Two changes to Hurricanes side to face Highlanders

Just two changes have been made to the Hurricanes starting XV to face the Highlanders in the round eight Investec Super Rugby match in Dunedin on Friday night.

Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree has named Kane Le'aupepe to start at lock after the 26-year-old impressed off the bench in his first appearance for the club in last week's loss to the Crusaders.

Le'aupepe, who came into the Hurricanes squad as injury cover, replaces Liam Mitchell who moves to the reserves bench following a heavy workload in his first season of Super Rugby.

The other change to the starting side is at centre where Jordie Barrett moves in from the wing with Matt Proctor moving to the bench.

The change means a start on the right wing for Wes Goosen who will make his 30th appearance for the Hurricanes.

The bench stays largely the same with the exception being the reserve halfback's spot with Finlay Christie replacing Richard Judd.

TJ Perenara retains the captaincy with Dane Coles ruled out for a second week with a minor calf injury.

"While we were disappointed with the result against the Crusaders the coaching group still found some positives in how we played, especially the way we performed up front," Plumtree said.

"The challenge for us now is to get the rest of our game to where it needs to be against what will be a really motivated Highlanders team who will be desperate to play well in front of their home fans."
 
Kick-off at Forsyth Barr Stadium is 7.35pm .

The Hurricanes squad to face the Highlanders is: 

15 Chase Tiatia
14 Wes Goosen
13 Jordie Barrett
12 Ngani Laumape
11 Ben Lam
10 Beauden Barrett 
9 TJ Perenara (c)
8 Reed Prinsep
7 Ardie Savea
6 Vaea Fifita
5 Kane Le'aupepe
4 James Blackwell
3 Ben May
2 Ricky Riccitelli
1 Fraser Armstrong

Reserves

16 Asafo Aumua
17 Chris Eves
18 Jeff To'omaga-Allen
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Liam Mitchell
21 Du'Plessis Kirifi
22 Finlay Christie
23 Matt Proctor

-Hurricanes Rugby

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF WOMEN’S RUGBY IN WELLINGTON

Photo: Radar Photography

Women’s rugby across the decades will be celebrated at the Ngatitoa Domain this Saturday with a special Gala Day opening to kick the season off. 

The season opening event will help recognise 30 years of women’s rugby in Wellington which officially started in 1989. 

Not only will it feature all senior women’s teams playing at the same venue for the first round of the Rebecca Liua’ana Trophy, but there will also be a junior girls’ Rippa tournament to feature the next generation of players coming into the sport.  

An after-match function will be held for the teams, which will be marked with the presentation of 50th caps to Pride representative players. 

Women’s rugby in Wellington continues to produce hugely positive results with player numbers increasing 7% in 2018.That has seen the number of registered players grow to 1300. 

Those numbers will hopefully continue to increase as the women’s game receives more exposure like the tremendous efforts of the Wellington Pride side which won the Farah Palmer Championship last season. 

The performance of the side saw five of the Pride side contracted to the Black Ferns squad. 

Following on from the Gala Day, a Girls Holiday Programme will be held in the first week of the school holidays between April 15 and 18 at the Petone Rugby Football Club. 

More exciting news for the women’s game is the announcement of the first women’s curtain raiser to a super rugby game in the capital. 

The annual Hurricanes club night on Friday 17th May will have added meaning to it next month with a curtain raiser to be played between the top two Wellington women’s club sides, Northern United and Oriental Rongotai. 

It will be the first time a women’s club rugby match has been played at Westpac Stadium and the first time a women’s curtain raiser has been played before a Hurricanes home match. 

It also promises to be an exciting and entertaining fixture, especially if it comes close to last year’s women’s final between the two sides that ended with Northern United coming out on top 20-15.

Gala Day Matches (all 11:30am kick-off):
Paremata-Plimmerton v Old Boys University; Ngati Toa Domain #1
Hutt Old Boys Marist v Poneke; Ngati Toa Domain #2
Northern United v Marist St Pats; Ngati Toa Domain #3
Oriental-Rongotai v Petone; Ngati Toa Domain #4

-WRFU

FutureFit - a new climate action tool

Wellington City Council and Auckland Council have developed New Zealand’s first gamified carbon calculator to help people to make choices to reduce their impact on climate change.

