We’re well into summer and Hutt City Council has collected a great programme of activities, programmes, and events across the whole of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt to entertain people of all ages; from pēpē through to our kaumātua!

Lower Hutt Mayor, Campbell Barry, says the summer holiday break is a great chance for people to explore their own city, learn a new skill, or find a new hobby.

"Lower Hutt has an amazing big back yard full of tracks and trails, waterfalls, beaches and native bush which are all free and easy to get to."

"As well as that we have two excellent museums; the Dowse Art Museum and the Petone Settlers Museum, five pools, and eight neighbourhood hubs that will all be running many free and low-cost activities and events. We’re spoiled for choice for things to do!"

A brand-new free programme for rangatahi begins this month. Summer Streetball is a series of community basketball events across Lower Hutt, Naenae, Stokes Valley, and Wainuiomata where rangatahi can compete to be kings and queens of the court, have some kai and listen to some sweet summer beats!

Streetball sessions will be running at 5:30pm in Naenae Courts on Tuesdays, Speldhurst Park on Wednesdays, Riddiford Garden on Thursdays, and Frederick Wise Park in Wainuiomata on Fridays, starting on Tuesday 17 January and running to the end of February. The final play off will be at the Walter Nash Centre on Friday 3 March.

From Friday 20 January, rangatahi can also hang out at the Walter Nash Centre on Fridays for Twilight Basketball; a weekly event starting at 9pm where they can play basketball and have some kai, all for free!

Rangatahi will have no excuse to be bored over the summer months with so much going on.

You can find information on these programmes, all the other events and services that are running at our Council sites, and a wide range of amazing community led programmes and events in our new-look What’s On in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt. Jam-packed with exciting things to do with your tamariki, activities to get you active, amazing art exhibitions, and info on how you can get involved with council meetings and consultations, the monthly What’s On is a one-stop-shop for everything you might need for over the long summer months.

If you have a child at home for the summer holidays, there are lots of fun activities to keep them entertained. A huge hit last year, Active in the Hutt’s Summer Play Days are returning this year, along with bubble time and family movies. At our neighbourhood hubs you can learn to make poi, play the ukulele, make a zine, or you can challenge yourself and learn how to competitively stack cups!

Anyone with a New Year’s resolution to get fit can try out Whānau Ora Dance Fit, Zumba, or Xtreme Hip hop, and for those looking for something a little less strenuous, you could try social table tennis, yoga, or pilates.

At the Dowse Art Museum you can check out a range of exhibits including Rob McLeod: Excuse Me Mr Frankenstein, Vlad Is Outside Feeding or the Wharanui Karikoa; a brightly coloured, full-scale, crocheted wharenui featuring vivid poupou, tekoteko, tukutuku panels and adorned pou tokomanawa.

You can get your copy of What’s On in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt at any Council site, or you can visit hutt.city/WhatsOn to download it or read it online. If you would like the What’s On to be delivered to your email inbox at the start of the month, you can sign up to our newsletter by going to hutt.city/WhatsOnEmail

Grab a copy of the What’s On and make the most of what our city has to offer this summer!

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