A collaboration between Megan Wraight and John Hardwick Smith of Wraight and Athfield Landscape and Architecture, has seen them complete the latest contribution to Wellington’s forward thinking public spaces, the Pukeahu .

It has been years in the making, but from winning the contract in a competition, to now with completion, we are all able to enjoy Wellington’s newest public space.

In this interview Megan and John talk about the history, the challenges and the vision behind the design of the park.

Photos of the Team (left to right – Jeremy Perrot, Phil Marks, John Hardwick-Smith, Nicole Thompson, Megan Wraight.

The Landscape Architectural and Architectural Design Team for Memorial Park has been led by Megan Wraight and John Hardwick-Smith of Wraight Athfield Landscape and Architecture (WALA).  WALA is a joint venture company between Athfield Architects and Wraight and Associates.  The Design Team also included Nicole Thompson; Jeremy Perrot; Phil Mark; Matt Pepper; Nick Griffin; Felix Smith; Andre Bishop; John McIntyre and Jess Ferris.

Photos by Neil Pardington (Neil has also been the signage designer for the park and tunnel)

http://www.mch.govt.nz/pukeahu/park/redevelopment

BY THE NUMBERS- thanks to Stuff NZ

775,000 work hours

35,000 square metres of soil removed

21,000 square metres of park

17,000 perennial plants

6500 square meters of pathway

4500 square metres of granite paving

3850 square metres of grass

3000 square metres of garden

2700 truck and trailer loads of soil carted away

1820 tonnes of concrete

1800 workers spent time on site

1000 square-metre ceremonial plaza in front of the war memorial

300 metre-long Arras Tunnel underneath

220 workers on site at the peak of construction

165 trees of six different types

120 million to build the park and tunnel underneath

75 olive trees

46 bollards to restrict car movements

35 seats made of Eucalyptus Saligna timber

30 months to build the tunnel and park

32 pohutakawa trees

25 kowhai trees

18 eucalyptus trees

10 titoki trees

5 northern rata trees

1 Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Are you fed up with cycle lanes like this? Do you believe that Wellington has so much potential to lead with an A1, safe, cycling Infrastructure? Well so does  of and he really wants us all to tell the Council “To Get On With It”. In this interview he talks about why Wellington’s cycling community are joining in a rally this Teusday 21st to get the council to get on with and make cycling safe by making  separate infrastructure on main routes.

And why wouldn’t you when Patrick says the benefits will be local businesses will do better, you’ll have more cash in your pocket as well as making driving less stressful for motorists.

For more info on the rally Tuesday  21 st at 12.10 pm starting at the Railway station for a short on mass rise to Civic Square.

http://can.org.nz/getonwithit

What a year! And while there have been some losses, there have certainly been some wins. So for our very last show on  for 2014 we’ve talked to some of the people who have been working very hard to make sure we as a community, city and nation have had some good wins.

A big thanks to Lee Barry of , Matt Dagger of , Isabella Cawthorn of , Pat Shepherd of , Nina Atkinson of , Karen Fifield, Ceo of the  and Marianne Elliot of  for sharing this information with us all.  Whoop whoop. Nice work.

 

 

To celebrate Conservation Week,  kicked off their first ever Conservation Innovation Awards in Welly.  According to WWF crew member, Lee Barry, imported pests are still one of the biggest challenge’s we face and we’re not winning. Which is why innovative ideas that ramped up the mission on pest control were highly favoured. Like Gian Badrauns Trap Minder, ( pictured) a GPS drone system that will fly into a predator area, alerted by heat sensors with poisonous bait.  And Hiedy Kikkilus’s Cat tracker that aims to turn cat owners into researchers, with a GPS tracking system that will help us better understand where cats go, what they get up to and how owners can manage pet cats to reduce their impact on wildlife.

Another exciting winner was the community collective, Energise Otaki, which is tackling the impacts of climate change through a range of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, supply clean energy to the townspeople and creates jobs. Best of all listen to Otaki College Principal, Andy Fraser on the effect the involvement with Energise Otaki is having on their kids.

Nice work WWF. And everybody get ready to enter next year.

For more info on the winners: http://www.wwf.org.nz/?12321/conservationawardwinners

Whoever thought a stylish yet functional raincoat could be another factor in your transport choice. Well that is just what husband and wife team Nevada and Nick Leckie have based their new label  on.

Find out more about why they are so passionate about “Raincoats” in this interview. And if you are lucky enough to get one you’ll be able to beat your feet in whatever Welly’s weather Gods throw at you?

I have never been much of a coke drinker, but I always assumed that the named  ‘Cola’ would be a key ingredient in the drink. Not so! In this interview with Simon Coley and Wellington’s Matt Morrison of , they talk about the crazy idea of actually putting the REAL Cola Nut in their Karma Kola. And amazingly this has been great for the people who grow it from a village called Boma in Sierra Leone and great for business as they got to take out the award for the “Worlds Fairest Trader”. Go this small kiwi company.