FutureFit lets people work out the carbon impact of their lifestyle and lets them choose positive changes in the way they live to help reduce it. The change the tool helps will support New Zealand’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and Wellington City Council’s goal to become a low carbon capital.

The tool has been tailored for people in Wellington, Auckland and the “rest of New Zealand” and its calculations reflect the differences of living and transportation in those cities. It measures and quantifies individuals’ climate impact based across four categories – Transport, Food, Energy and Living.

FutureFit then provides people with everyday actions and challenges, tailored to their personal carbon emissions profile, and will remind them each week via text or email for as long as they want to participate. People can share their results and have fun competing with others.

Wellington City Council’s Climate Change Portfolio leader, Councillor David Lee, says the tool is a great use of technology to tackle New Zealand’s climate footprint.

“The Council developed FutureFit as a key part of Wellington’s low carbon capital plan to support the community in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Giving people information about the climate impacts of their lifestyles helps them make choices about what they do and consume,” says Cr Lee.

People who use the tool would first estimate their carbon footprint, register to develop their carbon reduction actions and reminders, and even invite their friends, co-workers and whanau to a friendly competition to see who can reduce their footprint the most.

“Everyone can make a difference. The little reductions individuals make can add up to big reductions in the carbon we produce overall.”

FutureFit is free for individuals. You can find it at FutureFit.nz

-WCC

CLOSE GAMES AND COMEBACK WINS MARK SECOND ROUND

PHOTO: David Brownlie

A series of close games and come-from-behind wins has marked the second round of both the Premier Swindale Shield and Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield competitions, played on another glorious day around the region on Saturday.

With the exception of a couple of blowout results, the rugby was generally hotly contested, as teams again battled the prevailing warm weather and hard grounds as well as their oppositions.

Northern United and Oriental-Rongotai sit atop the Swindale Shield with two bonus point wins, while Poneke and Hutt Old Boys Marist are the other two unbeaten teams.

The Northern United – Old Boys University Premier Reserve match ended in a 19-19 draw after OBU chased down a kick and ran in a late try, and it seemed the Premier contest that followed was heading the same way at 25-25 with two minutes to play.

But, livewire Norths first five-eighth Esi Komaisavai intercepted a pass in general play and sprinted 60 metres to score the match-winning try and see his side retain the Ken Douglas Trophy with a 30-25 victory.

In a tight seesaw match, OBU had taken a 15-10 lead into halftime, weathering waves of Norths possession and territory at the other end, to counterattack and score two forwards tries from their only two clear chances of the half.

Norths broke open the game immediately after halftime, with a turnover from a lineout on halfway and a runaway try, but OBU hit back once more when second five-eighth Izzy Foai joined his forwards at close-quarters and dived over to keep the game on tenterhooks.

At Fraser Park, Oriental-Rongotai’s top team won relatively comfortably against Avalon but not without the home team threatening a comeback with a burst of try-scoring themselves midway through the second half.

Ories had too much firepower out wide in the first half, as wing Tuga Mativa’s hat-trick helped them to a 29-7 halftime lead. This soon became 41-7 with two more tries. but Avalon struck back to close the deficit to 41-24 after 55 minutes and it was game on. However, the scoring dried up completely and that became the fulltime score.

The Harper Lock Shield match at Fraser Park saw Avalon leading Ories 19-7 at halftime and still ahead 33-21 after 65 minutes, but a late burst by Ories gave them a 42-33 win.

At Lyndhurst Park, Hutt Old Boys Marist edged Tawa 25-24, pipping the home side after scores were deadlocked 10-10 at halftime when Tawa centre Pepesana Patafilo burst through to score under the bar.

Tawa lost a player to the sin-bin after the break, leading directly to a HOBM try and a 17-10 lead for the Eagles. Tawa hit back with a try to hooker Tony Coburn to lock it up at 17-17, then took the lead when left wing Faraimo Nofoaiga scored and flyback Sam Clarke converted. Trailing 17-24, the Eagles came back to win at the end with a try and a penalty.

