Pollen often settles on the surface of water at this time of year and into spring, creating yellow slicks that can look like an environmental spill.

Greater Wellington said it regularly receives reports about the unusual-looking material and appreciates people raising concerns.

It said it would rather investigate a natural occurrence than have someone stay silent about possible pollution.

Wellington residents who are unsure about substances in waterways or coastal areas are encouraged to keep reporting them so they can be checked.

The millionth tree was planted at Queen Elizabeth Park during a live TVNZ Breakfast broadcast, marking a major milestone in efforts to restore former grazing land.

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter said the programme showed what could be achieved through partnerships with mana whenua, community groups, volunteers and local businesses.

“A million native trees is a special milestone for our region, and a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together for te taiao,” Cr Ponter said.

“Recloaking Papatūānuku is about much more than planting trees. It’s about restoring the health of our regional parks, improving habitat for native species, enhancing the wellbeing of our waterways, and giving communities a practical way to care for the whenua that sustains us.”

Since 2019, about 420 hectares of the roughly 2,000 hectares of former grazing land in regional parks has been replanted.

Greater Wellington expects about 200,000 native trees to be planted each winter in the coming years.

Parks restoration project lead Kellie Benner said the programme relied on a wide network of nurseries, contractors and community groups.

Plants are sourced from nurseries including the Rimutaka Prison nursery in Trentham and iwi-run nurseries such as Otaraua in Kāpiti.

“Park visitors can see the transition for themselves,” Benner said.

“In just a few short years, the land has changed from pasture with very little biodiversity to regenerating native areas that are full of life.”

Greater Wellington manages eight regional parks covering 33,000 hectares. Much of the land was historically converted to farmland, reducing biodiversity and displacing native wildlife.

Director of delivery Jack Mace said restoring the parks also improved streams, wetlands, rivers and inlets.

Planting along waterways helped create habitat for fish, reduce erosion and limit sediment and nutrients entering the water, he said.

Emissions from grazing in regional parks have nearly halved since 2019 as stock has gradually been removed from restoration areas.

Greater Wellington also runs community planting days during winter. Upcoming community planting days will be held at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park at 1pm on Sunday 26 July and Edgewater Park in Waikanae at 10.30am on Thursday 30 July. Event details are available on the Greater Wellington website.

Students, staff and alumni from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, will take part in the university’s annual planting days on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July.

This is the sixth year of the Growing our Future project, which has already seen more than 23,000 trees planted at the site.

Children from the university’s on-site University Kids childcare centre will also take part this year, learning how to plant trees before developing a garden in their own backyard.

University Kids Fairlie Terrace head of complex Leanna Miratana said the centre regularly took children on beach trips, forest walks and other outings that helped them connect with nature.

“Being involved in this project will be an amazing hands-on learning experience for them, and a special way to contribute to the environment,” she said.

Growing our Future is a partnership between the university and Wellington City Council.

The university has leased 26 hectares of land from the council for 33 years and is working to restore native forest across the site. Researchers will monitor the forest as it develops.

The planting helps fill a gap in Wellington’s Outer Green Belt, creating safer places for native birds and other wildlife to nest and live.

The project also supports the university’s goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2030.

Fifteen native species have been planted at the site, including kānuka and mānuka.

Researchers and master’s students from the university’s Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology are monitoring the area as a living laboratory for teaching and research.

Findings from the project are expected to help guide similar forest regeneration work across the lower North Island and upper South Island.

The awards recognise volunteers and not-for-profit groups contributing to communities across the wider Wellington region.

Wellington City winners and runners-up will be announced at an awards function in late July. Local winners will then go forward to the regional awards, where they will compete for the overall award in their category and the Supreme Winner title.

The Wellington City finalists are:

A–F

Bella & Bio-Bot (Youth-led STEM Storytelling Initiative)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Wellington
Birth Wise
Cats Protection Wellington
Challenge 2000 Foodbank
Community Networks Wellington
Compassion Soup Kitchen
Devbhoomi Charitable Trust
Ekta NZ
FEET with Heat 4dance Studio
Franken Art Bursaries (FAB)

G–M

Ghost Diving Wellington
Good Bitches Baking Wellington
Great Harbour Way Trust
Interpreting New Zealand
Kaicycle Inc
Karori Lions Club
Katherine Mansfield House & Garden
Kauri Theatre Company Incorporated
Kia Ora Netball Club Wellington Incorporated
Kiwi Sports Network (KSN)
Leififi Boxing Gym (LBG)
Life Flight
Madoc Benfell Memorial Trust
Mary Potter Hospice
Matairangi Trail Builders
MenzShed Wellington in Hataitai
Mothers Network

