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21 June 2022

Everything Kāpiti

Ngā Pitopito kōrero mai i te Kaunihera o Kāpiti

Kia ora Kāpiti

Last week's storm event was the biggest we've experienced for quite some time, bringing down trees, washing away tracks, damaging seawalls, and clogging up our stormwater network with a significant amount of debris. Our crews are out and about cleaning up the mess and repairing the damage but it will take time, so please be patient.

This Friday marks our first national Matariki public holiday; the rising of the Matariki star cluster signals the Māori New Year. This is a time for remembrance, honouring those we've lost since the last rising of Matariki; celebrating the present – gathering together to give thanks for what we have; and looking to the future, and the promise of a new year.

Mānawatia a Matariki – enjoy celebrating Matariki.

Your Council icon  Your Council

Waikanae River Trail out of action

Waikanae River Trail remains closed after last week’s wild weather.

The trail took a beating and is damaged in lots of places. There are actively falling trees, significant subsidence and erosion and, with crews using machinery, it is also a worksite.

Signs are up to let people know about the situation but obviously we can’t erect fencing around the whole river. There’s a detour in place to allow pedestrian and cycle access across the river from Waikanae to Otaihanga. Detour signage is in place.

To keep everyone safe, and let the teams assessing and restoring the track get on with it, we need the public to respect the closure and the river environment and stay away.

A reminder that as with any significant weather event, extra care should be taken around recreational water spots. Heavy rain flushes contaminants from urban and rural land into our waterway and there can be overflows of untreated wastewater into streams and rivers.

Keeping our streams flowing after the storm

Last week’s storm removed a lot of sand from our beach system. The sea then started redepositing this suspended sand back onto the beach.
When streams get blocked, there’s a risk of upstream flooding. That’s why you might see our crews digging excess sand away from stream outflows.
 
While the storm triggered this urgent work, clearing stream mouths is a maintenance activity we carry out regularly throughout our district.
 
At Tikotu Stream, we also reconfigured the poles that stop driftwood backing up into the stream to keep the stream flowing.
 
We’ll keep monitoring the streams across the district as the winter weather continues.

Register your dog for the 2022/23 year!

Hey dog owners – all pooches must be registered by 5pm, 1 August 2022!
From this year plastic dog tags are being replaced by new, anodised aluminium tags designed to last a dog’s lifetime. The new tags are lightweight, come in a fetching blue colour, and are suitable for dogs of all sizes.
 
We hear every year from our community that you’d like to see a more sustainable option for these dog tags, and we’re delighted to be able to offer this solution. 
Register your dog today

Our public holiday hours this Matariki

This Friday public holiday, our facilities' hours will look a little different for Matariki:
– service centres will be closed
– after hours call centre operating
– libraries closed
– Coastlands Aquatic Centre open 8am–8pm
– Ōtaki Pool open 8am–6pm
– transfer stations open 9am–5pm.
 
We'll be back to our normal weekend hours (as outlined on our website) on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Have a great Matariki holiday!
See our public holiday hours

Our people and communities icon  Our people and communities

National Volunteer Week 19–25 June

This Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu, National Volunteer Week we’re celebrating the collective contribution of volunteers who enrich Aotearoa New Zealand, and our special corner of it.
 
Volunteers grow our people, open minds, open hearts and create joy.
 
Mahi aroha, doing work for love, is happening all year round, all over Aotearoa. Share your story about volunteering this week, and help spread the joy of kindness. Tag your story with the hashtag #AotearoaOfKindness, and spread a little bit of sunshine this week.

See some volunteer stories

TEDx Kāpiti – get your tickets now!

Tickets are still available for the first-ever TEDxKāpiti event on 25 June.

The day-long event is centred on sharing new ideas and will feature 12 local speakers embracing the theme “Emerge”.
 
Council is a proud sponsor of this event.
Find out more about TEDxKāpiti

Get involved icon  Get involved

Opening weekend for Matariki Ramaroa

The countdown is on for the Matariki Ramaroa Lights Arts Festival Kāpiti opening weekend at Maclean Park, Paraparaumu Beach, to celebrate the first Matariki public holiday!