For HOBM, Centre Jordan Bradbrook, first five-eighth Anthony Utanga and prop Rei Manaia scored their three tries and halfback Sheridan Rangihuna found his range off the kicking tee.

Tawa won the Harper Lock Shield curtain-raiser 70-14.

The Upper Hutt Rams supporters can thank a strong second half at home at Maoribank Park from their Premiers, as that propelled them to their 46-26 win over the Wellington Axemen. After a tightly contested first half and a tense third quarter, the Rams came through late to take their 20-point victory.

Openside flanker Dan Schrijvers scored a hat-trick, his brother Hayden scored one try and fullback Tyler Tane scored two in the seven tries to four win for the Rams.

The Rams won the Premier Reserve early game 73-5.

At Ngatitoa Domain, home side Paremata-Plimmerton pushed Poneke hard throughout the main match, before going down 17-37.

As they always do playing at home, Paremata-Plimmerton brought a lot of early energy to the encounter and they applied all the early pressure and opened the scoring. It was 10-10 late in the first half, before Poneke took the lead for the first time to take a 15-10 lead into the break.

Poneke’s Moananu coaching duo of Misipalauni and Toto made strategic personnel changes at half time, up front and in the midfield and this soon paid off as they pulled clear in the final quarter. Fullback Michael Sage finished with two tries.

Poneke won the earlier Harper Lock Shield game against Paremata-Plimmerton 57-8.

At William Jones Park, home team Wainuiomata overcame Petone 18-13 to win the Darren Larsen Cup that is played between these two sides.

There was little room given defensively by both teams, as Wainuiomata led the Villagers 13-10 at halftime and battled hard in a sloppy second half to win. Petone, missing several key players for this match, were left to rue moments of inaccurate play and handline errors. Wainuiomata physicality in the breakdown proved telling, but poor discipline also let them down and they were reduced to 13 players at one point. Lock Teru Teru and left wing Saita Tuaoi scored their only two tries.

Roles were reversed in the early match at William Jones Park, with Petone winning 41-17.

Marist St Pat’s were the day’s biggest winners, over-running the Johnsonville Hawks 71-5 at home at Evans Bay. MSP won 10 tries to one, with eight individuals crossing the whitewash and wings Ricky Manulaiatea and Iosefo Aukusitino bagging braces. Centre Willie Shultz slotted nine conversions and a penalty for 21 points.

For Johnsonville, their only try was scored by replacement lock Taewa Rima.

MSP’s Premier Reserves and defending Harper Lock Shield champions overcame the Hawks second XV 101-5.

MSP, Tawa and Ories are three teams unbeaten on 10 competition points after the first two rounds of the Harper Lock Shield. 

-WRFU

Recycling just got a lot clearer

Wellington City Council will soon be delivering free packs of recycling bags to Wellington households – and although they are no longer green, they’re much greener than before.

The new see through bags, being delivered to 26,000 households over the next couple of months, are now recyclable alongside the items that are put in it.

The change comes in part due to public demand for the bags. The bags are the same size as before, and take the same materials – clean paper, cardboard, plastic, tins and cans. Being clear, they will also reduce contamination and risks to collectors, according to Mayor Justin Lester.

“Together Wellington City residents recycle about 12,000 tonnes of materials a year. This reduces the amount of waste that would otherwise end up in the Landfill by about 20 percent – but obviously we’d like to see this number grow.

“Part of the problem, is about 10% of recycling ends up in Landfill due to contamination, so now the collector will be able to clearly identify any contamination including harmful items or glass.”

The main kerbside recycling contamination:

• Glass going in with co-mingled materials instead of being separated into crate

• Food contamination in plastic packaging, glass jars and pizza boxes

• Garden waste

• Dirty nappies

• Plastics being mixed into glass crates with glass

• Polystyrene contamination

The Council’s Infrastructure and Sustainability portfolio leader Councillor Iona Pannett says this is a step in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go to reduce waste in the capital. 

“Over 50% of what is in rubbish bags or private wheelie bins is potentially recyclable – paper and cardboard 28% and plastics 36% are the biggest offenders. Food is also an issue so the council will be undertaking a trial of a kerbside composting trial later in the year. 

