Hawke’s Bay news in brief: Kids draw parents for new Higgins bitumen truck

A new Higgins bitumen tanker and trailer are about to hit the road featuring pictures of Higgins team members drawn by their kids/whanau.

According to Higgins, the construction and roading company wraps the tankers in vinyl to keep them safe from bitumen splashes. Twelve pictures were chosen for the tanker, with three artists and their families based in Hawke’s Bay.

The tanker is being wrapped on Monday and Tuesday and will be in Hawke’s Bay on Thursday. The children who drew the works will be able to see their art and have their pictures taken beside the tanker.

Treaty and Me Lectures start Thursday

Organisers say hundreds are expected to attend when former New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd kicks off The Treaty and Me lecture series in Napier on Thursday.

Judd, who describes himself as a recovering racist, will explore the place of Te Tiriti in Aotearoa’s future at St Paul’s Church, 89 Tennyson St, at 7pm.

The series of free Treaty forums continues fortnightly on Thursday nights, alternating between Napier and Hastings.

”Our goal is education: engaging people in thoughtful and encouraging conversations about Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” said one of the organising team, Neill Gordon.

”There is a groundswell now of people who see that unless our generation does the right thing and stands up for the agreement our ancestors made, we condemn our children and grandchildren to sort it out.

”Our organising team are not so much interested in current politics as we are lifting our eyes, looking ahead to the 200th anniversary of the Treaty just 16 years away, and beyond. These can be tough conversations but they’re ones we as a region and country need to be having if we are to thrive together.”

Judd’s talk on Thursday in Napier will discuss what it means to be Tangata Tiriti and how Tangata Tiriti can be proactive.

The audience will have the opportunity to put forward written questions to be addressed during a panel discussion on each of the four evenings.

Waipawa roundabout works

Crews working on the Streets for People project in Waipawa will be installing a pre-cast roundabout tonight (Monday). The roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of State Highway 2 and Ruataniwha Street, just south of the main street shops.

This is a Central Hawke’s Bay District Council-led project funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). Stop/go traffic management, with a temporary lower speed limit, will be in place for road users as the pre-cast roundabout is lifted and secured into place.

A lower speed limit of 30km/h will remain in place throughout the day and night for the remainder of construction – expected to be the end of June – as people familiarise themselves with the new layout.

Public consultation on waste reduction

People are being asked for their ideas on how to reduce waste as part of the Hastings district and Napier city councils’ review of their joint Waste Minimisation and Management Plan (WMMP).

The WMMP, which was last reviewed in 2017, is legally required to be updated every six years and public input is being sought to help set the goals and priorities for the next six years.

The overarching goal is to find ways to reduce waste and extend the life of the councils’ shared Ōmarunui landfill, and public feedback is being sought on how to achieve that.

This includes people’s views on issues such as how food waste could be reduced from both homes and businesses, how to stop recycling from being put with general rubbish, and how businesses could be helped to reduce waste.

People have until June 30 to give their feedback and this early engagement process will help inform an updated draft WMMP that will be released for consultation in March 2025.

Deputy chair and Hastings district councillor Ana Apatu said as a result of the current WMMP, adopted in 2018, the new kerbside recycling and rubbish services had been introduced, and there had been increased education and support to empower residents, service users and communities to prioritise efforts in waste reduction.