The Local - Mt Victoria

21/10/2025

Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of a person on Mt Victoria today, due to a falling branch.

"We've seen close calls before, we've seen falling branches just miss people", says the woman who came across the man hit by a falling branch.

19/10/2025

From a former public restroom to the city’s “only Welsh pub in the Southern Hemisphere,” the Dragon has been serving pints, rugby, leeks, and good vibes for two decades.

For Andrew Jones, it was a slice of home. It was 2006, he had been backpacking all over the world, and on nearly the polar opposite side of the planet from his homeland, Wales, he found Wellington. “I was about six months into it when I got to New Zealand, arrived in Wellington, seen this place, i...

09/10/2025

Jazz in the gardens sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday! Gardening Music returns to Innermost Gardens 🌺🌸

As part of the Jazz Festival, join Jake Baxendale & friends for a special concert in Mt Vic’s own Innermost Gardens. Two shows only – Sunday 20 Oct, 1pm & 3pm – with a picnic lunch between sets.

Inspired by writers like Anna Tsing, Robin Wall-Kimmerer & Ursula Le Guin, Gardening Music explores the meeting point of nature, community & sound.

Book your tickets here: jazzfestival.nz/events/innermost-gardening-music

08/10/2025

Where do election candidates stand on Mt Vic’s hot issues - heritage protections, the new tunnel, and the Mayfair apartments. See how they answered.

Council election candidates were forced to take positions on some curly issues, as part of a public meeting held in Mt Victoria.  Jane O’Loughlin was there.   The question ‘Would you vote to remove more character or heritage protections?’ was posed at the Mt Victoria Meet the Candidates even...

05/10/2025

✨ The October issue of The Local is here! ✨
Keep an eye on your Mt Vic letterbox, pick up a copy at New World Chaffers, or read all the stories online at the-local.co.nz

19/09/2025

Let me eat cake! 🍰
Mid-afternoon sugar cravings are real, but Wellington’s cafes aren’t helping. Jane O’Loughlin makes the case for a cake bylaw- making sure carrot and chocolate cake are always available until 4pm. Who’s with her? 🙋

Sludge levies, broken water pipes, closing shops, homelessness, the Golden Mile… there’s some big issues worrying the people and hopeful council candidates in Wellington right now, but one issue that often gets overlooked is the availability of cakes. Perhaps you are not a person who likes to ea...

14/09/2025

Getting ready to vote in the Wellington City Council elections? The council has gone to the trouble of making videos of all the candidates so you can see what they have to say. Check it out.

Candidates who have been nominated to stand for Pukehīnau / Lambton General Ward in the 2025 Wellington City Council local body elections.

05/09/2025

College Street hits a rough patch as two beloved boutiques close. Goodness and Citta Essentials have shut their doors after years of serving Te Aro shoppers- but retailers say the street is still a hotspot for independent shops.

Two stores are seeking tenants on College Street, after Goodness and Citta Essentials both closed in the last month. The owners of Goodness thanked their clientele on social media: “It’s a sad decision, and one we’ve thought long and hard about. Fashion retailing has changed. The world has cha...

03/09/2025

Want to hear directly from your Pukehīnau Lambton Ward and Mayoral candidates? 🗳️

The Mt Vic Residents’ Association AGM kicks off at 6.30pm, followed by the Meet the Candidates event at 7pm at St Joseph’s Church, 42 Ellice Street on Thursday 4 September.

Get a head start by checking out your Pukehīnau Lambton candidates’ profiles in The Local beforehand!

30/08/2025

The September issue of The Local is out now - check your Mt Vic letterbox or grab a copy from New World Chaffers. Or read the stories online at the-local.co.nz

12/08/2025

The Hannah has a new name, a fresh identity, and a big new purpose. Wellington’s boldest performers now have a home for risk, rehearsal, and reinvention.

Now with a new name and fresh identity, The Hannah is leaning into its role as an incubator for a broad range of Wellington performance art. Built to home the famous Downstage Theatre group, the Brutalist building on Cambridge Terrace has long been a key part of Wellington’s performance culture an...

03/06/2025

Have you picked up your copy of The Local yet? Our lead story is about the public meeting called last month to discuss the proposed Mayfair apartments.

A lively public meeting regarding the proposed Mayfair apartment block has fired up opponents of the development, who are now looking for political support for their cause.  Jane O’Loughlin was there.   A fiery public meeting in May has galvanized opponents of a seven-storey apartment block prop...