19 March Independent Herald

Rates rise cut

By Frank Neill

The proposed rates increase for Wellingtonians was cut from 9.4% to 7.4% at the 12 March meeting of Wellington City Council’s TeTaurapaPlanning and Finance Committee.

This decision has been welcomed by Cr Diane Calvert, who is the committee’s chair and is a Wharangi/OnslowWestern Ward Councillor.

Continued on page 2.

Cr Diane Calvert, who has welcomed the drop in Wellington’s proposed rates increase. Photo: Supplied.

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A concerted effort to find savings

Continued from page 1.

“I think it’s a pretty good result,” Cr Calvert told the ‘Independent Herald’.

However, the Council needs “to keep looking for savings,” she says.

“This is the lowest proposed rates increase in six years and reflects a concerted effort to find savings across the Council.

“Increased inflation,insuranceand depreciation costs continue to put pressure on budgets, and we face a range of infrastructure issues that require significant investment.

“But with households under pressure, wecan’tsimply pass those costs on.

“We need to be rigorous in our savings efforts and ready to make tough decisions when it comes to spending,”she says.

“We started [with a rates increase] at 12.7% and then in December we asked officers to see what they could find in the way of savings and they came back with 9.4% instead of 12.7%.”

Since then a working group of councillors has lookedat making further savings. As a result of its work, Council officers came to last week’s committe meeting with the further saving of 2%.

“Locally,” Cr Calvert says, “one of those commitments is [to] uphold commitments made in the Long Term Plan to protect Khandallah Pool with funding for the lower-cost refurbishment option, protect the Begonia House with

funding for the low-cost renovation option, fund $1.9 million to finish the Karori Event Centre, and progress the Grenada North Community Sports Hub.

“Khandallah Summer Pool refurbishment is nearing the end of its design phase and information will soon be coming out to the community about what this looks like.

“The costs are coming in within the lower cost option and construction will likely commence early next year.

“For the Karori Event Centre, the Council are waiting on further information from the Karori Event Centre Trust.

“The additional funding of $1.9 million is dependent on validated information that the centre build can be completed within budget and that the Trust will be able to own and operate it at a break-even level. The final outcome will be known shortly,” Cr Calvert says.

The rates decision has also been welcomed by TakapŪ/Northern Ward Councillor Tony Randle.

The recommended rates increase “is great,” Cr Randle says.

However the committee’s decision to restore $1.1 million climate action money “is putting the rates decrease at risk.”

Council officers had not allocated that $1.1 million in the recommendation they put to the committee, Cr Randle says.

However the Green Party Councillors, supported by the Labour Party Councillors, had moved an amendment to include it and the

was passed.

The money for the climate change initiative had come by making cuts to core services, including recreation services, even though Council officers informed the meeting that they had already cut core service “to the bone,” Cr Randle says.

Money for climate action “shouldn’t come at the expense of cutting core services,” he adds.

Atthe Council’sTeTaurapaPlanning and Finance Committee12 Marchmeeting the

Mayor, Councillors and Pou Iwi approved the 2026/27 Annual Plan draft budget, which will go to the community for consultation in April.“At last year’s local election, we heard a clear message from Wellingtonians: rates affordability is a major issue for our communities,” The Mayor Andrew Little says. “We are determined to respond to that message andoperateresponsibly within our means.” Community consultation on the 2026/27 Annual Plan will run from 10 April to 10 May.

This year’s Write Room Resident

Ohariu resident Crosby Allen-Jenningshas been selected by Toi P neke Arts Centre and Pop Film as the 2026 Wellington Write Room Resident Screenwriter with his project‘Burnout Days’.

After graduating from University where he studied commerce, humanities and visual arts, Crosby moved toWellington to follow the dream he had been too afraid to acknowledge – film making.

With the help of some talented friends, he strung together a crime comedy short called‘Foul Hooked’that got him into the MFA Film course at Victoria University.

