NEWS + UPDATES

[deepred]

Originally Posted by GrrrPi

Personally, I don't think tearing down buildings for the sake of earthquake risk is sensible at all. Earthquakes have killed 479 people in NZ since records began. To put that in perspective, the road toll last year was 303.

Surely we'd be better off banning cars which kill hundreds of people a year? Or at least, for example, all cars which don't meet the safety standard of a car built say three years ago - it'd be much cheaper than replacing our building stock.

At the end of the day, earthquakes are an emotive issue, but the numbers don't stack up in my mind. If people don't want to live/work in unsafe buildings, the market will sort itself out - no need for intervention. Personally though, I don't actually have a problem with living/working in buildings that don't meet the standard; there are plenty of other ways I'm more likely to die on any given day...

Moreover, we've seen from the Christchurch quake that many buildings which do meet the quake standards are still write-offs, so economically, I don't think it makes sense to pre-emptively replace buildings which will otherwise be ruined either.

And most of the victims in the ChCh quakes were in a couple Modernist buildings. In one of those cases, fraudulent documents certainly didn't help.

[deepred]

Interesting tidbit from hotelier Chris Parkin:

Nor is he content just to babysit the Museum Art Hotel. Parkin has plans for an even grander five star hotel, a 20 storey building on the corner of Tory and Cable Streets.

“Whether it will get the required consents remains to be seen because it will be well above the height limit, but I’d rather see a tall elegant tower there than a squashed ugly building.”

One corner's already occupied by the Piermont Apartments, and the other by the Museum Hotel owned by Parkin, so unless the Capital Times got the location wrong, the "squashed ugly building" he's referring to is probably the Museum Hotel. Probably not the car park beside Te Papa since that's still earmarked for the UN Studio extensions.

[SYDNEY]

Proposed Ocean Exploration Centre a boost for economy

The proposed marine education centre and aquarium for Wellington's South Coast is a bold, ambitious and exciting development for the Capital, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said today. Members of the Wellington Marine Conservation Trust today met with the Wellington City Council to outline their $36 million New Zealand Ocean Exploration Centre Te Moana, proposed for the disused Maranui Works Depot Site in Lyall Bay. Wellington entrepreneur Sam Morgan also spoke in support of the project. The Mayor, who has been a supporter of the existing Marine Education Centre since the 1990s, said the project represented ambitious thinking for Wellington that will lead to increased spending, jobs and income, in addition to ideal educational, social and environmental outcomes. "I love Te Moana, this bold project for Wellington's South Coast. This proposal offers significant advantages for Our Living City,” she said. "Wellington is the capital of the world's fifth largest marine area, so we're the ideal home of a world-class 21st century Ocean Exploration Centre. Te Moana would really put us on the global map for marine understanding. "Te Moana will be a magnificent transformation of a disused site. The Ocean Exploration Centre ticks a lot of boxes; it will be an asset to the city's education, ecology and economy. "Together with central government funding and social investment led by Sam Morgan, Council has a key role to play in the provision of land, currently a disused and unattractive closed quarry, for the project. "Working in partnership with organisations including NIWA, Victoria University's Coastal Ecology Lab and Positively Wellington Tourism, the Trust has presented a compelling case. "The proposed site, on the landward side of the coastal road and intimately connected to the Cook Strait, is an attractive location and will unlock the natural treasures of New Zealand's wild environment for today's and tomorrow's citizens and visitors." Today’s presentation followed a four-year feasibility study by the Wellington Marine Conservation Trust, which will now look to secure resource consents and funding for the new project.

[mathlete]

Another proposal? I suspect this will end up in the can like the last one.

[mathlete]

PS - I'm all for this idea by the way. Every one loves aquariums and I think Welly really needs more attractions and 'things to do'.

[tommo39]

Originally Posted by mathlete

PS - I'm all for this idea by the way. Every one loves aquariums and I think Welly really needs more attractions and 'things to do'.