“We know most residents are good at recycling, but we encourage anyone who is unsure about what they can recycle to check on our online directory for how to better reduce, reuse, and recycle.

“We’re pleased to say these new recycling bags are a more sustainable alternative, which conforms to the necessary requirements like strength, shelf life and affordability. 

“The bags will be processed off-shore in Malaysia whilst a market exists. Longer term we hope that these bags can be recycled on-shore and that a market will develop for products made from them,” adds Councillor Pannett.  

The new bags will be recycled back into LDPE pellets, as a ‘raw’ material as part of manufacturing of new products.

LDPE is widely used for manufacturing various containers, dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, plastic bags for computer components, and various molded laboratory equipment. Its most common use is in plastic bags. Other products made from it include trays and general purpose containers.

Not every address will receive the free pack though, with inner-city residents having a different process for recycling, and with some streets on a blacklist because of ongoing rubbish offences.

Green recycling bags will still be collected. The Council also has 2000 green recycling bags in stock which will be distributed in the first stages of delivery – which started this Saturday 30 March.

-WCC

Unbeaten Hurricanes Hunters to face Japan A

The Hurricanes Hunters unbeaten record in 2019 will go on the line for their last two matches when they face Japan A home and away.

The first of those matches kicks off at Porrirua's Jerry Collins Stadium on Friday while the second game is scheduled for Saturday, April 20 in Tokyo.

Six of the Hunters starting XV have played for the Hurricanes in this year's Investec Super Rugby competition.

They include Hurricanes squad member Fletcher Smith who will start at first five-eighth.

Smith will combine in the halves with Finlay Christie while the midfield combination of Danny Toala and Billy Proctor have operated well together when afforded the opportunity.

Up front, there is plenty of experience in the loose forwards with Heiden Bedwell-Curtis and Sam Henwood starting while new Hurricanes recruit Xavier Numia is at loosehead prop.

Hurricanes squad member Peter Umaga-Jensen, who played 30 minutes of Wellington club rugby last week, has been named on the bench.

Kick-off at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua is 2pm.

The Hurricanes Hunters squad to face Japan A is:

15 TBC
14 Mark Telea
13 Billy Proctor
12 Danny Toala
11 Salesi Rayasi
10 Fletcher Smith
9 Finlay Christie
8 Teariki Ben-Nicholas
7 Sam Henwood
6 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis 
5 Tom Parsons
4 Veikoso Poloniati
3 Ross Geldenhuys
2 James O'Reilly
1 Xavier Numia

Reserves

16 Kianu Kereru-Symes
17 Sitiveni Paongo
18 Tietie Tuimauga
19 Caleb Delaney
20 Mateaki Kafutolu
21 Kemara Hauti-Parapara
22 Peter Umaga-Jensen
23 Ollie Sapsford

Fifita and Riccitelli to bring up 50th appearances

Hurricanes forwards Vaea Fifita and Ricky Riccitelli will make their 50th appearances for the club in Friday night's New Zealand derby showdown against the two-time defending Super Rugby champion Crusaders.

The pair have been named to start the match at Westpac Stadium in a largely unchanged side from the one which defeated the Stormers last round.

Senior players TJ Perenara and Ngani Laumape return to the Hurricanes starting XV after they missed the Stormers match.

They are the only changes Hurricanes head coach John Plumtree has made although there is one positional shift which sees Jordie Barrett move from the midfield to the right wing in place of Wes Goosen.

Goosen, who really impressed scoring two tries against the Stormers, has been named on the bench.

Riccitelli, who made his debut for the Hurricanes against the Brumbies in 2016, will start after Dane Coles was ruled out with a minor calf injury.

Fifita, who made his debut against the Blues in 2015, has again be named at blindside flanker.

The return of Perenara has seen Richard Judd move on to a reserves bench which features the recall of experienced prop Chris Eves and exciting young loose forward Du'Plessis Kirifi.

Plumtree was really pleased with the character shown against the Stormers.

"The leaders involved in that match really stood up, for the whole week really, and we will need that again in what is a great challenge for us against the Crusaders," he said.

