Napier council zooms in on new meeting era

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise at today's video-conferenced Napier City Council meeting. Photo / Doug Laing

The Napier City Council is today holding its first full-council meeting since the start of the Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown started just over a fortnight ago.

The meeting started at 10am with Mayor Kirsten Wise and councillors linked by video conferencing platform Zoom.

Following the cancellation of committee meetings around the time of the lockdown, a sizeable agenda was before the meeting, including a staff report on the Covid-19 response and Napier-specific recovery across the business and welfare needs of the city.

Major items include a Whakarire Ave revetment scheme which has a history dating back over 10 years and has impacts on Westshore erosion issues, and a Civic precinct update, based on future prospects for the Civic Building site and public library, which were closed as earthquake risks more than two years ago.

Among other items are options for traffic control around the Marewa Village Shopping Centre on key Napier-Taradale thoroughfare Kennedy Rd.

The first item on the agenda, after the Covid-19 item, was that of the Whakarire revetment, following lengthy consultation and planning involving owners of 14 properties.
14 residents.

The council, with Mayor Wise working out how to determine a vote by a show of hands in the videosphere, agreed to go ahead with a public-private funding model of 97.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent.