NEWTOWN PETITION TO BAN SUNDAY LEAF BLOWERS BEFORE 10AM HITS 400 SIGNATURES, NONE FROM THE BLOKE WITH THE BLOWER

A petition demanding Wellington City Council ban residential leaf blowers before 10am on Sundays has cleared 400 signatures in Newtown. Organisers describe the suburb as "united in fury" and "running on three hours sleep."

It was started by Riddiford Street resident Aroha Sefuiva, 34, a nurse on night shifts. She says it followed four straight Sundays of being woken at 7.12am.

"It's not even autumn properly," Sefuiva told The Daily Yarn. "He's blowing dust. He's blowing the idea of leaves. I've seen him out there in a dressing gown. I work in ICU. I would like one Sunday."

A second resident, Patrick Cordell from Constable Street, said the noise carried two blocks easy. He raised it with the offender in March. "He told me to get a hobby. I have a hobby. It's sleeping. He's ruining it."

The leaf blower declined to give his name but confirmed he lives "up the hill a bit". He called the petition "a Newtown thing" and said people who didn't like it could "move to Khandallah." Asked what he was blowing on a wet Sunday in winter, he said: "Principle, mainly."

A council spokesperson said the bylaw process would take "between eight months and never." The leaf blower is scheduled to resume operations at 7am Sunday.