Greater Wellington Regional Council

We call it sowing the seeds for the future 🌱🌏 To celebrate Matariki, we headed to Belmont Regional Park with spades in our hands, gumboots on our feet, and the spirit of Matariki in our hearts. We joined Porirua City Council, alongside Ngahere Korowai, and volunteers from the wider community to plant native trees as an acknowledgment for new life and new beginnings. 3,100 trees were planted, making their small dent in the 250,000 planned for the park. As with all planting days, we celebrated with a bit of kai, laughs, and connection. Check out some of the photos below 👀⬇

We are proud to have played a small part in Zealandia Ecosanctuary's ecological efforts to create a freshwater sanctuary 🍃 139 toitoi were translocated from Kohangapiripiri Lake in East Harbour Regional Park to Zealandia via a whakaweku, a mātauranga Māori method. While this is the second translocation completed, it's the first to incorporate the innovative whakaweku method. 🐟 Whakaweku are bundles of rārahu/bracken fern that are submerged in water for a few weeks. The bundles act as a habitat for bottom-dwelling fish, insects, and crayfish, which move in but also have the freedom to come and go as they please, a gentle and less stressful method of catching them. We are proud to have shared this with Zealandia, our partners at Taranaki Whānui and the team at Hem of Remutaka. 📷 Photo credit to Zealandia.

Going to bat for the short-tailed bat 🦇 Kāpiti tamariki from the Enviroschools programme got an inside look into the unique relationship between the Pekapeka tou poto (New Zealand short-tailed bat) and the Pua o Te Reinga (Wood Rose). Both species are endangered and require each other to thrive. The short-tailed bat feeds on the plant's nectar, which in turn then pollinates the plant. The Tamariki were told their story through a lively puppet show and a guided walk through the old forest at Ngā Manu Nature Reserve in Waikanae. The event emphasised the value of place-based learning and a locally developed curriculum incorporating mātauranga Māori, hosting the event during the Whiro moon phase and utilising taonga pūoro (musical instruments). A core value of the Enviroschools programme is to foster a connection between tamariki and te taio. 🦇 The endangered lesser short-tailed bat is an ancient species unique to New Zealand and is found only in a few locations. 🌱 Pekapeka tou poto is currently regarded as being Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable and is a priority threatened species for the Department of Conservation. You can read more below ⬇ https://lnkd.in/g2FA4Bca

On Thursday, 4th July, our People and Customer team and Park Rangers donned their best pair of gumboots and embarked on a planting day in Western Belmont Regional Park. The goal, to plant 1700 native trees in the location of February's scrub fire which wiped out 20 years of planting growth. The team kept smiling even as the rain poured. The ability to help recloak Papatūānuku and sow life back into the whenua was worth every cold pair of hands. 1,700 trees were planted, making their small dent in the 250,000 planned for the park.

Wellington Region, thank you for taking the time to consult on our 2024-2034 Long Term Plan. It has now been adopted! Your feedback was crucial in shaping the region's future! Swipe through the images below to see where we landed on the big ticket items we consulted on. Several other changes have also been made based on what we heard from you. To read more about our plans for the next ten years click the link below: 🔗 https://ltp.gw.govt.nz/

This week, we released the Wellington Regional Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway. The pathway provides Wellington regions visions for a low-carbon, resilient future, while supporting Aotearoa New Zealand's climate goals. The pathway sets out what actions need to be taken at all levels of government and our commitments to take these actions. The pathway creates a shared vision, enabling communities to support it through advocacy for the necessary funding and legislative changes. The pathway was developed in collaboration with Kāpiti Coast District Council, Wellington City Council, Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, Carterton District Council, Masterton District Council and South Wairarapa District Council. Read the full pathway here: https://lnkd.in/gmcPd4a8

Every day, we hear positive stories from our Metlink passengers, but every now and again, we get a story that gives us all the feels that we have to share. Sometimes, all it takes is a kind word or a smile to make a passenger’s day; for one of our passengers and her husband, what made their day was the ability to truly connect with someone on a hard day. The two passengers, who are in their late 80s, wanted to share this story with us 🥰 Travelling home to Paraparaumu from Wellington Station, the passengers were working out what train they needed to catch. Noticing the passengers, a staff member approached them and offered assistance. This action led the storyteller to reminisce on her young days travelling on Wellington’s trains. Our storyteller’s family was considered a railway family: “both of my brothers and father worked for the railways,” so her connection to Wellington’s trains is strong. Beginning at just 5 years old, the passenger would travel between Trentham and Upper Hutt for school, even getting to travel via the steam train engine room on occasion, thanks to her sister, who was going out with a train driver at the time. After moving to Lower Hutt, our passenger would catch the train between Naenae and Wellington to attend college, continuing this journey for another 8 years while working in Wellington central. “Our wonderful Wellington trains. The other cities miss out on so much compared to Wellington and the way to get around”. While discussing her school days, our passenger and staff member discovered they attended sister schools just during two different time eras, connecting the two further. This small act of kindness shown by our staff meant a lot to this passenger. Taking the time to provide assistance and talk was just what was needed. The passenger wanted to acknowledge “the great help that she was—she walked us both to the train. She was “so kind, so caring and so very friendly… in this day and age, she is a gem.” Ngā mihi maioha, we appreciate you 💙

We’re #hiring a Senior Project Manager Engineering to help design and implement innovative and practical delivery solutions across our beautiful region. A key part of your work will be identifying and evaluating opportunities for innovation and system improvements, along with building and maintaining key relationships.

Meet Anna 👋 Anna is a field operator for the world-famous conservation effort Predator Free Wellington. The role of a field operator includes servicing bait stations and traps throughout Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), where traps can be found on both council land and residential properties. Anna says her day-to-day always starts at the Predator Free Wellington’s home base in Wilton before pairing off and heading into different city areas. The team's current focus is Hataitai. "I want to help restore the ecosystems of Aotearoa to a healthier state,” Anna says. “I want the next generations to have a chance at experiencing the deafening dawn chorus Tangata whenua heard when they first arrived in this land." Predator Free Wellington’s work is plentiful, and the Miramar peninsula is now thriving. The team often receive comments from residents about hearing more bird song and the spotting more geckos and skinks in their gardens. "I really enjoy when residents come up to me and compliment the work we do. It's a really nice feeling knowing you are making a difference." A recent study found that the Piwakawaka (New Zealand Fantail) population on the Miramar Peninsula has increased by 500% - a wonderful reward for the work of Anna, her wider team, and the dedicated volunteers. "When I'm working out in the ngahere (forest, bush), they come fluttering about in large groups, following my movements and chatting with me." Greater Wellington is honoured to be one of the Predator Free Wellington's founding partners, helping make Te Whanganui-a-Tara the world's first predator-free capital city.