During his time on the programme hemade the short drama‘Life’s a Drag’,which screened in eight countries, 13 festivals, and received nine awards from all around the globe.

Since then, he has formed a film making collective called 18th Circle with collaborators Louis Joblin and 2024-2025 Write Room resident Esteban Jaramillo. The collective focuses on short analog horror.

‘Burnout Days’is aqueer coming-of-age story set in the boy racing scene of Christchurch.

Inspired by his own teenage years, the script addresses current shifting borders on masculinity, the perils of adolescent romance and the dangers of sexual repression.

Crosby will be joined by producer internElizabeth Hodgsonon the programme who will be shadowing and supporting the development work on the screenplay alongside mentorsRobert SarkiesandVicky Pope.

“We are so thrilled and thankful to be launching the eighth year of the Write Room programme with the support of Toi P neke Art Centre and Wellington City Council,” Vicky says.

“Crosby and Elizabeth are both extraordinary talents and part of a new generation of Wellington filmmakers establishing themselves in the city.

“We are excited to support them to further their creative work and careers this year.”

Write Room Wellington is a screenwriter residency programme offered in partnership with Pop Film, Toi P neke Arts Centre and Wellington City Council Aho Tini 2030 Arts, Culture and Creativity Strategy.

Each year a Wellington screenwriter is selected to undertake a 12-week residency to develop a draft of their feature film screenplay with the support of experienced industry mentors.

Write Room Wellington recognises the challenges for New Zealand screenwriters to

create space in their lives to write and find a place to do their work.

The aim of the programme is to support screenwriters to develop their screenplay to a level where it can be pitched to a producer and secure further development funding and a pathway towards production.

A meeting to present ORCA’s work to help our community’s resilience and connectivity. This is your opportunity to have input.

WHAT: Annual General Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, 24 March, 7.30pm

WHERE: Khandallah Town Hall. Onslow

&

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Review welcomed

Greater Wellington has welcomed news of an independent Crown review team to examine Wellington City Council’s governance and oversight of the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Wellington Water Ltd’s operational  and contract management, risk monitoring and incident response following the plant failure on 4 February.

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter says the Crown review is an important step in understanding how such a significant system failure occurred, but stressed that the review must be carefully managed alongside Greater Wellington’s own regulatory investigation.

“We welcome the appointment of the Crown review team and the clarity their work can bring to this major system failure,” Cr Ponter says.

“However, conducting a Crown review at the same time as a live regulatory investigation is, to the best of my knowledge, a very unusual circumstance. We must ensure that both processes are carefully managed, so the administration of justice is not compromised.”

New quintet

Audiences will soon have an opportunity to hear a new quintet formed by a group of players from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

The quintet which will appear at the seafront Memorial Hall in Paekakariki on Sunday 22 March at 2:30pm consists of Jessica Oddie and Simeon Broon (violins) Andrew Joyce and Ken Ichinose (cellos) and Julia Joyce (viola).

The group is organised as a “cello quintet”, with doubles of violin and cellos.

They will present Boccherini’s String Quintet, a work by Salina Fisher entitled “Heal” and the Cello Quintet by Schubert.

RHEBUS learns about archaeology

Mary O’Keeffe from Heritage Solutions was the speaker at last month’s Khandallah REBUS Club meeting.

Mary is a consultant archaeologist, and during the construction phase of a development she works on design and consent.

She talked about some archaeology sites in Wellington that she had worked on, including the former Tisdalls site in Willis Street, which required an examination of the area.

Mary consulted the Thomas Ward Plan 1891 Survey Map of Wellington, which recorded the footprint of many early Wellington buildings. The map showed a stream, which stopped flowing in the 1855 earthquake.

Members were shown photos of an old well, and ginger beer bottles, ceramics, clothing and buttons which were found.

Another project Mary worked on was in Normanby Street Newtown.

She showed photos of wallpaper in the public facing rooms and a room with beautiful pages from a London fashion magazine pasted on the walls.

The MacKays to Peka Peka Road and Transmission Gully Road were other interesting projects that Mary worked on.