N–S

New Zealand Cricket Museum volunteers
New Zealand Red Cross – Wellington
Newtown Budgeting and Advocacy Service (NBAS)
North City Cricket Club
Nourish Trust
NZ Eid Day – Wellington
Onslow Historical Society
Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust
Pakistan Association of Wellington New Zealand (PAWNZ) Inc.
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA)
Rainbow Wellington
Roadworn Upcyclers
Rotary’s Lifting the Lid on Youth Mental Health
Seatoun AFC
Signature Tautai Trust
South Coast Arts Trail
Sri Lankan Seniors’ Association
Swimming Wellington Technical Officials

T–Z

Take 10
Tawa Brownies
Tawa Junior Rugby Football Club
Tawa School Whānau & Friends
Te Aka – Wellington East Girls College
Te Aro Eats
Te Toi Mahana Kaitiaki
The Circus Hub
The Nepalese Society of Wellington
The Nest Collective NZ Charitable Trust
The Runathon – Wellington College
Tiriti Action Group Pōneke
TSKF-ISKF Wellington Dojo
Tu Tagata Secondary Schools Poly Festival – Wellington
United Nations Youth Wellington
VietKidsNZ
Vogelmorn Community Group Trust (VCG)
Waitangi parkrun
Wellington Basketball Association
Wellington City Mission – Whakamaru
Wellington Community Revitalisation Society
Wellington Family & Foster Care Association
Wellington Free Ambulance
Wellington Indian Association
Wellington Kidney Support Society – WELLKiSS
Wellington Kids Cricket Community
Wellington Samaritans
Wellington Softball Association
Wellington Sri Lankan School
Wellington Volunteer Coastguard
Wellington Women’s Health Collective
Wellington Writers Walk
WIT (Wellington Improvisation Troupe)
World Marudào Karate Organisation
Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Award categories cover art and culture, education and child or youth development, health and wellbeing, heritage and environment, and sport and leisure. A Rising Star Award also recognises emerging groups.

Wellington Airport and the region’s five councils have run the awards since 2004.

The seabird was found on July 10 and returned a positive test on Wednesday.

Lower Hutt Deputy Mayor Keri Brown said the case involved one bird and there was no evidence the virus had spread to other wild birds or poultry.

“This is one individual seabird and there’s no evidence of spread to other wild birds, and no detections in poultry,” Brown said.

She said the Ministry for Primary Industries, Department of Conservation and health agencies had been preparing for the possible arrival of H5N1 for years and a response was under way.

Officials have checked Petone Beach and found no other signs of illness. Monitoring of the beach and surrounding area will continue.

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said there was no evidence of mass wildlife deaths or transmission between wild birds in New Zealand.

The detection has raised concerns about the possible effect of H5N1 on vulnerable native species.

The Department of Conservation has begun vaccinating 300 breeding birds from five threatened species: kākāpō, takahē, tūturuatu or shore plover, kakī or black stilt, and kākāriki karaka or orange-fronted parakeet.

H5N1 can affect many wild bird species. Birds that gather in large groups, including gulls, gannets and terns, could be among those most at risk.

The risk to people remains low. Human infections are rare and are generally linked to direct, close and prolonged contact with infected birds or animals. Eggs and poultry remain safe to eat.

People are being asked to stay away from sick or dead birds, keep pets away and avoid touching or moving wildlife.

Anyone who sees three or more sick or dead birds together should call the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66.

Reports should include the location, photographs or video where possible, the type of bird and an estimate of how many are affected.

The tree won the national title after strong public support during this year’s competition, run by the NZ Notable Trees Trust.

Trust chair Brad Cadwallader said the result reflected the tree’s history, distinctive shape and the enthusiasm of the Tawa community.

“The Bucket Tree captured people’s imagination from the outset,” Cadwallader said.

“Its success was driven by an extraordinary level of community engagement through local media, social media, schools, community groups and residents who proudly got behind their local tree.”

The tree was planted in the 1850s on Boscobel Farm in Tawa. It is also known as the Earp Macrocarpa, after the property’s original owner, William Earp.

Since around 1879, it has been regularly trimmed into the shape of an upturned bucket, creating a silhouette familiar to generations of locals.

Cadwallader said the tree represented an important part of Wellington’s heritage.

The Trust said Tree of the Year was about celebrating remarkable trees, their histories and the communities that care for them.

“The real winners are all six finalists,” Cadwallader said.

“Each of these extraordinary trees has enjoyed national exposure, with thousands of New Zealanders discovering their stories, histories and significance.”