Come along from 5pm on 24–25 June for two nights of light sculptures, eclectic music, performances, food stalls, and storytelling under the rising stars of Matariki.

See what's on

Have your say on a Community Land Trust for Kāpiti

We want your thoughts on establishing an independent community land trust (CLT) that, along with Council, can work with iwi partners and other organisations to deliver affordable housing outcomes.
It’s a critical time for Kāpiti to decide what housing future it wants to see. Our recent Housing Needs Assessment showed that a lack of housing options in our district means people are increasingly becoming stuck in unsuitable accommodation, being pushed out of their communities, or are left without access to any accommodation.
Learn more and have your say

International Go Skateboarding Day – 21 June

Happy International Skateboarding Day to all the expert and budding skateboarders in our district!
Go Skateboarding Day was created to promote skateboarding as a creative and healthy activity, and make it accessible to more people.

We’re lucky to have several great skateparks across Kāpiti and we’re always thinking about ways to improve them. The skatepark in Maclean Park, Paraparaumu is next on our list for a makeover.

If you or someone you support uses the skatepark please complete our online survey to tell us what’s most important to include in our upgraded facility.
Complete our online survey

Hot tip icon  Hot tip

Driftwood benefits our beaches

The storm last week gave parts of our coast a bit of a beating but, despite the damage caused, storms also make an positive contribution to our beach ecosystems. Driftwood washed down rivers and onto the beach creates a base for building up our dunes, and provides important habitat and nutrients for birds and insects.
 
Our Beach Bylaw helps protect this natural process by prohibiting people from using power tools to chop up beach debris. You can also only take away what you can carry yourself when on foot. We don't move or remove driftwood from the beach other than to clear accessways and stormwater outlets – we generally push debris to the side or up against of the dunes so natural beach restoration can continue.

Read our Beach Bylaw for the rules on harvesting driftwood

How could coastal hazards affect you?

We've added coastal hazards maps to our Geographic Information System (GIS) so you can look at how coastal erosion and inundation from sea-level rise due to climate change is projected to affect your place in the next 30, 50, and 100 years. Check out the online coastal hazards maps.
 
Have a look at what this could mean for you, then join the conversation by sharing your concerns and ideas with the Takutai Kāpiti Coastal Advisory Panel.
Join the conversation on coastal hazards

Swim play for under twos

We’re introducing a new play session for our smallest community members. All under-twos and their caregivers are welcome to join our toddler and baby water play sessions aimed at having fun and supporting water confidence in a safe warm and  environment.
We’ll provide a range of toys with children’s music and nursery rhymes, and when possible one of our friendly swimming instructors will be available for advice and ideas about helping your wee one to enjoy the water.
 
Usual pool charges apply for adults. Toddlers and babies are free.
  • Ōtaki Pool, Mondays 9.45–10.30am
  • Coastlands Aquatic Centre, Tuesdays 9.45–10.30am.
Find out more

Dates to remember icon  Dates to remember

If you're a poet, we STILL want to know it!

Great news – we've extended our poetry submission deadline to 5pm, Sunday 3 July 2022.
 
Celebrate National Poetry Day by writing a poem on the theme “Ten” – highlighting ten years of our poetry competition! The theme can be interpreted any way you like, and all accepted entries will be published in print and as an eBook.

Winners will be announced on National Poetry Day at our Open Mic Night at Paraparaumu Library, 5.30–6.30pm, Friday 26 August.

All poems must be submitted using our online form.

Find out more and submit your poem

Share your Kapiti icon  #ShareYourKapiti

We want to see your Kāpiti snaps!

Do you have beautiful Kāpiti Coast photos? If so, follow us on Instagram and use the hashtag #shareyourkapiti for the chance to feature in Everything Kāpiti. If you don't use social media, you can upload your images to our website, at #ShareYourKapiti. Get sharing!

@gardenista.nz
@louisagaimster


                                    
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