Agreed! Not that I've done all the "things to do" in Welly. I went to the observatory for the first time last year and am yet to visit Zealandia, but more stuff like this would help keep Wellington competitive with the likes of Auckland and Queenstown.

[GI_Joint]

We're the least congested city!

Although, waiting in traffic a long the Petone Esplanade can be a pain heh.

[Capt P]

Originally Posted by GI_Joint

We're the least congested city!

Although, waiting in traffic a long the Petone Esplanade can be a pain heh.

It is a misleading article. If you look closer at the TomTom stats, Wellington actually has worse morning peak congestion than Auckland (=> explanation for your Petone Esplanade issue), it is just outside this time it is better. In the Traffic Engineering world we are really only interested in the peak periods. Christchurch doesn't have the same peak issues of Auckland and Wellington. Since the quakes I imagine it is registering higher due to off peak congestion with roads closed and repair work.

[SYDNEY]

Wellington spa named Australasia’s Best Luxury Boutique Spa

image hosted on flickr

WELLINGTON 29 OCT 2010 by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr

Wellington spa Bodyhaven has been recognised as the Best Luxury Boutique Spa in Australasia and Oceania by the 2013 World Luxury Spa Awards. The spa, located in the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor on The Terrace, also received the award for Best Luxury Wellness Spa in New Zealand. The awards are accepted as the pinnacle of achievement for luxury spas and are based on votes by spa guests and feedback from a global panel of spa industry professionals. Recipients are recognised for setting benchmarks in quality, innovation and service for spas around the globe. Bodyhaven Spa Director Ana Maria Moore is an internationally renowned spa and wellness consultant with more than 20 years experience. She has been leading and educating spa personnel for over a decade. Ms Moore says Bodyhaven strives to ensure the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation for its clients and is thrilled that the efforts of her dedicated, professional spa team have been recognised at such a high level. “Bodyhaven prides itself on providing our spa guests with the finest in service, ambience and innovation, to ensure a memorable and rewarding experience ... MORE

[tommo39]

Originally Posted by GrrrPi

Personally, I don't think tearing down buildings for the sake of earthquake risk is sensible at all. Earthquakes have killed 479 people in NZ since records began. To put that in perspective, the road toll last year was 303.

Yes, but earthquakes do have the tendency to kill a whole load of people at once. So it would only take one big earthquake in Wellington to double NZ's all time death toll from earthquakes. I don't really think they're comparable to car crashes. Tearing down buildings one at a time to rebuild safer ones is also better than having them all fall down at once, affecting many more people's ability to do their jobs and operate their businesses. There's more to earthquakes than death.

[SYDNEY]

City's $828m blockbuster industry

The Hobbit, Tintin and Rise of the Planet of Apes are bringing Smaug's golden riches to Wellington, with film industry revenues up massively to almost $830 million in the past year. Wellington's film industry generated $828m in revenues for the year to April 2012, according to Statistics NZ figures released yesterday. This was up 67 per cent on 2011, with Wellington companies representing 60 per cent of all post-production businesses in the country. Wellington's film industry made up almost a third of all New Zealand screen-industry revenues, including television, which rapped at the $3 billion mark for the first time last year. Film New Zealand chief executive Gisella Carr said a cluster of companies in Miramar had contributed to the result. "It's outstanding and it shows how significant Wellington is in the feature film business. "Often people don't understand that there are a number of companies sitting out on the peninsula, not just obviously the production company shooting The Hobbit." Carr said significant productions that Miramar companies had worked on, including Tintin and Rise of the Planet of Apes, would be included in the statistics ... MORE

[SYDNEY]

Wellington Business Welcomes Victoria’s Top Ranking

The Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce has congratulated Victoria University for its top placing in the national research rankings.
The latest Tertiary Education Commission’s PBRF Evaluation ranks Victoria the number one New Zealand tertiary education based on the research performance of its academic staff. “Victoria University makes an important contribution to the Wellington economy and this ranking will further enhance its reputation,” said Chamber Chief Executive Raewyn Bleakley. “Wellington is renowned for its education sector as well as its knowledge intensive industries and linking tertiary education with the business community is a key part of our program of activities,” Ms Bleakley concluded.