The Bucket Tree finished ahead of The Sangro Survivor in Pukekohe and Old Goff in Hobsonville.

The Trust said this year’s competition attracted strong engagement across traditional and social media, with support from local councils, community organisations, elected representatives and mayors.

“It has been fantastic to see communities embracing their trees with such pride,” Cadwallader said.

The NZ Notable Trees Trust thanked everyone who nominated trees, voted, shared stories and helped promote the competition.

Police are reminding drivers to slow down, increase following distances and drive to the conditions.

Inspector Mark Oliver said Police had been made aware of weather-related hazards, including power lines down, debris on roads and surface flooding in parts of the lower North Island.

“Remember your following distances, ensure you drive at safe speeds for the conditions, and consider avoiding unnecessary travel,” he said.

The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office is also reminding people to watch for signs of slips and landslides, with more rain expected this evening.

WREMO said landslides can happen without warning, and people should stay alert for warning signs including small slips, rock falls, sinking land, cracks or bulges in the ground, tilting trees, fences or retaining walls, and movement around decks, steps or verandas.

People should get out of the path of a landslide quickly and evacuate if the building they are in is in danger.

WREMO said the risk can remain even after the rain has eased, so people should remain vigilant.

Updates are available through the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office Facebook page. In an emergency, call 111.

The directory has been created to give Wellington businesses a stronger local presence on WellingtonNews.nz, while making it easier for readers to discover local services, food providers, trades, legal support and business specialists.

The eight founding members are Prime Doors Wellington, R&J Tree Services, ATR – All Things Restoration, Pivotal Print, Havaiki Kai, Ammu South Indian Restaurant, The Law Lady and Custodian Services Ltd.

Prime Doors Wellington provides garage door services across the region, including residential garage doors, industrial and commercial doors, repairs, openers, roller doors, tilt doors and sectional doors. The business promotes itself as “your local welly door experts” and offers 24/7 callout service across Wellington.

R&J Tree Services offers professional tree services, with a focus on practical tree solutions and reliable local service. The business provides tree work for customers needing help with tree care, pruning, removals and general tree maintenance.

ATR – All Things Restoration provides painting, roof restoration and exterior maintenance services. Its services include interior painting, exterior painting, roof restoration, moss spray treatment, surface preparation and water blasting, with a focus on restoring and improving homes across Wellington.

Pivotal Print is a local print business built around the message “Create, Print, Deliver.” The business supports customers with print solutions and promotes the idea that printing is not only what it does, but how it does it that makes a difference.

Havaiki Kai brings Pacific food and catering to the directory, showcasing a strong island food identity through cooked meals, seafood, platters, salads, roast meats and family-style kai. The business has a strong visual brand and a growing local presence through its food and social media channels.

Ammu South Indian Restaurant offers authentic South Indian dining, with online ordering and table bookings available. The restaurant promotes the “authentic taste of South India” and adds another strong food and dining option for Wellington News readers.

The Law Lady is a property law specialist based in Upper Hutt Central. The firm supports clients with property matters including purchasing, selling and financing, and is located at Level 1, 124 Main Street, Upper Hutt Central.

Custodian Services Ltd provides professional cleaning services for businesses and workplaces. With the message “For a Professional Clean,” the business adds commercial cleaning and workplace cleaning support to the growing directory.

Wellington News thanks these eight founding members for supporting the Business Directory and helping build a stronger local platform for Wellington businesses.

Readers can find the Wellington News Business Directory on WellingtonNews.nz, with local businesses listed across a growing range of categories.

Wellington Water and Wellington City Council released a recovery road map on Wednesday, saying major recovery works are expected to be complete by November.

But the timeline confirms the plant will not return to full treatment this year. Secondary treatment, including biological treatment, is expected to restart in November, but Wellington Water says the process will take time to stabilise before the plant is fully restored.

The plant has been operating in a limited capacity since February 4, when flooding caused a major failure at the Moa Point facility.

Since then, wastewater has been screened and sent through the 1.8km long outfall into Cook Strait, without the full biological treatment and ultraviolet disinfection normally provided by the plant.

During heavy rain, wastewater may still discharge through the short outfall pipe at Tarakena Bay.

Wellington Water says those discharges are expected to reduce as more wastewater can be pumped through the long outfall, but they may still occur while recovery work continues.

The recovery programme involves nearly 30 separate projects, which Wellington Water says must be carefully sequenced before plant systems can be safely brought back online.

The update also confirms work is continuing on a hydraulic design issue identified after the February flooding.

A hydraulic report found the bypass system’s flow capacity appeared to be substantially less than the original stated design capacity.

