfront, Marine Parade, Raumati Beach, 11 February.
Jazzy clouds
The first performance of jazz musician Mike Nock’s choral work Land of the Long White Cloud will be sung by the Orpheus Choir at Soundings Theatre, Te Papa, 18 February. It’s a free concert and only expected to last about 10minutes.
On board
CONRAD Smith, the new Hurricanes captain has rejoined the team after an extended RWC break, in time for the sellout pre-season game at Managatainoka this Saturday.
Share the vision, free
SIR Paul Callaghan a trustee of Zealandia, formerly the Karori bird sanctuary will give a talk about the vision and importance of the sanctuary for New Zealand. Rutherford House lecture theatre1, 5.40pm, February 13.
Indian art money
MORE than a dozen locals are showing and selling their art, at that well known art space, Betty’s Bar on Blair St, to fundraise for the Karunai Dhan primary school in India. From 5pm, February 10.
Star signs
INTERNATIONAL astrologer Faye Cossar, a former Wellingtonian is visiting the city to conduct workshops and a public talk. Cossar is unusual in that she holds a Masters degree in astrology. February 14.
The Great Outdoors
GREATER Wellington’s Great Outdoors summer events programme continues this week with a daughter, mother, grandmother mountain bike ride at Belmont Regional Park on February 12 and an evening guided walk from East Harbour Regional Park on February 8.
Swimming challenge
SWIMMERS looking for a challenge can take up the long-distance summer swim challenge at Wellington City Council pools.
Participants have until April 30 to swim or aquajog 53 kilometres, the distance equivalent to doing a circuit of Lake Mead in Nevada.
The distance covered is recorded by pool staff and there are spot prizes along the way.
On your skates
SOME of the world’s best skaters are in town for Bowl-a-Rama 2012, a week long celebration of skateboard culture.
The competition is at Waitangi Skate Park on February 11, but there are additional events throughout from February 8 to 12, including an art exhibition by local and international skateboarders at 15 Courtenay Place.
Safer outdoors
A new website has been created to make planning for safe outdoor activities easier.
AdventureSmart,org.nz provides safety information and support for those planning land, snow, water, boating and air activities.
Sommerfest
SOMMERFEST, Wellington’s family-friendly food and beer festival, takes place in the Worser Bay Boating Club on February 26.
The annual festival offers a range of boutique beers matched with great food tastes.
Breaking with tradition this year there will also be margaritas from 5pm.

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