the wellingtonista -

Nun-chucks and riots and tasers, Oh My!

Hadyn — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:21:58 +0800

Yesterday at 4pm a nun-chuck wielding shoplifter (no seriously) held police at bay, created a huge crowd to gather in Manners Mall, and caused a mini-riot.

First of all, nun-chucks. In terms of a weapon to pull out while being arrested, nun-chucks are equal parts "WTF" and "Napoleon Dynamite".

Second of all, where are the Jpegs? Fair enough it sounds like you'd have to be an intrepid photographer to brave the "youth gangs" who were fighting with "anyone who looked at them the wrong way". But still it sounds like a spectacle, with the gathered masses apparently calling for the police to "taser him".

Pink Tagger Vests Wanted (crosspost)

stephen clover — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:55:06 +0800

Apparently there's a dire shortage of pink Hi-Glo tagger vests in parts of the Eastern Suburbs, and a public appeal has been launched.

Stuff: The message is a reaction to Wellington City Council-funded pink vests that school-aged taggers are being made to wear as punishment when cleaning up their handiwork.

Dear Hivemind

Hadyn — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:29:10 +0800

I have been told that the only conference facility, within coo-ee of the Beehive, that has meeting rooms with free* wifi access is the Backbencher.

This can't be true. I mean we are living in the future aren't we?

If anyone knows of any other venue I'll be eternally grateful (as might other meeting-organising readers)

*Oh and by free I mean is part of the conference facility service, but is not an extra charge.

A little challenge

llew — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:40:23 +0800

The first person who can supply us with photographic evidence of any workmen in the city, operating heavy or noisy machinery, AND WEARING EAR PROTECTORS!!

Will win a 1kg bag of Rahui Lodge Macadamia Nuts.

But I'm not sure you'll find one.

On the off-chance anyone wants a bag of nuts... photos of ear muff wearing Wellington workmen can be emailed to andrew.llewellyn@gmail.com.

Gore be praised!

Hadyn — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:07 +0800

I noticed this today as I strolled in the rain:

Hooray! Recycling bins! And Midland Park is the perfect place for these.

Council e-Petitions

noizyboy — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:03:22 +0800

For those who weren't aware of it, the Council has a nice online service that allows people to "petition the Wellington City Council, via the internet, on matters relevant to the Council's business".

Anyone can create one, so, if there's something bugging you that you think the council should be looking into, just go right ahead. (Remember though, if it's something that needs fixing as opposed to some more substantial infrastructural problem, just use their Fix It service).

A majority of the current petitions cover one of Wellingtonista's favourite topics, namely urban transport (they're removing cycle lanes!?), so, if you'd like to add your weight to those issues, or raise one of your own, rock on over and have your say.

(Note: this service is bought to you by the excellently entitled 'Democratic Services' council department).

Laptop Culture

Hadyn — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:05:59 +0800

Note: The following is not an advertisement or "astroturfing" but just an article on a service offered in Wellington

With all the talk of connecting Wellington with city-wide wifi I thought I'd remind readers of the interim stop-gap: Cafenet.

I have been using Cafenet for a few years and found it to be reliable and fast (where you can get it). The biggest downside is that it isn't free. Still it is good to have a few Mb in the account (and I would suggest the Mb packages rather than time) for those times when reliable internet is required downtown.

Heck, they're even in Palmerston North (a fact that was a lifesaver during a work trip there).

But the gist is that it is still very very far away from a complete coverage of Wellington and doesn't reach further than Newtown (if you can call the scarce hotspots of Newtown coverage).

So where is it available? Hotspots (and some "tips") after the jump.

Last chance to see...

Hadyn — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:22:19 +0800

The "evil overlords" have won and the YMCA and swimming pool on Tasman St have closed down and are ready for demolition.

The area is all fenced off now and the public is not allowed in anymore. So hopefully you saw the wonderful graffiti that graced "The Ruins" (home of the occasional play, fringe festival event, fashion shoot or impromptu concert). And hopefully you had a swim in the pool. And maybe you even hung out at the Y.

Well, soon the site will be a Pak-n-Save... (sigh)

Photos after the jump

Tui hooligans

Tom — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:58:14 +0800

The recent flap (no pun intended) over noisy tui may seem like a typical silly season non-story, but believe me, it's a real problem. I live above a major central city intersection, and people sometimes ask whether I'm disturbed by road noise. "No," I say, "but those bloody birds wake me up at 5 in the morning!" A small patch of harakeke eight floors down is enough to attract hordes of juvenile tui flitting around and chattering and generally carrying on like kids in Manners Mall. Tsk tsk, youth today!

It's probably just the morning-averse urbocentric biophobic grump in me, but does anyone else notice it? And what is the best collective noun for tui? A disturbance? A larrikin? A raucous?

Vote for the blockhead of your choice

Tom — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:55:53 +0800

Disclaimer: that's a Peanuts reference, rather than a comment on the quality of candidates. Ahem.

Nominations for local body elections closed last week, and the candidates are all listed on the WCC website (residents of other Wellington Territorial Authorities should find them on their respective council sites). While it can be argued that the choice of Mayor is less important than the composition of the council as a whole, it's certainly the role that generates the most heat. So, here's a full list of the mayoral candidates, followed by a call to action:

Ray Ahipene-Mercer
Paul Bailey
Carl Gifford
Rob Goulden
Nick Kelly
John McGrath
Bryan Pepperell
Kerry Prendergast
Helene Ritchie
Jack Ruben
Nick Wang

Other than sitting councillors and John McGrath, I don't know much about the candidates. I'm sure you'll find plenty of comments about Kerry P on the Wellingtonista, and I've mentioned McGrath in passing on WellUrban, with the odd reference to Jack Ruben as well. But here's your chance to comment sagely, speculate wildly or just generally vent spleen. Here's a starter for ten: if you don't like the incumbent mayor, who can and should get the numbers to unseat her?