Upcoming Council meetings –November/December 2023
| Cycling and Walking Subcommittee meeting | Thursday 16 November, 3pm |
| Council | Thursday 23 November, 1pm |
| Council | Thursday 14 December, 1pm |
Cover image: Jesse Palmer on Flickr
Council and community news – November 2023
10 November 2023
Christmas, New Year and Waitangi Day events
Close off dates for Alcohol licence applications
If you need to lodge a licence application, particularly for a Special Licence, now is the time to prepare.
If your event date is between 20 December 2023 and 13 February 2024, we must receive your application by 20 November 2023 at the latest, to ensure it can be processed and granted and issued to you before 20 December 2023.
If you have an event on or after 14 February 2024, the 18th of January 2024 is the very last day for submitting an application. Our non-working day period is from 20 December to 15 January, so think about filing before 20 December 2023 to ensure your licence can be issued.
We encourage you to apply early as this is our busiest period for processing applications
More information about licences and trading days over the summer holiday period is on our website.
If you have any questions, please contact the licensing department on 03 756 9010 ext 797.
Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash
Place name proposal – Franz Josef
Information from the New Zealand Geographic Board.
Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa New Zealand Geographic board invites submissions of the place name proposal for Franz Josef / Waiau village and Franz Josef Glacier.
- The proposal is to alter the official place name Franz Josef/Waiau to Franz Joseph / Waiau for the village adjacent to State Highway 6, approximately 98km southwest of Hokitika.
- The proposal is to alter the official place name Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere to Franz Joseph Glacier / Kā Roimata-o-Hinehukatere for the glacier that flows from a large basin in the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana to its terminus between Fritz Range and Baird Range.
Submissions can be made online:
Or by email to nzgbsumissions@linz.govt.nz, or post a letter to the Secretary of the New Zealand Geographic Board, c/o Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, PO Box 5501, Wellington 6145.
Submissions close on 12 December 2023. More information is available on the LINZ website for Franz Josef village and Franz Josef Glacier.
Te Reo Māori resources at the Library
Are you looking to dive into the rich and beautiful world of the Māori language? We have fantastic news for you and your whānau!
Introducing Te Kete Rauemi ō Te Reo Māori, our NEW Language Resource Kits, specially curated to support individuals and families learning Te Reo Māori. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate learner, these boxes are packed with valuable materials to enhance your language journey and deepen your connection to Te Aō Māori.
What’s Inside:
Come visit us at Westland District Library to borrow these amazing resource kits to help you on your Te Reo Māori learning adventure!
Part 1: Making a plan
Preparing for a Civil Defence event
As we all know, Westland is the Last Best Place. However, living here does have its challenges. These include cyclones, flooding, earthquakes, fires and pandemics. The best prepared community is the one where everyone is prepared to look after themselves. One way of doing this is to have a household plan. This is part 1 of a 5-part series helping you to create your household plan.
Having a household plan is a good idea because when events happen, our ability to contact our families is disrupted, and we might not have easy access to plentiful food from supermarkets or shops. We may even have to leave our homes. Ensuring that you have food and supplies for your family and pets is a crucial part of looking after them. It doesn’t all need to be done straight away – anything something is better than nothing. Many families put away a little bit at a time; an extra can of beans each week can build up into a good store over a short period of time.
Making sure that you have a torch, radio and batteries, or ones that wind up is incredibly helpful in an event like an earthquake as most information will come through on the radio if power or other forms of communication are down.
You can find more information about what supplies you might need here.
You can also find a plan template (multiple languages) here – stay tuned for part 2: Meeting up!
Photo: Westland District Council
Cass Square playground and toilets
The tender to build the replacement playground at Cass Square has been awarded to Auckland-based company, Creospace Ltd. Their proposal provided the Working Group with different options, including some of the icons of Hokitika and how to incorporate them into the design. The concept also includes many accessibility aspects, which will enable the whole family to enjoy the playground.
Work on the new toilets next to the playground is continuing to complete the groundworks and concrete foundations ready to establish the building. This project is on track to open before Christmas.
October Citizenship Ceremony
In October Council hosted a citizenship ceremony for 10 people to swear an oath or affimation of allegiance and receive their certificates of citizenship.
Council had the pleasure of welcoming Charlotte Binks, Holly-Lee Henery, Quentin Jay, Akshay Lama, Reillee Lesperence, Stephen Page, Precious Reyes, Phellyz Reyes, Robert Warman and Richard Warner as citizens of New Zealand.
Don’t miss out, get your rubbish out!
Wheelie bins need to be at the kerbside by 8am at the latest on the morning of your collection. Our contractors EnviroNZ are now running two trucks and collection times may be earlier in the day. If your bin is not out, it can’t be cleared.
Women, Wellbeing, and the Workplace
Professional Women’s Breakfast
Friday 24 November | 7.30am – 9am | Beachfront Hotel Hokitika
The West Coast Women’s Network, Development West Coast (DWC), and Te Tai o Poutini Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) invite you to a business breakfast with keynote speaker Caro Findlay, West Coast Primary Health Organisation Chief Executive.
Caro will be speaking about the opportunity professional women on the West Coast have to drive progressive societal change in workplaces, taking control of their own health needs.
Caro’s vision is that the PHO becomes a role model employer in the women’s mental health space, demonstrating practical tools and policies that will better support women in paid employment.
The PHO’s broader mission is to use community-based services and approaches to enable better health for the population of the West Coast and eliminate health inequities, especially for Māori.
Meet the speaker – Caro Findlay | West Coast Primary Health Organisation Chief Executive
Caro graduated in law and political studies from the University of Otago and was admitted to the Bar in Wellington. She has previously worked in Parliament as a Communications Advisor, at Westland Milk Products as General Manager of People & Safety, a tutor in business, economics, employment relations at the former Te Tai o Poutini Polytechnic and as HR Manager at the West Coast District Health Board.
She lives in Hokitika with her partner Louise Dando and their dog children Ripley and Kenny.
Event details
Friday 24 November | 7.30am – 9am | Beachfront Hotel Hokitika
$25 for breakfast
Tickets are available at Professional Women’s Breakfast – Women, Wellbeing, and the Workplace | Humanitix
West Coast Regional Council October Rates Installment
Westland District Council is able to accept rates payments on behalf of the WCRC for the October rates installment at our Customer Service Centre, 36 Weld Street, Hokitika, until Monday 20 November 2023.