Porirua Mayor will keep you updated
Porirua
Mayor Anita Baker is committed to keeping the community updated on local issues
arising from COVID-19 while juggling her regional responsibilities as the Mayor
leading emergency management decisions in the Wellington region.
“If
I’m taking time to get back to individual requests and online chat, I’m
sorry. Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with many of you but a
combination of working remotely (not always perfect) and some increased
responsibilities in emergency management I’m finding my work patterns
have all changed.
“I
will continue to post key information but individual requests and online
chat may reduce. It’s not you – it’s me! If it’s urgent you can go
through the Council contact centre on 04 237 5089, email [email protected] or use the
Antenno app for Porirua.
“The
Council, and I as Mayor, are working hard for the city in these very unusual
times.
- We’re keeping essential services running – that’s the
water flowing to your houses, the waste flowing from it, emergency
roadworks, rubbish and recycling collections etc.
- We’re trying to keep some non-essential services
running too – so our work on the upcoming District Plan, our consenting
and regulatory services are still functioning although less visibly.
- We’re staffing the regional and local emergency
management response – this is becoming more important as the lockdown
impacts start to be felt.
- In particular we’re working with the Government on a
welfare response to those in need in our community. Our contact
centre staff have been trained to talk to people who are in need and
point them in the right direction for assistance.
“And
we’ve already got an eye on what we need to do when we come out of Alert Level
4:
- Examine the work we had planned and prioritise those
things that support jobs and economic recovery for our community as well
as essential infrastructure.
- Try to minimise the adverse impacts on those hard hit
in our community – so keeping up that connection to those in need.
- Look at our own spend and see how we can cut costs and
services that minimise financial impacts on households while supporting a
post COVID-19 recovery.
- Get our city up and running again as soon as possible.
- Keep in touch with those in our community who need our
support to get back on their feet.
“We
need to do the right things, not necessarily leap to quick conclusions. So
we will be considering the impacts across our city in the short, medium and
long term. Most of all you need to follow the new rules about physical
distancing. Stay home and be kind to one another!”
31 Mar 2020
