Committee wrap – 24 July
Te Puna Kōrero is the main committee that makes decisions about the city’s strategic direction and framework. It is made up of the Mayor, all councillors and the Council Kaumātua.
To start the meeting, the committee received a report and submissions on minor amendments to six different Council bylaws and policies. Public consultation on this happened during May, with five submissions received.
The committee agreed to adopt the minor amendments proposed as part of the review.
Next up, the committee received a summary of submissions from public consultation of the former Plunket Building at Wairaka Park in Pukerua Bay. Consultation was carried out in March and five submissions were received.
The committee opted to remove the building from the site and seek proposals from community groups to lease the bare land at a later date.
On the agenda next was an overview of the Government’s proposed new, and changes to existing, National Direction under the Resource Management Act 1991. The committee also provided feedback on a draft submission from Council on some of the proposed changes.
Finally, the committee was presented with options for implementing mandatory 30kmh Variable Speed Limits (VSLs) outside all 36 Porirua schools, as required by the Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024. These lower speeds will apply only at certain times, at the beginning and end of the school day. Prior to the new Government rule, Council had planned to lower speeds permanently to 30kmh around schools and marae.
The committee agreed to install static VSLs signs outside all 36 Porirua schools, as the most cost-effective option.
It also agreed to two amendments – that the Council expresses its strong dissatisfaction with the Government decision to override Council’s approach to permanent speed limits around schools and marae, and that the Mayor conveys this to the Minister of Transport.
There were no speakers in the public forum.
Missed today’s meeting? You can watch it in full and read all the associated papers on the meetings page of our website. You can also see what meetings and workshops are coming up, with agendas posted a few days before each one.
The public is welcome to attend most Council meetings and workshops. They are also livestreamed on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@poriruacity
24 Jul 2025
