Penny Gaylor: Regional council committed to protecting environment

Penny Gaylor.

Weekly column by Kāpiti's Greater Wellington Regional Council representative Penny Gaylor.

We've heard the message from Wellington communities loud and clear, Greater Wellington needs to prioritise better environment health as part of its 2021-2031 Long Term Plan (LTP).

Over half of the 1086 people taking part in the regional council's LTP pre-engagement survey rated 'Protecting and enhancing our environment' as an extremely important priority for Greater Wellington to focus on over the next 10 years. And of course well beyond that.

Like a lot of people, 2020 gave my colleagues and myself great impetus for reflecting our communities' values on the environment as a fundamental part of whānau, whakapapa (ancestry) and everyone's wellbeing.

Leaving the land for future generations in a better state than we found it is highly valued. The reality we are facing in this generation is that the environment has already suffered significant degrading - we have to halt that and recover our natural environment.

This also speaks to our diverse communities who have different cultural connections to the land and the recognition that the natural environment plays an integral role in everyday life.

Investing in the environment is viewed as an investment in personal and generational wellbeing.

The year of 2020 should be remembered as the year we were reminded of what is most important, and most precious.

Our region sees the benefits our parks, forests and natural resources provide – and that a healthy environment in turn creates opportunities for healthier ways of life.

Speaking of opportunities to enjoy our natural resources and public spaces, GWRC had its Big Backyard Movie night at Queen Elizabeth Park on January 9, and it was a blast.

It was the opening event for the Greater Wellington summer events programme and we couldn't hope for a better kick-off.

We had great weather and more than 250 people attended to watch Men in Black in the beautiful setting!

Here are other upcoming events:

* Queen Elizabeth Park Festival (Greater Wellington hero event), February 28, 10am-2pm. Enjoy the walks, talks, excellent music and delicious local food at this free family-friendly day out in scenic Queen Elizabeth Park. There's something for everyone! Start the wild adventure with a scavenger hunt that will walk you through the best parts of the park, bring your bike and ride through the park, jump on the bouncy castles and more…https://www.facebook.com/events/2836502179896159

* XTERRA Wellington Festival (concessionary event), February 13, 6.30am-10pm. XTERRA Wellington is a completely unique, off-road triathlon, duathlon and trail running experience. There is no other coastal triathlon like it in NZ or indeed the world! For more information visit https://xterrawellingtonfestival.co.nz/.

* We also have two snorkel days in Whitireia coming up which are always popular.