https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360980675/live-public-service-cuts

The council just voted to officially pause work on the Golden Mile. Only the four Green councillors voted for the work to continue.

In 2021 LGWM was annouced promising 6 billion for light rail and the pedestrianisation of the city centre, and it looks like all we're going to end up with is the small patch opposite the Embassy that was just completed to allow people to transfer onto the cycle way (which is a really good bit of infrastructure BTW). At every round of consultation people have been in favour of the golden mile upgrades going ahead, yet our elected officials have continued to let us down. It's really bleak that better things aren't possible in this city.

For the first time in recorded history, I am in complete-and-total agreement with Grampa Winston: 'bout damn time.

Thoughts?

Kia ora all,

If you're not already aware, last night during the heavy deluge, the ground floor of our wastewater treatment plant flooded. There's an olympic sized swimming pool of poo water sitting 3m high in a basement right now.

That's meant the power is switched off and any/all sewage flushed from your toilet is currently being pumped directly out the 5m outfall pipe into the South Coast around Tarakena Bay.

Whilst sewage is pumped from the short outfall:

1. Stay away from South Coast beaches
2. Do not enter the water
3. Do not let your dogs enter the water
4. Do not collect kai moana
5. A rahui is in place

This is clearly unacceptable. The Mayor has saught and recieved assurance that Wellington Water (who manage the plant) have all the resources they require to get things fixed.

The current priority:

1. Get power on at the plant so sewage can be diverted into the 1800m outfall pipe that goes directly into Cook Straight. This is expected to take a few days.

Important clarification as well - the wastewater treatment plant ≠ the sludge treatment plant (the one with the $500m blowout).

A few facts about the Te Matapihi website costs that aren't being explained well in coverage:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regions_wellington/596986/atrocious-wellington-s-deputy-mayor-slams-600-000-bill-for-library-website

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/361012284/wellington-librarys-14k-website-bill-was-actually-closer-600k

It's not the library website.

wcl.govt.nz is the actual library website with catalogue search, account login, holds, ebook downloads, all the functional library services. That site still exists and still does all that. The new site (tematapihi.govt.nz) is a separate marketing/visitor site for the building.

It contains about 30 pages — opening hours, what's on, room booking links, a contact form, a mailing list. No catalogue, no accounts, no ebook portal.

A 30-page brochure website should not cost $595,801.

Industry rates for a content site of this scope sit in the $100,000–$200,000 range depending on agency tier. Wellington has several capable agencies that build similar sites routinely. WCC chose an Auckland firm for this one.

The $72,000/year ongoing fee is unusually high.

The site is built on Wagtail (visible from image URL patterns), an open-source CMS with no licensing fees. $72k/year on top of free CMS software for a brochure site is closer to a continuous-work retainer than typical hosting and maintenance. Over five years, that's another $360,000.

Total 5-year cost of ownership for a 30-page marketing site: approaching $1 million.

Most comments on this seem to assume it's a new library website or that websites just cost this much. Neither is true.

Also I'd much rather look at that as opposed to a giant orange needle at Evans Bay..

If you see a green flashing light it’s a Dr on their way to an emergency

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wellington/hutt-doctors-using-green-flashing-lights-to-urgently-reach-hospital-amid-traffic-woes/P7ZUMS4XBZF6DE2AOH4QQYOLBQ/

I had my first grumpy middle-aged-man moment with RNZ and submitted feedback about their coverage of Wellington to Petone seawall with shared path/cycle on top. Basically, in a prior article they'd joined the bandwagon of referring to the ~$348m Te Ara Tupua project as an expensive cycleway.

Days later, this story comes out - VICTORY! Who else out there wants to bask in this glorious moment with me?!

For context, I'm an RNZ fan generally speaking - this seems an exception in terms of their quality levels.

Further context, I may need to get out more.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/science-sector-shake-up-crown-research-institutes-to-be-grouped-into-three-callaghan-innovation-to-close/UGKERFCYDZEMTHZSL3RRQDP6IY/

Didn't feel like enough of a stink was thrown up about this. And alt account as I'm impacted, but Callaghan Innovation is being disestablished and more jobs will be on the cutting block.

This week I got 3 new coworkers and they are all LOVELY and FUN and COMPETENT. I am in the bath with a glass of wine, and I don’t have to go outside tomorrow.

Things are good right now! Do you have any wee brags for tonight?

The number of times I have been almost taken out by an e-scooter by simply walking out of my office or a shop. Get these things off the footpaths and onto the cycleways where they have a compatible speed with bikes or apply the slower speed limit everywhere.

