Celebrate the rich languages of the Pacific with the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks series, with vibrant community events and learning initiatives. 

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples supports each community in the delivery of their Pacific Language Week by providing resources, and coverage across our social media channels.  

This year, two new languages are included for the first time –Solomon Islands Pidgin and Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin. These join Rotuma, Samoa, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Niue and Tokelau to make 11 Pacific language weeks. 

The pre-order system was introduced in January after unprecedented demand meant the existing system was not viable.

Over the 2023/24 Christmas and New Year period, 102 of the 200-litre tanks were sold, compared to just 16 over the same period in the prior year.

Demand was driven after warnings from the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office late last year that the forecasted dry summer could result in tougher water restrictions for the region.

The region, including Porirua, moved to Level 2 water restrictions in January. Higher restrictions were avoided due to residents limiting their water use.

“Changing to a pre-order system meant Council could better manage the overwhelming demand for tanks at a time when residents were concerned about having an emergency supply for potential tighter restrictions,” says Porirua Mayor Anita Baker.

“In order to make it happen, our Customer Services team worked together with staff at Te Rauparaha Arena and our Health and Safety and Emergency Management team in order to allow a smooth experience from ordering the tanks to picking them up once they were available.”

In the three months the system was active, Council sold 460 tanks to people from across Porirua, as well as some Wellington and Hutt Valley residents.

Mayor Baker reminds residents that there are many reasons water shortages or outages could occur, such as natural disasters, dry conditions or burst pipes, and people should be prepared for them. Households should ideally store a minimum of 20 litres for each person to use in an emergency.

“Three litres per day is the minimum you need for drinking and food preparation.”

In the meantime, Wellington Water continues to work with Porirua City Council to fix leaks across the water network.

Anyone requiring a 200-litre water tank can now purchase them directly from Council’s Customer Service Centre at 16 Cobham Court during office hours.

Smaller 10-litre plastic water containers can also be purchased for $5 each from the same location.

Increases in the cost of energy, water supply, insurance and interest rates all mean that just
providing core services like rubbish, roading and pipes is costing more.

Take a look at some of the challenges they’re facing, what they plan to do about them and, what their key focus has been during the LTP planning process so far. You can read the full LTP discussion paper here:

https://storage.googleapis.com/pcc-wagtail-media/documents/10.6_Long-term_Plan_2024-34_Direction.pdf

Porirua City’s Long-term Plan 2024–34

At Council’s online hub you can read the latest Long-term Plan (LTP) news and share your thoughts, so that you can collaborate and work together with the council to ensure our city is a great place to live, work and raise a family – now and in the future.

The council is currently consulting on their draft LTP and have public drop in sessions between 26 March and 26 April 2024. You can find the draft LTP and other key and supporting info in the Important Documents section. You can also leave a comment in the news section, start a discussion, share your own story, or submit a question.

To Have Your Say on the future of Porirua City see: https://haveyoursay.poriruacity.govt.nz/porirua-city-2024-2034-long-term-plan

Kraev’s decisive strike, just 76 seconds in, followed a spellbinding sequence of 26 uninterrupted passes, showcasing the Phoenix’s tactical prowess. Despite Brisbane’s spirited response and several chances to level the score, Wellington’s defence, led by goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, remained impenetrable.

Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano praised his team’s performance amidst challenging circumstances due to the international break. “I’m delighted we got the three points,” Italiano said, highlighting the team’s resilience and strategic player rotations to manage fatigue. The victory matched Wellington’s best-ever points tally of 46, a target set by the team earlier in the season.

However, the match was not without controversy. Captain Alex Rufer’s late sending-off, deemed “a bit harsh” by Italiano, added tension to the final minutes. The red card, decided after VAR intervention, did not deter the Phoenix from securing a clean sheet and pressing forward.

Italiano also commended the squad’s depth, with strategic changes to the starting XI showcasing the team’s adaptability. Brisbane Roar, while creating opportunities, couldn’t capitalise, largely due to Paulsen’s heroics in goal and Wellington’s disciplined defensive structure.

As the final whistle neared, Wellington managed to create further chances, nearly extending their lead, but ultimately, Kraev’s early goal proved sufficient. The focus now shifts to a critical match against the Central Coast Mariners, a game that could potentially seal the premiership for the Phoenix.

The Wellington community and fans at Sky Stadium witnessed a team inching closer to a historic achievement, with anticipation building for what could be a landmark season for the Phoenix.

Emma Main, the standout performer of the match, netted both goals for the Phoenix, marking a stellar performance that led to the Nix’s ninth win of the season. Main’s skill on the field was a highlight, showcasing her pivotal role in the team’s successful campaign.