"We expect TJ and Ngani to add a lot to that leadership group and they will also bring a lot of energy. It's a match we are really looking forward to along with our fans who we hope can give us a real advantage."

 
Kick-off at Westpac Stadium is 7.35pm .

The Hurricanes squad to face the Crusaders is: 

15 Chase Tiatia
14 Jordie Barrett
13 Matt Proctor
12 Ngani Laumape
11 Ben Lam
10 Beauden Barrett 
9 TJ Perenara (c)
8 Reed Prinsep
7 Ardie Savea
6 Vaea Fifita
5 Liam Mitchell
4 James Blackwell
3 Ben May
2 Ricky Riccitelli
1 Fraser Armstrong

Reserves

16 Asafo Aumua
17 Chris Eves
18 Jeff To'omaga-Allen
19 Isaia Walker-Leawere
20 Du'Plessis Kirifi
21 Richard Judd
22 Jackson Garden-Bachop
23 Wes Goosen

Terracotta Warriors exhibition: Wellington City residents free day

Wellington City residents will be able to enjoy a free day at Te Papa’s Terracotta Warriors exhibition next month.

To celebrate Wellington City Council’s relationship with Te Papa, Wellington City residents are eligible for free entry into the Terracotta Warriors exhibition at Te Papa on Tuesday 9 April 2019.

The free day will take place between 10am-9pm with the exhibition having a timed entry. The first 1-hour session starts at 10am, and the last is at 8pm (closing at 9pm). Tickets can only be collected on the day.  In the past, free day has been extremely popular, and entry tickets go fast – so get in early.

Who is eligible?

The event is open to Wellington City residents to acknowledge Council's support of Te Papa. Residents living in rental properties are also eligible for free entry. Hutt and Porirua residents are not eligible for a free ticket as they do not pay their rates to the Wellington City Council. Check out this map (PDF 340KB) for all the ward boundaries.

What do I need to bring on the day?

To gain entry you’ll need to bring in suitable proof that you are a Wellington City resident (like a bank statement or utilities bill with your name and address on it).

Where can I get tickets from?

Tickets can only be collected on the day and must be picked up in person. They will be available at the Level 2 info desk from 9am to 10am, and then from 10am onwards they will be available from the exhibition desk on Level 4.

Can I book tickets in advance?

There will be no pre-booking online. You may queue on the day and collect tickets for sessions later in the day. Tickets for evening and afternoon sessions are expected to go quickly. Each session is limited to 280 people.

How many tickets can I get?

Each resident with ID is entitled to four free tickets.

How long does each session last?

Sessions will run for 1 hour maximum, and a gong will sound at 45/50 minutes to indicate the end of the session. The first session will be at 10am and the last will start at 8pm.

How can I find more information about tickets on the day?

There will be live updates about ticket availability throughout the day on this Facebook event page. 

Will audio guides still be available?

Audio guides and catalogues will be available for purchase ($5.50) on the day.

Can I still buy a ticket on the day?

Yes, there is a small allocation to each session for visitors who are not eligible to enter for free as Wellington City residents.

Will other parts of the museum be open between 6pm-9pm on the day?

No, the rest of the museum will be closed at 6pm – just the Terracotta Warriors exhibition will remain open. The level 4 café will remain open until 8pm.

How do I find out more about the exhibition?

Visit the Te Papa Terracotta Warrior exhibition page

-WCC

Wall of aroha in the heart of the city

A space is being created in Te Ngākau Civic Square where the public can express their feelings and messages of support through art and words.

Following the tragic events in Ōtautahi Christchurch on Friday 15 March, the people of Wellington have been asking for a space to draw or write messages to demonstrate their aroha.

The site that has been identified for this is on a section of the hoarding surrounding the Town Hall says Mayor Justin Lester.

“We recognise that the people of Wellington want a place to demonstrate their support and aroha for the Muslim community, migrants, and those from a refugee background. Council staff have worked with the community to create a safe, inner city space where the public can do this through artwork and written words.

“It’s also apt that it’s located in Civic Square as the te reo name Te Ngākau gifted to the area means the heart – the centre of the city for all ages, cultures, and gatherings.”