She explained that development archaeological study during road construction can be greatly helped if work crews are interested in the process.

They can use diggers to carefully scrape off topsoil to unearth areas of special interest. This interest was shown in the excavations on the Kapiti Dunes.

Many new archaeology sites were found. Most were middens, and only one burial

site. This suggests that this was a place where people went for food but had not settled.

A cannon ball was found in Transmission Gully. It was too large to have been fired from a field gun and could have been fired from a ship’s cannon.

REBUS is a social club for seniors, and meets at 10am on the last Friday of the month at the Khandallah Bowling Club, 24

Woodmancote Road. Visitors are welcome. The next meeting will be on Friday 27 March.

The speaker will be Tom Kay, Organiser and Spokesperson for Choose Clean Water. His topic is “Making Room for Rivers.” For more information about the club, internet search “Khandallah REBUS” or go directly to the website, https://khandallahrebus.wixsite.com/khandallahrebusclub.

Capital’s very wet summer

By Frank Neill

Wellington’s summer was a very, very wet one, figures released by Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA) show.

This summer saw 354mm of rain recorded in Kelburn during December, January and February.

That was “well above normal,” Earth Sciences New Zealand says.

This summer rainfall was 157% higher than the average.

This summer was also a little cooler than usual.

The mean temperature for December, January and February was 16.2 degrees, which was 0.2 degrees cooler than the average.

Sunshine hours were also a little lower than usual this summer, with 648 hours, compared with the summer average of 662 hours.

This summer saw a significant storm hit Welington on 15 and 16 February.

The storm caused damage throughout

the city and led to a massive number of calls for fire brigades.

The winds caused widespread damage to property, brought down trees – including trees that blocked roads – and cut power to around 1,000 homes in the northern and western suburbs.

Fire brigades responded to more than 80 calls from Thorndon to just south of Tawa, with most of the calls being for what Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) says were a “natural event”.

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Memorial for Christchurch mosque attack

Members of Wellington’s community gathered on Sunday evening at St Peter’s on Willis for a moving interfaith memorial marking the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks, in which 51 people were killed on 15 March 2019.

Organised by Ekta NZ, the remembrance brought together faith leaders from across the city.

Representatives of the Bahá í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Zoroastrian traditions each offered prayers, reflecting a shared commitment to peace and solidarity across faiths.

The event included reflections from community and national leaders.

Former Governor-General Anand Satyanand spoke in person, alongside Race Relations Commissioner Melissa Derby, MPs Julie Anne Genter and Andrew Foster, and Tariq Saeed, President of IMAN.

Messages from Mervin Singham, Chief Executive of the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, and Andrew Little, Mayor of Wellington, were also shared with the audience.

A particularly poignant moment came as the names of the 51 shuhada – the martyrs who lost their lives – were read aloud, with a candle lit for each in their memory.

In her remarks, Melissa Derby reflected on the importance of connection across communities.

“Through connecting and conversing,” she said, “we discover we are far more alike than we are different.

“When we recognise the dignity and humanity of every person, we build the kind of society where peace, unity and harmony can prevail, and where tragedies like March 15 are never repeated.”

In recognition of International Women’s Day, the evening’s stage was managed by a team of Muslim women, a gesture that acknowledged the leadership and contribution of women within the community.

After the formal programme, attendees stayed to talk and share food. The memorial was a powerful expression of remembrance and of the social cohesion that continues to grow in communities.

Capital’s repair initiativesdoing well

New research commissioned by Wellington City Councilhas found more than 600 reuse,repairand share initiativesaround the region, with 456 available to residents and businessesin Wellington City alone.

These include repair initiatives in the northern and western suburbs.

These services help Wellingtonians to prevent waste and reduce what is sent to landfill.

Theirexistencereflects the public demand tokeep products from being prematurely wastedandtoparticipatein theshift towards a morecircular economy.

actions the Council could consider to help overcome some of the barriers facing reuse, repair and share, and harness opportunities to build uponwhat’shappeningalready.