Phoenix head coach Paul Temple shared his enthusiasm and pride in the team’s performance in the post-match press conference. “It was really good,” he stated, reflecting on the game’s opening moments. “Potentially the best 25 minutes of the season in terms of starting a game. It was electric, and we didn’t really give them a kick in the first half an hour.”

The game was not just a display of offensive prowess but also a testament to the Phoenix’s defensive strength. “In the first half, it was really good attacking, really good in possession [and] the second half was really good defensively,” Temple added. The coach was particularly pleased with the team’s ability to maintain a clean sheet, attributing it to the defensive doggedness around the box.

This victory was not just about finishing the season on a high note but also about making a statement. The Phoenix have shown time and again their capacity to compete at the highest levels, and defeating a team like the Western Sydney Wanderers, who have hopes for the finals, underscores their potential and the bright future ahead.

As the Wellington Phoenix look ahead to the next season, this match serves as a reminder of their capabilities and the strong foundation they have built. For the fans at Porirua Park and those supporting from afar, the victory was a moment of pride and joy, a fitting end to a season filled with challenges and triumphs.

The Sister City Cup’s stay in Porirua symbolic not just of victory, but a bond between the team and its community, one that continues to grow stronger with each season. As the Phoenix and its supporters celebrate this win, the focus will soon shift to building on this success and reaching new heights in seasons to come.

Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano is bullish about the depth of his squad heading into the deciding five weeks of the Isuzu UTE A-League round-robin.

The Phoenix will be without regular right back Tim Payne and central defender Isaac Hughes for their Easter Sunday match against Brisbane Roar at Sky Stadium, after both suffered hamstring injuries before the international break.

And Italiano is preparing for the possibility talismanic striker Oskar Zawada won’t be able to play again this season because of a growth on his thigh.

But he isn’t concerned the Phoenix are going to run out of gas in their premiership push.

“I’ll be concerned when we don’t have 11 players that we can put on the park,” Italiano told media before training on Thursday. “As long as we have 11 players and boys that come off the bench that want to do a job for us, I’m not concerned.

“We’ve gone through this all season. At the beginning of the season everyone was talking about a lack of depth, and I think the boys have answered that quite well.

“We’ve had injuries all season [and] we’ve had to makeshift a lot of players into different positions and be very flexible in the way we think about our formations and the way we play. This is no different to any other challenge that we’ve had.

A Porirua high school has raised more than $72,000 towards a trip to Europe – the first time the school has ever planned a trip to the continent.

Mana College, which in a low socio-economic area, has been fundraising since September. Twenty students have been working to raise the $165,000 needed to go to Germany, the Netherlands, France and Denmark for 16 days in April 2025.

German teacher Elin Lorenzen said even when the students were coming home from cleaning a stadium after an event at 2am, they asked what else they could do to raise the money.

“These students and their whānau are such a great example of the beautiful Porirua community, caring for one another, showing up and working hard,” she said.

The students have been doing everything they can to fundraise – raffles, bake sales, sausage sizzles, hangi, hosting quiz nights, comedy nights and discos.

Mana College added German as a subject as a trial four years ago. Lorenzen said the students embraced the language and culture with so much manaakitanga and interest that it now had a year 10, 11 and 12 class.

“After all the love, manaakitanga, curiosity and care the students have shown towards German culture and language – how could I not take them to the country they have been learning so passionately about?”

She said she wanted to thank Mana College.

“The school could’ve easily said no,” Lorenzen said.

“I think that speaks to how supportive Mana College really is, and wanting to see their students to flourish and succeed.”

Mana College year 13 dean Lana McLaughlin-Khan said they wanted to fundraise so it was not too big of a financial stress for any of the students and their whānau.

She said even students that were not going on the trip had been doing hours of work to support the students that were.

Assistant principal Jeff Chapman said the students had all embodied Mana College’s values of manaakitanga, ako (learn, teach), ngakau (determination, perseverance) and aspire.

He said one student, Blade, had really impressed him in terms of his entrepreneurial spirit.

“He’s gone out there, he’s been on GoFundMe, he’s knocked on people’s doors asking to do odd jobs,” Chapman said.

“He’s raised so much money that now he’s giving it away to the rest of the students.”

“We’re working so hard so we can get this amazing experience,” student León said.

It has not just been about going to Europe next year for one student – Darcy said he was just having fun working with the other students and making new friends.

With one year left to go, Mana College is only $93,000 away from their goal.

They opened a GiveALittle page on Saturday, and raised more than $500 in two days.