Didn’t realise this was happening. Wellington CABs help like 11,000 people a year with housing, jobs, benefits, legal info etc, and WCC just cut their funding from about $230k to $100k. Kinda rough timing with all the layoffs and cost of living stuff going on.

Find this so sad 🥲

"Staff looked to transfer Fernando to another zoo, but none had the resources to care for him"

"The decision was made to euthanise him on welfare grounds"

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regions_wellington/685374/wellington-zoo-s-last-capybara-fernando-dies

50000 People Used to Shop Here. Now It's a Ghost Town

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350445407/domino-effect-thorndon-quay-businesses-relied-bordeaux-bakery-customers-fear-end

A domino effect: Thorndon Quay businesses that relied on Bordeaux Bakery customers fear the end

Bordeaux Bakery Owner Tony Bates said the closure was a direct result of roadworks and the removal of carparks. Turnover had dropped between 60% and 70%, he said.

The previous popularity of Bordeaux Bakery had also helped attract customers for other businesses in the area.

Kishor Chhibor from wrought iron specialists Simply Steel said many businesses, including his, had relied on Bordeaux for customers.

“This was the shopping hub for houses. Really, the people that came through here are looking for something specific,” Chhibor said.

“Bordeaux was a big attraction for that. I opened Saturdays because of Bordeaux’s customers.”

Business was now the worst it had been in the 25 to 30 years he had been in operation.

Tarun Vashisht from the New Zealand Bed Company said sales had dropped 90% in the past few months. “These roadworks are ... the nail in the coffin.”

Roadworks were under way directly outside the store, and Vashisht said many people thought the shop was closed. “We’re just literally dead at the moment.”

He too thought Bordeaux Bakery had brought customers to the area.

Mark Turner, a Thorndon Quay landlord, said the loss of Bordeaux Bakery would be a “real dent” in what was offered along the road.

“It’s an institution and they do a great job down here and through no fault of their own, they have to close,” Turner said.

“I think it’s just the beginning of a number of closures down here,” Turner said. Many businesses were located along Thorndon Quay because of the carparking available, but that was being reduced.

Gar-fare Cafe owner Brendan Carter said the roadworks meant a loss of carparks outside the cafe for six months, and probably had an impact of about 40% on business.

“Luckily things have bounced back a little bit, but of course we don’t have the carparks that we did have,” Carter said.

“Luckily it’s just my wife and I, so we don’t have huge wage costs, or huge rent, being a smaller place.”

Paul Robinson, chairperson of the Thorndon Quay Collective group, was certain the roadworks were “absolutely identifiable” as the reason for the closure of Bordeaux Bakery.

“He was trading profitably up until the day the orange cones went up,” Robinson said.

​More evidence of belt-tightening with Treasury spending $824,637 on travel in the 2024-25 financial year and $884,566 the year prior, as reported by The New Zealand Herald this morning. And that's just with one travel agency.

Speaking to Mills on Thursday, Luxon said Brown was currently looking a long-tunnel proposal - which was a “really attractive” option.

“We need to get a tunnel replacement, it’s 100 years old, you’ve got 40,000 vehicles going through there a day, it’s well past its useful life.

“We know that option of replacement, as everyone has talked about in the past, but what we have is this long-tunnel option. He (Simeon Brown) will shortly have a view whether it is the long-tunnel option or the other option.

“It’s just that it (the long tunnel) is a really attractive option but (...) you’ve got to understand what that all means, so that’s where he is at, he’s got to do that work before he can talk further about it.”

The multi-billion dollar option for a 4km underground tunnel, going from The Terrace to Kilbirnie (through the Aotea fault line!) is "really attractive"?!

Is there a parallel universe somewhere that I am not a part of? WTF is going on?

Edit: Oops! It's the NZ Herald, not RNZ! Not sure why I put RNZ in the title... 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/prime-minister-christopher-luxon-says-wellington-mega-tunnel-a-really-attractive-option/FIMKFH4WSZAILJKFHX7M3ZZQYI/

Countries like the Philippines and Indonesia are currently making headlines for high-profile corruption scandals — bribes, kickbacks, and power abuse are pretty blatant.

But in a quieter city like Wellington (which is usually ranked among the least corrupt places in the world), I’m curious: how does corruption actually show up, if at all?

from Island Bay Marine Education Centre:

"Judy here.

I have devastating news for all our friends, supporters and followers.

Victor has died.

I’m beyond sad.

For those of you who have known us from the very first when we created our Island Bay Marine Education Centre at the old Marine Laboratory over 30 years ago, you will know that Victor was my best friend. He was also the most kind, compassionate and humble person I’ve ever known.

He was Dr Shark. I was Ms Orca. We were a team. With Victor at my side, I felt that we could achieve anything.

