Meri Kirihimete and Merry Christmas from everyone here at Hutt City Council!
During the Christmas and New Year's period, some of our services and facilities will be suspended or running at reduced capacity. Below is everything you need to know.
While we won’t be monitoring our social media from Wednesday 25 December to Sunday 5 January, you can still call us for anything urgent 24/7 on 0800 488 824. We’ve got some very dedicated elves on the other end of the line waiting to help.
You can also report any problems throughout the city online at hutt.city/rap - through this page you can report non-collection of bins, let us know about water leaks, make a compliment or complaint, and much more.
Metlink are providing free travel on Christmas day in the Wellington region for all bus and train services, including a Wairarapa to Wellington and return bus service this year. This excludes:
- Airport Express
- On-Demand Services
- Te Hunga Whaikaha Total Mobility (taxis)
From Neighbourhood Hubs to bins to what's on across our city this Christmas, have a read below!
The upcoming Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are both on Wednesday. If your rubbish, recycling and green waste are usually collected on Wednesdays, then please have your bins and crates out for collection on:
- Saturday 28 December
- Saturday 4 January
After this period, your collection dates will go back to normal.
As for what goes into the bins, please remember:
- Put tear-able wrapping paper into your yellow-lid recycling bin. If it’s silver foil or plastic-coated, please put it into your red-lid rubbish bin or take it to your local soft plastics collection point. These days, we love that super-sustainable brown wrapping paper – after all, it’s about what’s INSIDE that counts 😉
- Make sure no food scraps (or those unwanted chocolates) end up in your recycling bin or green bin, and to rinse containers / food trays when needed. Food scraps should go into your red-lid rubbish bin or compost bin, if you have one.
- Only put plastics marked 1, 2 or 5 into your recycling bin.
- Make sure that rinsed cans and tins go into your recycling bin.
- Your bins should be out on the kerbside by 6am, with latches secured, on your collection day. That’s pretty early, so you can always put them out the evening before!
You can look up individual items at www.toogoodtowaste.co.nz/what-goes-in-the-bins
How to get your 2025 recycling calendar
This year, we’re sending out our 2025 recycling calendar to anyone who wants one, as opposed to sending a copy to every household.
You can still easily get a copy of your calendar – here's how:
- The most popular option: go to toogoodtowaste.co.nz and enter your address in the search tool, then download a printable version. You can also just use the search bar
- You can also request a copy by visiting tgtw.nz/binform and selecting ‘I need a new collection calendar’
- From mid-December, visit your local Neighbourhood Hub / Library or our offices at 30 Laings Road, where a member of staff will take your address and give you the correct version.
Please be sure to spread the word – we want everyone who’d like a copy to get one.
Christmas convenience and bargains at Earthlink
As for items and materials that can't go into your yellow-lid recycling bin, don't forget Earthlink in Taitā! On top of the huge amount of stuff that they take, you can also drop off:
- Christmas lights – working and broken
- Christmas trees (plastic and metal)
- Christmas decorations
- Anything that got replaced with a new present from Santa – toys, laptops, games consoles, lawnmowers...
Whether you’re picking up or dropping off, Earthlink’s got you covered this Kirihimete. They're selling Christmas decorations and will be open until Tuesday 24 December, and will reopen on Monday 6 January. Check out their mahi at www.earthlink.org.nz, or watch below.
Silverstream Landfill and Seaview Transfer Station
Silverstream Landfill will be closed on Wednesday 25 December and Wednesday 1 January.
Seaview Transfer Station will be closed on Wednesday 25 December, Thursday 26 December, Wednesday 1 January and Thursday 2 January.
You can find more information on Silverstream Landfill and Seaview Transfer Station here.
Neighbourhood Hubs (including libraries)
All sites will close at 3pm on Wednesday 11 December.
- War Memorial Library, Eastbourne, Walter Nash Centre and Kōraunui Stokes Valley Neighbourhood Hubs
- Closed from 3pm on 24 December to 5 January
- Pito-one / Petone and Wainuiomata Neighbourhood Hubs
- Closed from 3pm on 24 December to 26 December
- Open 27-31 December, 10am-5pm
- Closed 1-2 January
- Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
- Closed from 3pm on 24 December to 26 December
- Open 27-28 December, 10am-5pm
- Closed 29 December
- Open 30-31 December, 10am-5pm
- Closed 1-2 January
- Moerā
- Closed from 24 December-25 January
- Maungaraki
- Closed from 24 December-5 January
All sites will be closed on 20 January (Wellington Anniversary).
Don’t forget that you can visit hutt.city/libraries anytime over the Christmas and New Year’s period to access your library account, reserve items, borrow eBooks or eMagazines, and more!
The Dowse Art Museum and The Petone Settlers Museum
- Dowse
- Closing 3pm on Tuesday 24 December
- Closed Wednesday 25 December and Thursday 26 December
- Closed Wednesday 1 January
- Open normal hours on other days
- Petone Settlers Museum
- Closed Wednesday 25 December and Thursday 26 December
- Closed Wednesday 1 January
- Open normal hours on other days
Admin Building, Laings Road, Lower Hutt
- Wednesday 11 December - Early close at 3pm
- Wednesday 25 December to Sunday 5 January - Closed, reopen at 8am on Monday 6 January.
- Monday 20 January - Closed
On all other weekdays, we're open from 8am-5pm.
Eastbourne Summer Pool and McKenzie Summer Pool
- Tuesday 24 December - 12pm-3pm
- Wednesday 25 December - closed
- Thursday 31 December - 11am-5pm
- Wednesday 1 January - closed
- Tuesday 24 December - 7am-3pm
- Wednesday 25 December - closed
- Thursday 31 December - 10am-5pm
- Wednesday 1 January - closed
- Tuesday 24 December - 10am-3pm
- Wednesday 25 December - closed
- Thursday 31 December - 10am-5pm
- Wednesday 1 January - closed
Te Ngaengae Pool + Fitness and Huia Pool + Fitness
- Wednesday 25 December - closed
- Thursday 26 December - 9am-6pm
- Wednesday 1 January - closed
- Thursday 2 January - 9am-6pm
And there's a lot going on across the city...
From Festive Crafternoons, to glorious walks and swims, to the epic return of The Big Read, there's heaps to do across Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai this Christmas and summer season.
You could enjoy the Hutt Christmas Market, or revel in some outdoor art sessions. Yule have more chances to be festive than you can shake a candy cane at (not to mention all that delicious kai...)!
To find out what's happening across Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai / Lower Hutt this festive season, check out the December / January edition of Kaupapa ā-Mua ki Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai | What's On in Lower Hutt here.