“We were amazed to find so many reuse, repair and share activities in Wellington, many of which fly under the radar,”says Hannah Blumhardt of Reuse Aotearoa.

“Just some examples includesecondhandstores, reusable packaging systems, community and commercial repair services, hire/rental companies, libraries and shared workshop spaces.

Increasing the accessibility and attractiveness ofreuse, repair and sharetolocal residentsand businesses is part of Wellington City Council’s planned approach to reducing waste, as set out in the Council’s Zero Waste Strategyand the WellingtonRegionWaste Management and Minimisation Plan.

Reusing,repairingand sharing are critical waste prevention toolssayslong-time advocate of the circular economy,Wellington City CouncillorLaurie Foon.

“Theseservices andactivitiescomplementCouncil’sexisting recycling strategiesbut go a step furtherby helpingto stop waste creation in the first place.

“Throughout my time at Council, I have always been proud of the support we provide organisations, projects and initiatives that embrace a circular economy, with aims to reduce our collective footprint and divert waste from landfill.

“This action is crucial for a sustainable future and to protect our fragile planet, and this report shows we are collaborating, being innovative, and headingtowards achievingour Te Atakura – First to Zero goal .”

“We are keen to exploreallopportunities to prevent waste,” Wellington Mayor Andrew Little says, “and this report’s recommendationsarea good step in the right direction.”

Thereport by Reuse Aotearoa pulls together a comprehensive stocktake of existing initiatives in Wellington City,and suggests 30 potential

“The products Wellingtonians can reuse,repairor share through these initiatives include clothing, textiles, furniture, electronics, bikes, books, tools, toys, heavy machinery, event gear andmuchmore.

“For commercial users, there are some really well-establishedreuse, repair and share business models,likelinen services that avoid the need for disposable items like paper towels, or resale and donation services for unwanted corporate furniture to keep it in circulation and avoid it being landfilled.”

The popularity of theseservices andinitiativesindicatesa publicand commercialdemand for reusing,repairingand sharing, which reduce both waste and costs by avoiding needless purchasing ofnew items.

Butit’snot all good news,as thereportidentifiedgaps in provisionmeaningreuse, repair and sharearen’tcurrently as available,convenientor affordable as they could be.

“The two biggest barriers we identified are a lack of financial viability of reuse, repair and share business models, and limited access to appropriate spaces, premises and wider infrastructure for back-of-house and publicfacing reuse, repair and share operations,”says Hannah.

“Overall, there’s a really healthy baseline level of reuse, repair and share activity in Wellington City, and the potential to build on this and really increase waste reduction impact is significant.”

Keeping it LOCAL

Zampelles J’ville closing for refit

Zampelles, the very popular café in the Johnsonville Mall, is currently having renovations undertaken and will be closed until 30 March. Zampelles will be undergoing a “light reno to bring the cafe into the current decade,” the café’s owner Noah Pronk says.

The café will be closed while they fix up the floor, fix up the roof, fix up the lighting and put on a fresh coat of paint. Two new cabinets will also be installed.

This will see Zampelles keep its “classic

charm, but give it some much needed love”, Noah says.

Following the renovations Zampelles will be adding lunch options, including paninis, croissants and cheese rolls. Otherwise “we will be keeping our same selection,” Noah says. That will include their customary hot food favourites, always popular especially as the cooler months approach.

“Everyone will be able to find something they can enjoy.”

in Johnsonville Mall RENOVATIONS UNDERWAY

Exciting renovations are being undertaken with the Reopening on 30 March

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Summer rainfall “well above normal”!

As any gardener will know, this summer has been so much wetter than usual.

Data from Earth Sciences New Zealand (a merger of NIWA and GNS Science) shows Wellington recorded 354mm rainfall over the summer months – the average is 225mm.

Contrary to a report from a separate news media outlet recently of an “average summer” for Wellington, ESNZ had described rainfall as “well above normal” for the city. The mean temperature was 16.2 degrees, and the national average was 16.9 degrees.