After the terrorist attack in Ōtautahi Christchurch, graffiti messages of support appeared around the capital. Given the outpouring of grief, Wellington City Council asked its contractors to show discretion around positive messaging in the public realm until we could come up with a solution – and now it has.

Council has commissioned local artist Greta Menzies to paint a message to be a permanent feature of the wall. The rest of the space will be painted with black board paint for the public to write messages in chalk. Chalk will be left out for people to use each day. Work on the mural will start this week, weather permitting, so will be available for the public to add their messages by the weekend.

Paint/tag/spray paint/graffiti is not for this site – if people want to use paint they can do so at the wind shield walls at Waitangi Skate Park.

The Te Ngākau Civic Square message site will be up for three months, but given it’s for chalk and works may be rubbed or rained off, we suggest people take a photo to record their creations. It will eventually be removed or painted over to make way for another series of artworks.

Wellington City Gallery is very supportive of the commemorative wall. Council’s Local Hosts and security guards will keep an eye on the site, and any messages containing objective material will be reported and removed immediately.

-WCC

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS OPEN WITH WINS

Round two of the Swindale Shield sees a mouth-watering clash at Porirua Park between defending first round Swindale champions (Northern United) and last year’s Jubilee Cup winners (Old Boys University).

Both Norths and OBU were two of six teams to start their 2019 seasons with bonus point wins in an opening round, played in hot sunshine throughout the region.

Norths were the day’s biggest victors on the scoreboard, beating the Johnsonville Hawks 76-17 at home to retain the Barlow Trophy. Norths scored 12 tries and first five-eighth Jackson Garden-Bachop kicked eight conversions.

New Norths recruits, No. 8 Luca Rees (4 tries), openside flanker Bruce Kauika-Petersen and centre Losi Filipo were amongst the scorers, while second five-eighth Kienan Higgins crossed for a brace.

The OBU Billygoat’s forwards paved the way for their 30-6 win over the Upper Hutt Rams at Maoribank Park.

OBU held a 10-6 lead after 20 minutes and were ahead 23-6 by halftime with their four-try bonus point locked away.

The second half remained scoreless until a few minutes before the end when OBU were awarded a penalty try, which sealed the outcome.

Other first-up bonus point winners were Oriental-Rongotai, Petone, Hutt Old Boys Marist and Avalon.

At Ngati Toa Domain, Ories turned a 10-0 halftime lead into a 57-0 win over Paremata-Plimmerton. Ories’ superior physicality and size took its toll on Paremata-Plimmerton as the contest developed.

Both Petone and Poneke had wins over other sides expected to challenge for the Jubilee Cup later in the season.

At Lyndhurst Park, Petone beat home side Tawa 41-22 – scoring four tries directly off Tawa’s dropped passes and intercepts. Two of these to right wing Willie Fine were runaway tries virtually from their own goal line totally against the run of play and both proved decisive.

The first of Fine’s tries came early in the second half with a player in the sin-bin and Tawa building momentum after getting back into the game just before halftime, with a penalty try after a break by centre Pepesana Patafilo and deliberate knockdown. Instead of being 10-22 behind and probably about to close the gap further, Fine scooted away to put Petone ahead 27-10.

Later, at 22-34 down and with a completely dominant scrum, Fine intercepted again and raced the length of the field to score the winner.

Petone first five-eighth Piri Paraone scored two of their other five tries, left wing Mark Telea the other. As well as their penalty try, Tawa crossed through prop Ben Aumua-Peseta and debutant right wing Caleb Cavubati.

For Petone, openside flanker Mateaki Kafatolu was a standout and lock Eduan Struwig toiled hard all match. Petone only made substitutions all match in their forwards, while Tawa made several and will need to shore up their errors fast, in particularly a misfiring lineout and a mistiming backline, apart from Patafilo who was a standout.

At Evans Bay Park, Poneke beat Marist St Pat’s in the ‘Battle of Kilbirnie’ and for the Horan-Millar Trophy 25-21, after taking an emphatic 18-0 lead into halftime.

