Wellington City Council

It's been a year since we unveiled the stunning upgrades to Swan Lane and Garrett Street, and we're excited to share the community's response 🎉 The goal was to create a safer, more inviting environment that enhances community interaction and enjoyment. The addition of new surfacing, rain gardens, lighting, and seating has not only beautified the area but has made it more useful for locals and visitors. From dog walking to dance classes, this space is buzzing with life. Nearly 200 survey responses highlighted a 94% satisfaction rate, with many praising the improved walkability and enhanced safety. Businesses and residents in the area have also noticed the positive changes, noting that the general ambience and vibrancy have significantly improved. Stephanie O'Shea, our Senior Urban Designer, reflects on the project's success, “It has been awesome to get this feedback on the finished space from businesses and the community and to hear how we can improve our processes for upgrading our city." Curious to learn more about the results of this transformation? Read the full story below 👇 #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

This year alone, we've lost 8 kororā to dog attacks. Te Whanganui a Tara is the only capital in the world home to these adorable little blue penguins, and we must all do our part to keep them safe! 🐧💙 Here’s what you can do to make a difference: 🦮 Keep dogs on a lead unless you’re in a designated off-leash area. Even then, keep an eye on your pups 🎣 Discard fishing gear responsibly to prevent penguin injuries. 🚗 Drive carefully around coastlines at night and watch for our waddling friends. 📞 If you see roaming dogs, call our Dog Control team at 04 499 4444. 📋 New signage is up around known nesting areas to help protect our kororā, so please follow the signs. We’re working with mana whenua, Places for Penguins, the Department of Conservation, and penguin ecologists to protect these special taonga. If you have spotted a sick, injured, or deceased kororā, please call DOC at 0800 362 468. They might direct you to take the penguin to The Nest Te Kōhanga at Wellington Zoo for expert care or to see what happened. We’re rolling out even more signage across our city to keep our kororā safe, so keep an eye out. For more information on how you can protect our kororā, visit the link below! https://lnkd.in/gqba3YqF Let’s work together to make sure our kororā can thrive! 🐧💙 #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

Ever wondered about the strangest questions we've received over the past 60 years? 🔍📜 We dug into our archives to find the most bizarre and unforgettable queries that have come through our Contact Centre! Here are a few gems that have left us scratching our heads: 🐨 A lady was sure she saw a Koala Bear in her garden at night, apparently it was too big and upright to be a possum! 🤔 "Is there a bylaw against jungle music being played through a loud speaker on Lambton Quay?" 🏖️ Someone asked if men could be banned from the west side of Lyall Bay Beach to avoid offending women and children. 📞 "Can you wake me up at 5:30 am to catch a train?" 🐐 There was even a request for a goatherd to milk goats! Discover these and more curious queries that have made their mark in Wellington City Archives history! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gapMGUbu #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

What an unforgettable weekend at Matariki Ahi Kā! 🌟✨ Thousands of Wellingtonians and visitors joined us on the waterfront to celebrate Matariki, the Māori New Year. With ahi, stunning performances, mesmerising projections, and a special ceremony to honour those we've lost, it was truly a magical weekend. This year, we introduced some amazing new features including the past, present, and future fire pits, weaving, storytelling, and fun activities for tamariki. Plus, the beautiful memorial projection where the public submitted heartfelt tributes for their loved ones. Here’s a glimpse of the magic: 📅 4 nights of celebration 👥 17,500 attendees 🎤 20 live performances 🎥 5 large, stunning projections 🙏 255 heartfelt memorial tributes shared 🍲 16 delicious kai options, including Māori, New Zealand, Mexican, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Polish, Lebanese, Indian, Greek, and 4 types of desserts! It was a special time to remember the past, celebrate whanaungatanga, share stories and kai, and plan for a sustainable future together. A huge thank you to the incredible artists, performers, organisations, and support crew who made this uniquely Wellington event unforgettable 💖 #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

