We’re closely following Government guidelines in relation to COVID-19. Please note this is affecting many of our services and for the latest updates please go to our Covid-19 pandemic page.
Message from Mayor Anita Baker and Deputy Mayor Izzy Ford.
We recorded this message just before the Council offices closed on 25 March 2020. We wanted to let you know that while many things have changed, Council staff are continuing to work from home, or out and about, to deliver all the essential services the city needs.
We encourage everyone to follow Government advice and, as much as possible, stay home to stay safe.
As New Zealand has raised the region’s alert level, Mayors have decided to close all community facilities as a precaution to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Closed until further notice:
The Council offices at 16 Cobham Court are closed. We are following Government guidelines and ask everyone to do the same so we all stay healthy and safe.
You'll find a range of information below to help answer your questions about everything from how this is affecting the city's parks and recycling collection to how we are managing rates and access to the cemetery.
Updated 1 April 2020
Health and wellbeing
The Ministry of Health has published a series of modelling reports which were commissioned to help understand the potential impact of COVID-19 in New Zealand. Visit here for more information.
Secondary and tertiary maternity facilities will remain open to provide essential services for pregnant women
Business
Essential businesses, and those that support them, will continue to provide the necessities of life for everyone in New Zealand. To see which services are considered essential please visit here.
Lifelines
MBIE has been in regular contact with the supermarkets as people have raised concerns about pricing. The supermarkets have consistently assured MBIE that they are not hiking prices. If people are concerned, they are able to email pricewatch@mbie.govt.nz
Rules around Easter trading have been announced. This will see supermarkets remain closed as usual on Good Friday (10 April), but will be open on Easter Sunday (12 April) to ensure people do not feel the need to panic buy.
The closure on Good Friday will give staff an opportunity to have a well-deserved rest and give supermarkets the chance to restock their shelves.
The Covid19 pandemic is changing the world as we know it. The actual impacts are unknowable. What we do know is that our essential city services need to continue and that’s what rates pay for. The Government has provided a significant injection to salaries and wages to enable essential household bills to be paid. Water and waste water services, roading, our parks, our cemetery and crematorium, our planning services and most importantly our emergency services (we used to call it civil defence) are all essential.
Council staff in non-essential services who do not fit into the vulnerable categories described by the Prime Minister will be redeployed to help in those essential services or into our emergency works especially welfare for people in our community. So our staff will continue to keep the city running no matter what.
If individual ratepayers are experiencing hardship we will consider payment options on a case by case basis. The Council still needs money to pay for critical services. Defaulting will make our recovery slower, painful and more expensive. As long as you agree a payment plan with us then no late penalties will apply. Our next rates invoice will be with you in the week following Easter.
If you are in genuine hardship then please contact us through rates@poriruacity.govt.nz and someone will be in touch to help you with a payment plan.
Updated 26 March 2020
If your library books are due back during the lockdown don’t fret.
No fines will accrue during the lockdown period so you don’t need to leave home to return books. Stay safe and stay home.
Our librarians will be posting stories and other happy things to keep you entertained, or give you a break while working from home, so keep an eye on the Facebook pages. Click here (https://www.facebook.com/groups/PoriruaLibraryChildrensChat/?source_id=276031052466679
You can also still access our online eBooks and resources
Updated 25 March 2020
Rubbish
There is no change to our regular rubbish collection schedule. Please continue to use Council rubbish bags, which you can still purchase at supermarkets and dairies. Your rubbish will only be collected if it is in an official Council bag.
Recycling
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has seen some temporary changes to our recycling service.
Here’s what you need to know:
The bulk recycling facility opposite Trash Palace is closed.
For rubbish and recycling collection in your area, click here
Spicer Landfill is closed to residents dropping off rubbish and green waste. This includes tyres, oil and LPG bottles.
It is open to commercial account holders during the week but will be closed each weekend from 12 noon Saturday to 7am Monday for all customers until further notice.
Trash Palace is also closed.
Last updated 3 April 2020
Tennis, netball and any other fenced courts are now closed
Dog Parks are now Closed
Dogs - Please keep your dog on a lead while out walking or exercising, until further notice. Thanks for your co-operation.
Playgrounds are closed. These have surfaces which multiple people can touch so need to be closed. This includes the Splashpad at Aotea Lagoon.
Parks, reserves and walking tracks are open. If you can walk to a local park, reserve or track you may use it, but please follow Government guidelines and stay 2 metres away from anyone not in your household.
As the Government has said, we know it’s important for people to have access to fresh air and exercise so we’re grateful to you all for doing this in a safe, considerate and mindful way.
Aotea Lagoon
Aotea Lagoon is open to the public, but the playground and splash pad are off-limits due to the possibility of spreading COVID-19 over the different surfaces.
There are other obvious gathering points in that reserve. Please ensure you follow the Government’s advice and stay two metres away from other people, if they’re not from your immediate household.
Parks Manager Julian Emeny says monitoring will be occurring and gates to the Lagoon, and into other parks and reserves, could be locked in the near future if the public don’t adhere to the two-metre rule.
“Be smart and look out for each other.”
Colonial Knob and Te Ara Utiwai
These walkways are open, but please note the width of some tracks make it physically impossible to attain the two-metre distancing. Before you head out, think carefully about how you can look after yourselves and others.