The dominant wind pattern over New Zealand through summer was cyclonic, with generally westerly or southwesterly winds across the North Island and southeasterly winds for the South Island.

The lower pressure led to an extremely

active pattern across the country, at least partially driven by a weak to moderate La Niña. Despite the overall lower pressure, there were extended periods of high pressure in between weather events that occurred in all three summer months.

La Niña conditions were prevalent across New Zealand throughout the summer, with the La Niña transitioning to ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) neutral conditions by the end of the summer.

December temperatures in Wellington started near average but February turned cooler with more southerlies and cloud which contributed to the widespread feeling that it was a “rubbish” or dull summer.

The ESNZ summer 2025/26 summary can be seen at www.niwa.co.nz/climate-andweather/seasonal Source: ESN Z

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Another outright win for Onslow

By Frank Neill

Onslow’s Cricketers continued to lead the Wellington premier division one table following their outright victory over Eastern Suburbs on 14 March.

Onslow also took out the first innings points in the match, played on Nairnville Park.

Batting first in the two day match, Eastern Suburbs were all out for 214.

Onslow replied with 291 for nine declared and then bowled Eastern Suburbs out for 210. Victory came when Onslow reached 137 for seven wickets in its second innings.

Ryan Tsourgas bowled outstandingly in Eastern Suburbs’ first innings, taking four wickets for 38 runs.

Oscar Jackson also bowled very well, taking three wickets for 57 runs and he followed that up by taking one second innings wicket for 23 runs.

Three Onslow bowlers took three wickets each in Eastern Suburbs second innings. Micah Conroy for 24 runs, Samuel Beardmore for 34 runs and Elliot Seddon for 55 runs.

Samuel was playing his debut premier match, and celebrated by taking three wickets on 14 March.

Micah also featured with the bat, scoring 71 runs in Onslow’s first innings.

Devan Vishvaka managed one more run than Micah when he was Onslow’s top first innings scorer with 72 runs.

Sam Keegan was Onslow’s top second innings scorer, and was on 42 not out when his team’s victory came.

Onslow’s next match is against Taita Landmark Signs on the Barry Clarke Oval at Fraser Park on 21 and 28 March, starting at 10:30am.

Karori’s first XI took out first innings

points in its match against Upper Hutt United, played on Trentham Memorial Park’s Barton Oval on 7 and 14 March.

Karori batted first and scored 429 for eight wickets declared.

They then bowled out Upper Hutt United for 110. By stumps Upper Hutt had reached 45 for the loss of three wickets.

Two players scored centuries for Karori.

Vice Captain Oscar Wilson scored 162 runs from just 134 deliveries, and the Captain, Kevin Weerasundara, scored 126 runs from the 111 balls he faced.

Louis Ayres took four first innings wickets for 36 runs, Yashraj Kalsi three first innings wickets for just 15 runs and Ralph Kirkland two wickets for 20 runs.

Louis and Ralph also took one second innings wicket each.

Karori’s next match is against Hutt District at Karori Park on 21 and 28 March, starting at 10:30am.

Johnsonville’s premiers recorded a convincing first innings victory over Naenae Old Boys on 14 March.

Batting first on Naenae Park’s Ewen Chatfield Oval, Naenae was all out for just 89 runs.

Johnsonville then replied with 214 for four wickets.

Maximus Petrie was in stunning form with the ball, taking seven wickets at a cost of only 30 runs.

Will Martin came close to scoring a century for Karori when he was out for 92.

Samuel Hunter scored exactly a half century and Lewis Jeffreys was 45 not out when the match ended.

Johnsonville’s next match is against the Sri Lankan Sports Club at Alex Moore Park on 21 and 28 March, starting at 10:30am.

The Johnsonville women did not fare so

Tawa Concert in the Park returns

Tawa’s Concert in the Park is back for a fourth season.

Tawa Rotary will again be staging a free, family-friendly, outdoor concert at Grasslees Reserve this month.

