Howzat? Rain no dampener on enthusiasm

Message from Mayor Campbell Barry

Kia ora and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and relaxing holiday. After the winter we had, it was nice to enjoy the sunshine.

2023 has already got off to an unexpected start, with Jacinda Ardern stepping down and local Hutt boy Chris Hipkins becoming our 41st Prime Minister. I want to acknowledge the work Jacinda has done over the past 5 years, in what has been incredibly challenging times. I also want to wish Chris all the best as our next Prime Minister - I know he’ll do the Hutt proud.

Near the end of last year Hutt local Dr Ashley Bloomefield was knighted and officially became a ‘Sir’. Our communities are undoubtedly better off because of Sir Bloomfield, and he’ll be remembered as one of our finest public leaders (and Eastbourners!). Congrats!

Looking to the year ahead here in the Hutt and in the Eastern Bays - we’ll continue to make progress on a number of fronts, albeit while facing some headwinds.

2023 will see significant construction for the first two bays of Tupua Horo Nuku (Eastern Bays Shared Path). It’s taken a long time to get here, but this is exciting and will be a fantastic asset once it’s open. There will be some disruption in the meantime though and I want to acknowledge that it’s not going to be all smooth sailing as we build this once-in-ageneration infrastructure.

We’ll also be facing some challenges with our upcoming Annual Plan. While we’ll be continuing to focus on getting the basics right, the cost of delivering the basics has gone up in the current economic environment.

This means we’ll need to look hard at what we’re spending our money on, how we’re spending it, and when we’re spending it. This will result in vital projects and core work continuing (including those with government funding), while others may be reprioritised or rephased. campbell.barry@huttcity.govt.nz

With all of this though, I remain unwilling to kick the can down the road when it comes to our basic infrastructure - especially our water pipes. That will continue to be a focus in this Annual Plan to ensure we have safe and reliable infrastructure for generations to come.

There’s a lot to do and tough decisions to be made this year. I’m looking forward to continuing working with you to make Lower Hutt a place where all our people thrive.