Millions of shells and live shellfish are washing up on Ōtaki Beach, angering long-time fisher and beach resident Doc Ferris, who says the massive numbers are related to harvesting by Marlborough company Cloudy Bay Clams. It’s a claim disputed by Cloudy Bay chief executive Isaac Piper, who says there could be many reasons for shells cast... Keep Reading
Elevate Ōtaki is renewing efforts to bring the Ōtaki identity to the forefront of the town’s marketing. New chair Adrian Gregory says the identity, when it was launched nearly two years ago, had a “soft landing” and didn’t succeed in gaining the buy-in from the community it deserved. “What we’d like to do is to get... Keep Reading
The first solid layers of asphalt on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki (PP2Ō) expressway are mostly laid down in preparation for the “black top” road surface. In his April report, project director Chris Hunt said the asphalt crew had made “significant progress”. “As of this month [April] we’ve laid 94 percent of the AC20 asphalt and 68... Keep Reading
Dr Rose Namoori-Sinclair is the pride of her tiny Pacific nation, with a PhD covering the impact of policy on Pacific women’s health and the experiences of Kiribati migrants, and now receiving an MNZN in the New Year Honours. Rose was born in Kiribati, a small group of islands and atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s home to... Keep Reading
Ōtaki Yard has been sold to a Wellington property development company. Settlement of the sale to The Wellington Company is in September next year. A statement from a representative of current owner and British investor Nigel Ross confirmed the sale and said the usual market days and tenants in the Collective on the site would continue... Keep Reading
Ōtaki is experiencing housing development at a rate not seen since the establishment of the town nearly 200 years ago. Driven by demand that’s outstripping available housing stock, it’s raising fears of uncontrolled and haphazard growth that will change the character of the town – and put pressure on services and infrastructure. With... Keep Reading
New subdivisions on Rangiuru Road will provide more than 300 houses for Ōtaki during the next three to five years. The seven separate blocks are on former market garden land, most prominently that previously owned by the Wong and Yung families. They cover about 10 hectares in total. Grant Robertson of First National Real Estate, which has... Keep Reading
An ecological turnaround is on the cards for the 175 hectares of farmland along Tasman Road. An iwi Church of England trust board recently said it was taking its dairy herds off the farms, recognising that dairying was a major polluter. That decision reflected its commitment to the environment and to future generations. The Ōtaki and... Keep Reading
Work is under way on a refreshed growth strategy as the Kāpiti Coast braces for an estimated 30,000 new residents during the next 30 years. The growth forecast is much bigger than previous estimates. Kāpiti Coast District Council says its existing growth strategy, the Development Management Strategy, is now outdated, relies on underlying... Keep Reading
Three Ōtaki organisations are among five in the Kāpiti region to receive $12,000 each from the Māori Economic Development Grants Fund to develop their services and products. They are: Toi Tangata Studio Gallery Ltd in Main Street, to establish its inclusive art and community space. Toi Tangata, operated by Taryn Beri and Jerome... Keep Reading
The surge in Ōtaki house prices continued in February, with homes.co.nz reporting the estimated median house price to be up $25,000 in the last month to $565,000. This follows a leap of $20,000 in January, lifting prices by $45,000 in just two months. In February last year, the median house price was $450,000. In the past three months,... Keep Reading
The Ōtaki Community Board has supported two significant notices of motion at its November 10 meeting. The motions were put by Ōtaki Ward Councillor James Cootes. The first requested that Kāpiti Coast District Council give priority to formulating a local alcohol policy (LAP) for Ōtaki, or for the district. None currently exists. The... Keep Reading
Ten of the 11 bridges on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway project – including the big Ōtaki River bridge – are expected to be substantially completed by Christmas. Bridge 9 over the rail corridor near Makahuri (Mary Crest) is the odd one out, with more work required. Fletchers has told Ōtaki Today that the east-west bridges, such as... Keep Reading
The old steam train, lit up like a Christmas tree and packed to the gunwales with passengers from the south, charged into Ōtaki on Saturday, August 1, bringing visitors to the new Ōtaki Yard Market and highway shops. In three trips, the sold-out carriages from Paraparaumu carried 1500 people to Ōtaki, packing the market and browsing the... Keep Reading
Encapsulating the heart of our town, a new identity for Ōtaki was revealed at an Elevate Ōtaki launch function on Friday night (August 7). Along with a bright new “Ōtaki” logo (as below), also revealed was a plan for big photographic artwork to be installed on buildings around the town and the highway area. They depict people and... Keep Reading
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