Tennis Courts
Tennis courts in Porirua are open, but the same rules apply in terms of keeping two metres apart, if you’re not from the same household.
Gates to city beaches
Gates to the city’s beaches are locked, while the regional council has closed all regional parks to vehicles, along with toilets. It is asking that anyone wanting to walk or bike in the regional parks do so close to your home.
Public Toilets
Public toilets in Porirua are open and regularly serviced, for the time being.
New Zealand is in ALERT LEVEL 4 as the country unites to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
Emergency rules apply and we need you to meet strict requirements so we all stay safe.
What you need to do
You must stay at Ngāti Toa Doman during the duration of Alert Level 4.
Please note, you will be allocated a space within Ngāti Toa Domain and have until 10am Sunday 5 April 2020 to relocate.
Please remain in your allocated space while we are in Alert Level 4. This will be monitored.
Do not use shared facilities and always follow Covid-19 hygiene rules.
If you can’t meet the above restrictions please call our regional Covid-19 Helpline on
0800 141 967 and our staff will assess how best to support you
3 April 2020 - There has been a lot of discussion among the community about dogs on leads during this lockdown period.
Even the friendliest and best-behaved dogs will wander up to another dog or a new person to say hello and this requires human intervention, leading to a breach in the two-metre social distancing rule or potentially worse, requiring the need for a vet or ambulance service.
Please keep your dog on a lead while out walking or exercising, until further notice. Thanks for your co-operation.
Updated 1 April 2020
We ask you not to drive to the cemetery for now.
We know that some of you will want to visit graves, but while we’re on Alert Level 4, the Government has directed that people only drive to access essential services (like supermarkets and health services).
Services
There are no chapel services or ash burials during this time as all gatherings have been banned
Ash burials can be re-scheduled, and we ask families to hold onto ashes in the meantime.
We would encourage families and funeral directors to consider cremations instead of burials as this will give families more options for remembering their loved one in the future. Of course, we understand that this is the family’s decision and we know it is a tough call to make, but given the limitations on burial attendance it means the extended families can opt for a memorial service at a later date and allow time to grieve with their loved one ashes.
For all burials, the process will be as follows:
Only one family bubble can attend at the cemetery or crematorium when the casket is delivered for burial or cremation. We will discuss with each family how many attendees that might bring to the burial, and we will need to work together to keep it down to a small number of people.
Only funeral directors or cemetery staff will carry the casket to prevent cross-contamination on the casket and to allow distances to be maintained as much as possible. The family will be required to maintain the 2m distance while we carry the casket and then we will step away from the grave to allow the family to come closer and say their goodbyes.
This will be a difficult time for many people and we appreciate your understanding as we work together to achieve burials and cremations under strict no contact conditions.
Funeral directors will need to provide two staff at each burial and Council will also provide two staff members. Extra care will need to be taken by those graveside to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Council staff will wear PPE gear and we encourage funeral directors and families to do the same.
Contacting our team
Our staff are working from home unless in attendance at cremations and burials. If funeral directors or families do need to talk to staff please observe the 2m rule.
For all enquiries call 04 237 5089 or email cemeteries@poriruacity.govt.nz
The following meetings are cancelled
Citizenship Ceremonies
All Citizenship Ceremonies have been cancelled until further notice.
Please note that all enquiries should be sent via email as below:
Arena Fitness is closed.
All membership fees will be placed on hold until the Arena reopens. There is nothing more members need to do to action this.
If you have paid in full, your membership will be placed on hold until we reopen and this time will be added to the end of your current membership term.
If you wish to cancel your membership, this can only be done in person when we reopen.
Dash Swim School lessons are cancelled.
The remaining fees paid for term 1 will be credited to customer's account for future bookings with Dash. There is nothing more you need to do to action this.
To all of our valued customers, keep up to date via our Facebook page and website.
Regional parks are now closed to vehicles and all park facilities, such as toilets, are locked
If you want to walk or bike in the regional parks only do so if they are close to your home and only go with the people in your household.
For more information check out gw.govt.nz/parks
Mayor’s clinics have been cancelled for the time being because the priority is everyone’s health and wellbeing.
As a Council we are following all Government guidelines and we urge you to do this same.
If you wish to speak or write to the Mayor:
mayor@poriruacity.govt.nz or call 04-2371456
While noise control is the responsibility of the Council, we cannot attend to complaints during Alert Level 4 due to the health and safety risk of entering private property.
If you have an ongoing issue, please call the Police on 105 and they will respond if they are not busy.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 we are cancelling all face-to-face consultations and engagements for the time being.
To learn more about our current consultations and engagements please visit our public consultation pages and keep sharing your views with us. Consultation Page
To all our business whanau in Porirua , we know you are going through uncertain and tough times during the pandemic.
We have partnered with WellingtonNZ to support you with advice and useful information. You can contact the business response team at www.wellingtonnz.com/business/contact-us and we’ll get back to you within 1-3 working days.
You can also call 04 555 0084 to leave a voicemail for our team. Click here if you want information on how to apply for a COVID-19 Wage Subsidy or Leave.
We know this is a difficult time. Please look after yourselves and each other.
Porirua has plenty of free parking in the city, and parking wardens are not currently monitoring parking across the city.
The Council has moved to internet banking for all payments.
Please see our pay online webpage for online payment details.
All building compliance has been put on hold until further notice.