Poneke first five-eighth Pakai Turia kicked two penalties and converted his own try to put Poneke ahead 13-0, before hooker Andrew Jones crossed the chalk to give Poneke a notable lead. It got better for Poneke early in the second half, when MSP flanker James Tuia was sin-binned and Poneke wing Royce Tonumaipea scored soon after to put them up 25-0.

MSP hit back with three tries of their own to cut the margin but ran out of time to affect a comeback win. To compound their problems, MSP ended the match with a couple of injury concerns. Poneke, who had several new players in their team, will be buoyed by this victory.

The Avalon Wolves started their 40th season and their first at the Fraser Park Sportsville complex by beating the Wellington Axemen 27-15. Second five-eight Jordan Aquila scored two of three first-half tries in their 19-5 halftime lead. Axemen prop Jason Bird scored to close the gap to 10-19 but flanker Sefo Aumua scored to clinch the win. For Wellington, prop Max Allen scored their other two tries. Avalon turned the clock back in this match with the Waldrom brothers, Thomas and Scott, both featuring.

Over the Wainuiomata hill, visitors Hutt Old Boys Marist overcame sweltering heat to defeat the home team 37-19. Fullback Glen Walters scored two tries as the Eagles extended a halftime 13-7 lead to 27-14 and held their advantage to fulltime. Left wing Salesi Rayasi was also full of running and flanker Jordan Gillies was as busy as he was all last season.

In the Premier Reserve Harper Lock Shield, last year’s first and second round champions Marist St Pat’s kick-started their year with a 46-22 win over Poneke.

Tawa held on to beat Petone 43-40 in a thriller, after taking a 24-0 late in the first half. Petone came back to reduce the deficit to 10 points, and then to three points with a try in the corner that was converted. Tawa had the deciding say with an intercept try a few minutes from the end.

The Upper Hutt Rams and Wainuiomata second XVs both reversed their Premier results that were to follow. The Rams beat the OBU Goats 15-12 and Wainuiomata defeated HOBM 39-19.

Northern United beat Johnsonville 48-5, Oriental-Rongotai beat Paremata-Plimmerton 45-21 and the Avalon Wolves beat the Axemen second XV 38-15.

Round two of both competitions is this coming Saturday 30 March.

-WRFU

2019-20 draft Annual Plan released

Wellington City Council has released its 2019-20 draft Annual Plan, which outlines continued spending on resilience and the environment, housing, transport, sustainable growth and arts and culture.

The draft plan will be available on the Council website from today. https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/meetings/committees/long-term-and-annual-plan-committee/2019/03/14

“It includes spending on some crucial projects that will ensure we remain one of the world’s most liveable cities despite our continued growth,” says Mayor Justin Lester.

“It’s the second year of our 10-Year Plan and continues to lay the groundwork for where we want to head in the next 50 years,” he says.

“We have identified crucial projects that will help future-proof the capital as well as help it grow and thrive. We have been judged the world’s most liveable city two years running but we cannot rest on that.”

Wellington’s population is predicted to increase to 280,000 in the next 25 years.

“Wellington is growing and that is putting pressure on all aspects of the city, including the three waters, housing and streets. There are competing demands for the services we provide: bus lanes, parking, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.”

The Mayor says the 10-Year Plan received strong backing for its spending priorities: resilience and the environment, housing, transport, sustainable growth and arts and culture. “We are proposing a rates increase of 3.9 percent in 2019-20 to account for our investments,” he says.

“It is important we keep stimulating our economy and this year construction of the Convention and Exhibition Centre opposite Te Papa will begin. The Centre will spark a transformation of the surrounding area and I look forward to a new, vibrant quarter emerging.

“We are also taking steps to preserve our current treasures, such as the strengthening work on the Town Hall and St James Theatre.

“We’re investing in the city’s future, laying the foundations now for a better tomorrow. We have work to do, but we’re on the right track.”

Timeline:

14 March – Annual Plan Committee meets to begin engagement

1 April – 29 April – consultation

9 April – Virtual Forum

3 June – Final draft goes to Annual Plan Committee

26 June – Final plan adopted

26 July – Final plan printed.

- WCC