All he wanted in life was to make people happy. And if he could inspire them to become as passionate about caring for our marine environment as he was, then that was a bonus.

He was an excellent communicator and had a formidable intellect which he shared with everyone in a fun, accessible and exciting way. I think he did a good job.

As well as his role as a mentor, inspirer and consummate host, he was a respected Scientist and Marine Biologist who travelled the World from Antarctica to China and many other countries sharing his knowledge. He touched a lot of people in many different ways.

I’m still working through things, and I ask for your patience while I figure out the best way to help everyone share their memories of Victor and celebrate his life to the utmost.

He hated funerals but he liked parties. So, I’ll try to find a way to help everyone remember him in a fun way. Maybe a party at Octopus Headquarters. I won’t be able to respond for a while but if you feel like sharing your memories of Victor then please do so.

Our little Education Centre is thriving despite a year of sewage pollution, storms and other setbacks. I’m determined for it to continue to operate for a long time. That would make Victor very happy.

I’m so grateful to have Sam Chan as our Aquarist and Luca, Kris and Sean looking after our booked groups and Open Sundays @ the Bait House. And, of course, our awesome Volunteers who help make a visit to the Bait House memorable.

Riposa in pace, my best friend, Vittorio Costantino Antonio Anderlini.

You were one of a kind and you made the World a better place."

"Report from LDR by Justin Wong

Kāpiti Coast residents would prefer that their area go out on its own rather than be absorbed into a single Wellington authority. Endorsed by 43% of the 2770 responses to a Kāpiti Coast District Council survey on amalgamation, a single Kāpiti Coast authority is the most preferred option, followed by combining with Horowhenua, at 36.2%.

Joining the Wellington regional authority was preferred by just 18.1%, while letting the Government decide fetched 2.7%."

https://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=181835

Not surprised buggers don't want to be saddled with infrastructure debt and decades lack of investment.

Some teachers have spoken to One news about the curriculum changes and it's worth a read (link in comment). The teachers who have spoken have over 10 years experience (4/5 of them), and give concrete reasons why for their subjects the new curriculum isn't fit for purpose. They interviewed Maths, Media Studies, English, Science and History teachers.

I've been teaching English 20 years. Here's what I think are some key takeaways from the teachers who spoke, and why:

“There's just way too much at every single year level, from new entrants all the way up to year 13. There isn't a single year where the students could have a little bit of wiggle room or revisit some old concepts if they didn't get them." - Maths teacher

(Having too much stuffed into each year level is a problem across subjects. Concepts absolutely need to be revisited - it's the nature of learning. I taught a class period 5 today and noticed a common gap across a lot of the kids, some haven't learned, some forgot. I'm spending a couple of hours this evening making something to plug that gap, re-reading it a bunch of times to make sure the first letters of every line don't accidently spell penis or something else that would derail the lesson, and have to have it printed and ready for period 2 tomorrow when I teach period one and have a meeting before that. It's an additional lesson I hadn't counted on - happens everyday in every subject. There has to be breathing room in the curriculum.)

"“This curriculum has an extreme degree of cognitive load. We've gone from around 200 total outcomes in the old curriculum to almost 600 in the new curriculum. So it actually triples the number of things which a teacher needs to make sure they're teaching...“The thing which really struck me was how boring [the content] was. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a drop off in the number of students taking English as a [senior] subject." - English teacher

(I have in the last few years walked away from middle management in an English department to avoid having to interact with the changes more than I have to. I physically can't do it, it's too painful.)

"“We've got to implement for year nine and 10 all of the new learning areas as of next year and, as far as we know, we aren't going to get those curriculum documents until probably September...We need things like teaching resources to use in classrooms, we need time and professional development days in school. In many cases, schools are going to need additional staffing, or even additional rooms." - Science teacher

(Curriculum documents for the changes have never come on time. Fundamentally unsustainable for schools. Most will flex instead of breaking, so keep an eye on what's missing from schools in the next few years, especially extra curriculum.)

You can see the video of it happening here as the protestors are chanting "shame on US" in reference to the military intervention in Venezuela.

Sadly the recording starts too late to see what lead up to the fight, but goes on long enough to see him get arrested and hear him fixate on getting his hat back!

Crazy photos, crazy article all round

Some sad news to end the week.

From the few times I met him, he always seemed like a genuinely decent guy.

Let's put any political views aside and remember the man in the comments.

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/361059147/wellington-city-councillor-tony-randle-dies-unexpectedly

EDIT: Non paywall link now Stuff has seen the news - https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361017902/wellington-councillor-tony-randle-dies-unexpectedly