Celebrate! Well done Wellington, for electing a fresh, new, young Maori woman Mayor, Tory Whanau – and farewell and thank you to Andy Foster, for leading the city over the last few years and for battling through with the battle of the factions. I’m hoping that Tory’s ability to wrangle young Green MPs into shape will also extend to wrangling Tamatha Paul and Rebecca Matthews –…
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nemo
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The news was only out yesterday, and briefly mentioned on the news, but I have a horrible feeling that this is going to have a massive effect on New Zealand, and on Wellington in particular. Have a look at this screen grab from the Stuff website: That’s a massive change all over – but especially for the capital. Previously we were the most risky place, with…
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nemo
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Today (Monday) is the last day for submissions on the proposed District Plan that will govern the shape of the city for the next 50 years. You have until 5pm today to get a submission in, and then after that, your goose is cooked. The shape of the city is then set in stone, or concrete and steel, and in some cases, timber or even plastic….
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nemo
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Sir Miles Warren died on Tuesday, the last of our knighted architects. He was 93. A prolifically talented architect, he and his practice were without doubt the major architectural force in Christchurch, having built much of the city through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Warren and Mahoney were THE architectural practice of the South Island for those decades, and indeed for much of New Zealand….
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nemo
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The other night, cooped up inside on yet another interminable stormy wet wintery night, I chanced across Batman Returns, the Michael Keaton Bat-flick featuring Danny De Vito as the Penguin aka Oswald Cobblepot and Michelle Pfeiffer as CatWoman. I realised that this was Tim Burton film-making for fun and enjoyment, without excess CGI – or possibly without any CGI at all (which just ruins the experience,…
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nemo
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It’s a rare thing for an Architect to become a Mayor – and even rarer for an Architect to become a Knight. We (NZ) have only got a couple of benighted Architects, and there has only ever been one person who has attained both honours. Our only knighted Architect Mayor, Sir Michael Fowler, has sadly just passed away. I was not in Wellington when he was…
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nemo
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Slowly but surely, at a majestic but glacial pace, Let’s Get Wellington Moving are moving forwards. Well, moving, at least. Maybe it is forwards. Maybe it is sideways. But at least it is not backwards. They’ve released some proposals, and want your / our feedback. And that means it is time for a closer look. Evidently, LGWM are working on this whole project bit by bit….
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nemo
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In an announcement released quietly on 4th July, by MBIE, there is some massive cause for celebration. “MBIE advises seismically vulnerable buildings can remain occupied” is the best, most welcome news I’ve heard for years – and I imagine that it will be music to the ears of many building owners around the city too. “New guidance published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment…
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nemo
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Transport Minister Michael Wood blindsided Wellington this morning, with an announcement – and a definite decision – that Wellington is going to get Light Rail to Island Bay, a resolution to the Basin Reserve, and a new tunnel in a big diagonal from the Basin to the far end of Haitaitai, right under Mt Victoria. I’m overjoyed and excited, not just for the solution but also…
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nemo
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Today is the day that the elected Councillors will vote on the Proposed District Plan, which will shape our city for the next thousand years (too long? legally, only 10 years, but who knows how long we’ll be around!). But the Councillors only get to say Yes, or No, even though they will go through it line by line. It is really the unelected Officers who…