Seven more years up Schitts Creek?

By Ray Lilley Eighteen months of repairs and a block on new sewerage connections – and only seven years to go to fix the mess. When? – 2031. That was the message from the little-known Joint Community Liaison Group’s meeting to report and review progress on the Martinborough and Greytown …

Pumped up and ready to go!

By Charlotte Harding This month we welcome the Trailpro team and officially celebrate a dream coming to reality as the Pump Track build starts! Martinborough Youth Trust members are thrilled to see this project come to fruition: “it’s been a long road but we finally got here!” With summer just …

Community patrol car goes Electric

Martinborough Community Patrol (MBCP) are now the proud owners of an Electric Nissan Leaf. The time had come to retire the old car, a Honda CRV, Claire Fleming, Coordinator of the Patrol, said.  “We wanted to on-sell it while it still had some value. The car had been a dedicated …

Another rural defibrillator installed

Wednesday, 28 August, saw a crowd of about 30 locals assembled at Ruakokoputuna Community Hall as an AED was installed and a CPR course held. AED? Automatic External Defibrillator _ in common language a heart reboot machine. CPR? An “incredibly worthwhile and hugely successful” Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation course, held for locals …

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SUIP: new rating policy lands heavily – in Greytown

September 10, 2024 September 2024 Comments Off on SUIP: new rating policy lands heavily – in Greytown

By Martin Freeth 

For all those not in “the know,” SUIP is a new rates regime which has hit some 560 South Wairarapa ratepayers this rating year – with the top impact of the new charge located in Greytown.

Greytown Orchards Retirement Village takes the Crown for biggest single ratepayer in the district thanks to the rating policy on Separately Used and Inhabitable Parts (SUIPs) of a property.

In other words, the second (or more) – separate,  and inhabitable – dwelling/s are rateable.

Property rates data on the SWDC website shows Orchards retirement village to be one rateable property at 67 Reading Street but with 71 separate dwellings – and accordingly, a $326,957 total rates bill for 2024-25.

Until the latest rating revision was implemented, the village was rated as one place/dwelling.

Greytown Orchards stands out among 560 rates accounts identified by SWDC as potentially subject to additional rates under the policy in 2024-25. 

All have at least one additional SUIP (separately used and inhabitable part) at the urban or rural property. … Continue Reading

Martinborough awarded for Emergency, Resilience plans

September 10, 2024 September 2024 Comments Off on Martinborough awarded for Emergency, Resilience plans

By Angela Brown

The Martinborough Community Board were proud recipients of the Partnering with Councils

Award at the recent local government conference – for a collaboration with SWDC and WREMO (Wellington Region Emergency Management Office) to offer events promoting Resilience in the community. 

“The real stars of this award are each and every one of you, our community that came along to support and engage with the workshops and participate in last years practice day – big thank you to everyone involved.”

Nigel Carter, Lead Advisor Emergency Management for SWDC, said the events “were incredibly successful engagements with the Martinborough community thanks to the fantastic group of locals and the huge amount of energy from the Martinborough Community Board, and in particular, Angela Brown.” … Continue Reading

Shearing stories and the logistics of 5,500 sheep

September 10, 2024 September 2024 Comments Off on Shearing stories and the logistics of 5,500 sheep

Rebus Club’s guest speaker on 23 August was Roger Barton, the well-known Wairarapa farmer and stud sheep breeder, who talked about shearing and told a few stories about the Golden Shears, Masterton’s “ultimate shearing and wool handling event in the world.” 

The first competition was held during the A & P Show in Masterton in 1958, the result of a number of the Wairarapa Young Farmers’ Club members who had participated in similar competitions around the country. 

It was so successful that in 1961, with the assistance of Federated Farmers, the event was moved to the Masterton War Memorial Stadium where there was more room for the expected audience and the name Golden Shears was agreed. 

In March of that year nearly 300 shearers from NZ and Australia competed. Ivan Bowen, beating his brother Godfrey into second, became the first Golden Shears champion. It became an annual event of increasing importance in this new sport.  … Continue Reading

Pathway to failure? GWRC offers Net Zero emissions plan

September 10, 2024 September 2024 Comments Off on Pathway to failure? GWRC offers Net Zero emissions plan

By Ray Lilley

Greater Wellington has set out a “pathway” advising what the Wellington region and central government must do to play their parts in cutting transport emissions by 41 percent by 2035, on the path to net zero emissions (across all sectors) by 2050.

The initial top two regional targets are:

* reduce the amount of passenger vehicle kilometres per person by 25% by 2035;

* reduce all road transport-generated carbon emissions by 35% by 2030.

It immediately admits that these ambitious targets can’t be reached by the combined efforts of the nine councils and GWRC only.

“We need central government to set in place the necessary legislative and regulatory changes, to fund public and active transport infrastructure and to incentivise the shifts we need across all sectors.” … Continue Reading

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Sports

Lady golfers show Rosebowl winning ways

September has been an up and down month weatherwise for golfers, some beautiful early spring days followed by cold and rain. Thankfully for the important days the weather has mostly come to the party. Early in the month the Cotter Rosebowl was successfully defended at Carterton by Martinborough’s team of …

Stunning first 4 – 1 win for Marty Women’s FC

By All-knowing Football Reporter It was always going to happen. After a few draws, some losses the newly-formed MWFC won their first game. An impressive and resounding victory. It started with ‘The Fox in the Box,’ the striker who plays in the traditional Number 9 role of marauding the penalty …

Martinborough Golf Club

A taste of what the new clubhouse will offer was provided recently to members and the Martinborough community.  The weather also came to the party to give everyone fabulous views from the new bar /lounge area as well as the undercover outdoor space. Over 100 people took advantage of the …

Regular Features

THE STAR  BOOK  REVIEW  

By Brenda Channer –  Martinborough Bookshop “All the Colours of the Dark” by Chris Whittaker. …

EVENTS – October 2024

Discover Te Muna  WHEN:     Saturday, Sunday, October 19 – 20  TIME:      …

FROM THE MAYOR

By Martin Connelly As you will know the Council recently changed some of its rating …

THE STAR BOOK REVIEW

By Brenda Channer – Martinborough Bookshop Story-telling is possibly the most powerful and long-lived method …

EVENTS  – September 2024

Wellington Heritage Festival When: October 26 – November 17  Where: * Wellington Region – 140 …

Cartel Food Company “Home Grown in Martinborough”

By Lyle Griffiths Nine years ago, Jason and Melissa Phillips founded the Cartel Food Company …

Community servant Jake Hawkins hands over Helmet

Retiring Fire Chief Jake Hawkins joined Martinborough’s Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1994 _ 30 years …

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