Ain't no mountain high enough for Wellington East Girls School's enviro-club! 🌿🌟 Before, students from the eastern suburbs navigated a narrow, noisy tunnel or a steep, unmaintained track to school. Now, thanks to a collaboration with the Council, they've built a new commuter track over Mt Victoria, offering a safe and scenic route for students! With the help of dedicated volunteers, teachers, and the Council, the track has been widened and resurfaced, ensuring accessibility for all. "I've ridden the track many times now, and the thing that pleasantly surprised me most is how easy it is to ride up." shares Lucy, one of the enviro-club leaders. This eco-friendly path seamlessly connects to the city's bike network and was funded by the Council's Cycling Infrastructure grant from the Bloomberg Initiative. Check out these pictures of the enviro-club, teachers, volunteer Matairangi Trail Builders, and Wellington City Council members working on the trail. Read more about this amazing project below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gZ5Yir66 #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

After years of trials and development, the Council's roading team have said goodbye to sticky roads and flying stones with their new climate-positive chipseal! 🚗 The move from traditional kerosene-based bitumen (asphalt) to an emulsified (water-based) version has had many benefits including: 💪 Increased strength & durability of our roads 🏭 Halved Council's chipseal carbon emissions 👷 Made the process of roading safer for our road workers To find out more about what goes into Wellington's roads, and how they're better for our city, check out the Our Wellington news channel 👇 https://lnkd.in/gUpT8Fps #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

It’s the end of an era for the Johnsonville Roundabout! 🌱 Our awesome horticulture team has put the seasonal garden to bed, replacing it with beautiful Arctotis! 🌼 They created a stone buffer and planted perennials in the centre. Perennials are plants that live for more than two years and regrow each spring. This means our kaimahi no longer need to replant the garden twice a year, reducing maintenance to the site and disruption to road users. Perennials require less wai than bedding plants, helping to conserve our precious resources. They also reduce the need for pesticides and fertilisers, which cuts down on pollution in our soil and waterways. Shout out to this dedicated team for making the Johnsonville roundabout greener and more sustainable! 💛 📸 Tom Box #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

Today, the Council officially approved and accepted the 2024-34 Long-term Plan for the capital. Thank you all so much for your submissions and feedback over these past couple of months! You can read details of the adopted plan in the story below, and we'll have more information for you all after the long weekend. #OurWellington #TōTātoPōneke

One feature of our city which has long confused couriers and taxi drivers are named ‘streets’ which don’t actually exist as a physical road 🛣️ So how did these 'streets' come about, and what exactly is a ghost street? You'll find all the answers and more below! #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke

The name, Te Whare Wai Para Nuku, was gifted during a Matariki ceremony at the Moa Point Sludge Minimisation Facility construction site this morning. Careful work and research has gone into ensuring that how the sludge is treated aligns with the values of mana whenua, and now the name of the facility will uphold those values too! Here's what it means: 🏠 Te Whare refers to the facility itself, and how it safely holds high volumes of kene (biosolids or sludge). 🌊 Wai Para describes the water left in the kene after it has been treated first in Te Whare Wai Tapu Noa/The wastewater treatment facility, and flows to Te Whare Wai Para Nuku. This is the water that’s not safe to go back into Tangaroa, the sea. 🗑️ Para is a word often used in relation to waste. In this context, para refers to the extracted kene from waimate (dead water, water that is deemed unsafe), like para is extracted from harakeke. ♻️ Nuku speaks to how the facility mimics natural decomposition processes and the technology that enables wai para and kene to go from a state of being tapu to noa before being used in a beneficial way. Te Whare Wai Para Nuku will use an anaerobic digestion process to help us deliver on two critical targets the Council has set for reducing waste and carbon emissions in Wellington City. It will reduce carbon emissions created by the treatment and processing by up to 60 percent, and it will reduce the volume of sludge produced by up to 80 percent! Learn more about the project on the Our Wellington news channel 👇 #OurWellington #TōTātouPōneke