Waterfront Watch

Last updated
Waterfront Watch
Type NGO
Location
President
Pauline Swann
Vice President
David Lee
Website www.waterfrontwatch.org.nz

Waterfront Watch Inc is a Wellington organisation which aims to preserve the Wellington waterfront from excessive development. Throughout its history it has frequently engaged in legal action to stop what it sees as negative developments.

Wellington Capital city of New Zealand

Wellington is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand, with 418,500 residents. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the major population centre of the southern North Island, and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region, which also includes the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa. Its latitude is 41°17′S, making it the world's southernmost capital of a sovereign state. Wellington features a temperate maritime climate, and is the world's windiest city by average wind speed.

Contents

On the Waterfront Watch website, the organisation describes its purpose as:

We are committed to preserving this resource for the people of Wellington and whilst we will support appropriate development that enhances public spaces and usage, we will question any excessive development that seeks to privatise and restrict public access, remove views and viewshafts, downgrades our heritage or introduces excess shading or wind issues. [1]

Notable campaigns

Part of the Wellington waterfront Lambton Harbour, Wellington.jpg
Part of the Wellington waterfront

Variation 17

In the late 1990s there was a proposal – termed Variation 17 – to redevelop Wellington's waterfront into a mixture of public and private spaces. The proposal drew fierce criticism from some quarters, and Waterfront Watch was formed to stop the proposal. The Wellington City Council received a record-breaking 2,500 public submissions, of which 94% opposed the variation proposal. As a result, the variation proposal was shelved, and the area now known as Waitangi Park remains as public land. [2]

Wellington City Council territorial authority in the Wellington urban area of New Zealand

Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. Wellington City consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Makara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.

North Kumutoto development

In November 2013, Wellington Waterfront Ltd detailed plans for an office building on the Kumutoto wharf which is over the 22 metre height limit for the area. The proposal came after plans in 2012 for a 6 story office block were blocked by the Environment Court. Waterfront Watch President Pauline Swann said she was appalled that the proposal was going against the Court's recommendation: "We're very concerned. I've had a word to a few councillors about it." [3]

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References

  1. "Waterfront Watch". Waterfront Watch. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  2. Rice, Geoffrey (13 July 2012). "Protecting public spaces". Te Ara. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  3. "Proposal heightens interest in Wellington waterfront". Television New Zealand. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
<i>Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand</i> online encyclopedia

Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand is an online encyclopedia established in 2001 by the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The web-based content was developed in stages over the next several years; the first sections were published in 2005, and the last in 2014 marking its completion. Te Ara means "the pathway" in the Māori language, and contains over three million words in articles from over 450 authors. Over 30,000 images and video clips are included from thousands of contributors.