The concert will run for three hours from 2:30pm on Sunday 22 March.

Tawa’s secondlargest annual community event, it has become a well-loved annual tradition.

This year’s programme features performances by the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band – Jive Bombers,Te R pŪ Ngahau – Tawa School Kapa Haka, theTawa College Jazz Band, theTawa College award-winning Barbershop Quartet and the Tawa Learners’ Band.

The RNZAF Jive Bombers have been delivering the goods for all things ‘dance related’ on behalf of the RNZAF Band for 20 years.

Featuring the vocal talents of LAC Stephanie Paris and LAC Michael Taylor, this team of go-getters will serve up a platter of musical gems ranging from Amy Winehouse and Guns ‘n’ Roses to Earth Wind and Fire and Bruno Mars.

Te R pŪ Ngahau is currently composed of Tawa School konga from years 4 to 8. Some members have been in the r pŪ for five years.

Kapa haka is more than performance at Tawa School. It’s a proud expression of identity and connection. With tamariki from 24 different iwi represented at Te Kura o Tawa, kapa haka helps the school celebrate te ao M ori and build a strong sense of belonging.

The Tawa College Jazz Band is an 18 strong auditioned student band, directed by Ben Casbolt.

well on 14 March, when they were beaten by City Suburbs.

Batting first on Alex Moore Park, John-

They play tunes ranging from jazz standards to New Zealand hip-hop, to rock tunes with flair and fun. They play at school concerts and big band competitions, and are heading to Tauranga for the National Youth Jazz Competition at the end of March.

Tawa College has a long history in barbershop singing, qualifying for national competitions every year for decades now.

At the centre of this is the college’s beloved and inspiring music teacher Charlotte Murray, who has a passion for the barbershop craft and for helping young people believe in themselves through the power of music.

From the college’s large barbershop choruses some of the most dedicated students create quartets, which are largely run by the students themselves.

The Tawa Learners’ Band is made up of players of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.

Some of members are learners, some have returned to music, some have retired from more formal bands and others like the relaxed atmosphere of playing music after a long week at work.

Tawa’s Concert in the Park will havechildren’s entertainment, including activities fromFoxtail, plus a classicsausage sizzle.

Families are encouraged to bring a picnic, relax on the grass, and enjoy a vibrant afternoon of music and community spirit.

The Concert in the Park “is a wonderful day out for the community, and your support would help us keep it accessible for everyone,” Rotary Tawa says.

Keeping Katherine

Mansfield House safe

New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded a grant of $5,000 to the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society (KMBS) in Thorndon for a fire sprinkler system pressure compensator tank at Katherine Mansfield House and Garden to help protect the historic site and ensure its visitors remain safe.

“Our sprinkler system is a key part of protecting this nationally significant building and everyone who visits it,” KMBS Director Cherie Jacobson says .

“This support from NZCT helps ensure Katherine Mansfield House and Garden remains a safe place for people to learn, connect and experience our literary heritage.”

Over the past year pressure fluctuations in the sprinkler system caused occasional faults, and the new tank will stabilise it, ensuring optimal fire protection while allowing the house and garden to continue hosting workshops, tours, and other creative and educational activities safely.

"It's great that we’ve been able to upgrade our fire systems at this precious historic place, thanks to the NZCT grant," Alexander

McKinnon, the KMBS Board Chair, says. Anne, embroidery workshop participant adds: “It is a privilege to be able to sit in this historical building and stitch/create.”

“This is a special place for Wellington and for New Zealand’s literary history,” NZCT’s General Manager of Grants, Marketing and Communications Ben Hodges says.

“We’re pleased to support improvements that help protect this important building and ensure it can continue welcoming visitors for years to come.

“NZCT can fund this community good thanks to the fundraising partnerships we share with local hospitality venues via their responsible gaming lounges.”

Katherine Mansfield House and Garden, a Category 1 Historic Place at 25 Tinakori Road, Wellington, is operated by KMBS.