[SYDNEY]

Capital excels in Green City Index

Wellington is an environmental leader for cities in Australasia, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Australia-New Zealand Green City Index. Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the survey has shown the city and region to be a top performer, especially when it comes to air quality, CO2 emissions, energy consumption and waste management. “This is a major accolade for us, from respected international authorities. It’s also a useful tool to help guide future decisions in environmental matters. “Our air is up there with the cleanest in the world. This is perhaps due in part to our famous wind, but also our residents insulating their homes, lower vehicle usage and minimising the burning of waste.” Wellington’s per capita CO2 emissions are notably less than Auckland’s, mainly due to factors such as lower levels of car usage and industry. “However, we still intend to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions further. Our aim is to decrease city emissions by 30 percent of 2001 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent by 2050,” says Mayor Wade-Brown. Using a range of criteria, the index compared Wellington to six major cities across the region – Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Due to differences in data sets – particularly with Australian cities where some data was only available at state level – the index didn’t definitively rank the cities. The study praised Wellington for its commitment to renewable energy – with wind turbines generating enough electricity for Wellington City’s domestic use (approximately 70,000 homes). These kept the city powered when an outage isolated Wellington from the national grid in 2009 ... MORE

[deepred]

I sometimes wonder if this is a 47% moment as far as Wellingtonians are concerned. And I've never heard such defeatism from a nominally optimistic PM. Brain fade about the public sector purge, methinks?

All in all, Wellington's definitely battling uphill, but for a real dying town, a place like Detroit takes pole position.

Originally Posted by DomPost

Prime minister side-steps 'dying' comment

John Key has tried to water down his comments that Wellington is "dying" and now says it is a city under pressure.

He told Takapuna business leaders last week: "The reality is even Wellington is dying and we don't know how to turn it around.

"All you have there is government, Victoria University and Weta Workshop."

[SYDNEY]

Wellington museum among world's best

Ranked alongside the likes of America's Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Wellington City & Sea has been named as one of the world's 50 best museums. Britain's The Times has commissioned a panel of ''inveterate'' museum-goers to come up with the a list of the world's 50 best museums. The list largely favours European and United States museums with just a handful from the Southern Hemisphere. No other New Zealand museum made the list and only the Australian Museum in Sydney got a mention in Australia. Among the big names, at number 41, is the small Museum of Wellington City & Sea on Queens Wharf. The Times says Wellington has a tiny population but a great heritage ''as this museum proves'' ... MORE

[mathlete]

Wow really? I went about a decade ago and didnt find it that great. I guess it's changed a bit since then though

[deepred]

Wellington is still on Auckland's radar, and for the right reasons.

The capital of cool events

Danielle Wright finds Wellington alive with art events, food and popular culture this winter

Wellington is a city often likened to Melbourne, as opposed to Sydney, or San Francisco, as opposed to Los Angeles. The distinction is an important one when it comes to the atmosphere and success of the city's vibrant events calendar.

[KLK]

One improvement I think Wellington could make is to pedestrianise Lambton Quay. Aside from delivery vehicles, there isn't much need for traffic down there. there are plenty of surrounding streets where buses could (and do) drop people. And in my experience, Wellingtonians don't mind a walk to get to their PT, so one extra block isn't going to matter.

What a great, sweeping boulevard the Quay would make, especially if it led all the way to Parliament. A line of pohutakawas stretching from end to end. restaurants and cafes set up at various points to compliment those already lining both sides of the street.

What I'd also like to do is to cut and cover the 8 lane motorway that is the quays (Waterloo, etc) separating the city from the sea. But that's not so easy.

[tommo39]

Originally Posted by KLK

What I'd also like to do is to cut and cover the 8 lane motorway that is the quays (Waterloo, etc) separating the city from the sea. But that's not so easy.

Amen to that!