That issue is separate from the immediate recovery work and is expected to remain part of the longer-term repair programme.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said the road map would give residents, businesses and south coast users “greater visibility and confidence” in the recovery.

“The failure of the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant has caused massive disruption to people, communities and businesses who are connected to the south coast,” Little said.

“This is a turning point for the recovery of Moa Point. We know the road ahead to recovery, and local communities, businesses and people who use and enjoy the south coast can at least look forward with a degree of certainty about when the plant will be fully restored.”

Wellington Water chief operating officer Charles Barker said November was a key milestone for the community to track.

“We’ll report against these milestones so people can track progress and hold us to account,” Barker said.

“A key date for the community to hold us to is November, when major recovery works are expected to be complete and we’ll be able to start sending wastewater through full treatment processes.”

Barker said every effort was being made to restore the plant “as quickly and safely as possible”.

“We know every additional day the plant is not fully operational makes a difference,” he said.

Greater Wellington Regional Council has said Wellington City Council holds the resource consents for discharges from the plant. Wellington Water maintains the plant, with operational support from Veolia.

Greater Wellington says Wellington City Council, Wellington Water and Veolia are responsible for operating and maintaining the plant and ensuring it complies with consent conditions.

The ongoing discharge has affected south coast residents, swimmers, divers, fishers, marine businesses and people who gather kaimoana.

LAWA continues to advise people not to collect or eat kaimoana between Ōwhiro Bay and Breaker Bay. People are also advised to check current water quality warnings before swimming or using the south coast.

Wellington Water says it will report against the recovery milestones as work continues.

Residents can check beach and water quality updates at LAWA.org.nz, follow Wellington Water updates, or report pollution incidents to Greater Wellington on 0800 496 734.

The university is New Zealand’s only official nominator for the global environmental prize.

Its nominees are AgriZeroNZ, Critical., KiwiEconet, Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, Mushroom Material and Sea Cleaners.

Andrew Wilks, Manutaki, director of sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, said the university was proud to help take New Zealand climate solutions to an international stage.

“There were remarkable applications again this year, but Vic Uni is excited to elevate these six New Zealand solutions to the world stage through The Earthshot Prize because every single one has the power to change the world,” Wilks said.

“They’re affordable, immediately scalable, and could create true global transformation.”

The Wellington connection includes Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust’s Love Rimurimu project, which is working to restore declining kelp forests in Wellington Harbour through science, community action and Indigenous partnership.

The project also supports hands-on education and open-source knowledge sharing, helping communities better understand and care for the harbour environment.

Other nominees include AgriZeroNZ, a public-private partnership that invests in tools to help farmers reduce agricultural emissions while staying profitable and productive.

Critical., a Māori-led clean-tech company, is transforming hard-to-recycle plastic waste into Cleanstone, a circular building material made in Aotearoa from 100 percent reclaimed plastic waste.

The company is also developing compact microfactories to help communities turn local waste into materials, jobs and circular economic opportunities.

KiwiEconet, developed in Southland, is a 100 percent natural and organic jute fibre netting designed to replace plastic wrap used for baling hay and silage.

The netting is biodegradable and edible by livestock.

Mushroom Material has developed mycelium-based pellets as a biodegradable alternative to expanded polystyrene packaging.

The company says the pellets are designed to work with existing moulding equipment, making it easier for the packaging industry to shift to a sustainable option.

Sea Cleaners operates purpose-built vessels that intercept plastic pollution before it disperses beyond recovery.

The group removes millions of litres of waste from waterways each year and is expanding into the Pacific through an island-led clean-up network.

The Sustainable Business Network encouraged applications for nominations from its Next List, which features innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations that were finalists in its Sustainable Business Awards.

Mushroom Material and Critical. were successful nominees from those recommendations.

James Griffin, general manager at Sustainable Business Network, said the nominations showed sustainable innovation was already emerging across Aotearoa.

“What’s exciting about these nominations is that they show world-class sustainable innovation is already emerging in Aotearoa New Zealand, not as distant ideas, but as practical, scalable solutions solving real problems right now,” Griffin said.

“We’re thrilled to see Critical and Mushroom Material nominated for the world’s most prestigious environmental award. Both were selected because they’re on our Next list, which exists to help elevate the innovators building tomorrow’s economy today.”

The Earthshot Prize Trust, led by Prince William, awards £1 million to each of five environmental solutions every year.

The prize recognises work across five goals, known as Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix our Climate.

In 2023, Sea Forest Ltd, one of Victoria University of Wellington’s nominees, was named among the 15 global finalists for the prize.

The 2026 finalists are expected to be announced in September, with winners to be named at the awards ceremony in Mumbai in November.