Press Release – Office of the Ombudsman
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says holding government to account is never more important than in a time of crisis.
Mr Boshier says the highlight of the year ending 30 June 2020 was managing a busy, and expanding, programme of work, while providing independent oversight of the impact of government actions to combat COVID-19.
“The pandemic which swept the world in 2020 is undoubtedly the defining event of the past year. It has also further defined the role of Ombudsman.”
Mr Boshier says the need is stronger than ever to encourage public trust in government by making sure people are treated fairly.
Plimmerton residents call for stormwater system work to reduce flood risk
16 Dec, 2020 09:57 PM
3 minutes to read
Residents say heavy floods are putting lives at risk. Photo / Supplied
NZ Herald
By: Sophie Trigger
The residents of a recently flood-ravaged community are calling on the council to improve the stormwater system or someone is going to drown .
The northern Porirua suburb of Plimmerton was hit by heavy rain late last month, affecting 60 properties, leaving 30 with internal damage and 16 uninhabitable.
A group of 45 locals, the Plimmerton Flood Action Group was formed to lobby Porirua City Council and Wellington Water for urgent action. They spoke to the council on Wednesday, the final council meeting of the year.
ROSA WOODS/STUFF
A collapsed pipe in Willis St in December 2019 was the beginning of a bad 12 months for Wellington s ailing water pipe network. (File photo)
Ratepayers have forked out more than $350,000 on public relations experts hired by Wellington Water in the past year to manage major network failures. Figures obtained through the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act revealed the organisation spent $354,621 on media management contractors between November 2019 and December 2020. The recruitments followed a number of major failures on the capital’s water network during the period, including a collapsed pipe on Dixon St in the central city, and two burst pipes in a tunnel underneath Mt Albert.
Regional councillor and parks portfolio lead Prue Lamason said the plan contained changes the people of Wellington asked for: more native plants, better access to and within parks, and more collaborative work with mana whenua and the community. According to a council spokesperson, grazing activities were estimated to account for 20 per cent of the emissions from council assets and activities.
Ross Bell/Supplied
Parts of Queen Elizabeth Park, on the Kapiti Coast, that could be returned to wetland. (File photo) The plan would lead to reduced carbon emissions from drained peat wetlands, better water quality, improved biodiversity, and better facilities for recreation.
Friday, 18 December 2020, 5:57 am
Plimmerton residents have issued a stark warning to
Porirua City councillors today, saying lives are at risk
until action is taken to remedy the area’s inadequate
stormwater system.
“Years of underinvestment, poor
design and neglect have left many parts of Porirua with a
stormwater system that simply isn’t up to the job. This
has now proven to have had a devastating impact on
Plimmerton and Karehana Bay, with more than 60 properties
affected,” said Grace Allum, a spokesperson for the
Plimmerton Flood Action Group.
“The rainfall on 29
November was major, but this isn’t a one-off event. The