Formed in 1986, the Society preserves Mansfield’s birthplace and literary legacy, running public programmes, school visits, creative workshops and an annual short story competition, with volunteers supporting daily operations, tours and events.

UNWANTED OR BROKEN GOLD & SILVER JEWELLERY, COINS, WAR MEDALS, OLD BANKNOTES AND VINTAGE WATCHES

DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THE ABOVE?

GETTING OLDER? NEED TO START GETTING RID OF THINGS? THEN ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS…

Shouldn’t I be selling now at these extremely high gold and silver prices?

Isn’t money better off in my pocket rather than having things sitting around?

Will the kids or grandchildren really want or appreciate them?

Shall I give them the items or give them the money instead?

Will a museum really want them considering how much they already have in storage?

Will they be secure in an earthquake or other disaster?

Do I have the expertise or inclination to try and sell them myself on the internet?

AUTUMN FAIR

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Don’t chuck it. Fix it. Ngaio Repair Cafe, free, open Saturday 21 March 10am to 1pm, Ngaio Union Church, corner Kenya Street and Crofton Road.

NEW NZSO String Quintet

Mulled Wine Concert, Memorial Hall, 98 The Parade, Paekakariki. March 22, 2.30pm. Boccherini, Schubert. $35/$15. Marygow@gmail com

NEWS TIPS

LOCAL TRADES TRUST

There are five out-of-zone spaces available for new entrant children (Year 0 only) across Term 3 and 4 2026. The Board invites applications from parents who wish to enrol new entrant out-of-zone students at Cashmere Avenue School. Cashmere Avenue School is governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available on the school website. Applications for new entrant out-of-zone places are now being invited for students who will be eligible for enrolment during Term 3 and 4 2026. Applications are made on the official enrolment form, please email:office@cashmere-ave.school.nz.

The deadline for receipt of applications for new entrant out-of-zone places is 5pm, Friday 8 May 2026. If a ballot for outof-zone places is required, it will be held on Monday 11 May 2026. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot within three school days of the ballot being held. Please contact the School office, phone 04 939 4700 for details regarding the application process or email office@cashmere-ave.school.nz

51. Most rare. (8)

55. Latin American dance. (5)

56. Add to. (7)

57. Burn slightly. (5)

58. Adjourned. (9)

59. Expedient. (9)

DOWN

1. Jury spokesman. (7)

2. Helicopter blade. (5)

3. Dull. (6)

4. Fervour. (5)

Not slack. (4)

Universal arithmetic. (7) 7. To bundle wheat. (6)

Inflexibility. (12)

River mouth(pl) (5)

Give leave. (3)

Poet, Edgar Allan ... (3)

Lace loop. (5)

Stillness. (7)

Passes lightly over. (5)

Variety of lettuce. (3)

Beguile. (6)

42. Of the stars. (7) 44. Dispense. (4)

47. U.S Spy Agency(abbr) (3)

Referee. (10)

Narrowness. (11) 15. Fish eggs. (3)

Gossiped. (7)

Son of(Scot) (3)

Summerset Boulcott Open Days

Just a short drive from Wellington, Summerset Boulcott is a vibrant retirement village located in the sought-after suburb of Boulcott, in the heart of Lower Hutt. The village offers beautifully appointed villas, apartments, serviced apartments, and a range of care and specialist dementia care living options.^ The village centre features resort-style facilities and a resident bar with picturesque views over the golf course.

Enjoy stunning views of the surrounding valley and lush greens, while being close to supermarkets, medical centres, shopping centres, golf course, Hutt River walkway, and convenient motorway access to Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast.

There are a range of brand-new one and two-bedroom independent apartments available, with two-bedroom apartments starting from $930,000.*

Come along to our Open Days, and see why our residents love the Summerset life. Love the life you choose.

Open Days

Thursday 19 and 26 March

10am - 2pm

Summerset Boulcott

1a Boulcott Street, Lower Hutt 04 568 1442 | summerset.co.nz/boulcott