Latest news from the Taranaki Regional Council
Talking Taranaki is Taranaki Regional Council's bimonthly newsletter.
In this issue
Encouraging news on Taranaki's waterways; young rat catches doing an awesome job for biodiversity; fun for children youg and old at Pukeiti.
Chairman's chat
Keep up the good waterways work
Ka mihi nui ki a koutou katoa, greetings to you all. Our latest annual waterways report card was published last week and I hope you have an opportunity to look at it.
The report notes that once again, we’re seeing best-ever gains in the all-important ecological health of our waterways. Other indicators are currently more variable, reflecting the wetness of the past couple of years. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on overall trends as well as day-to-day results.
Crucially, ecological health is the prime measurement of waterway quality, and the improvements we’re seeing here are testament to the foresight, commitment and energy of the people of Taranaki. Our farmers are investing much time and effort in fencing and planting, and in switching to land-based effluent disposal. Our communities and industries also made big investments over many decades to eliminate or dramatically reduce the impact of wastewater discharges and improve environmental performance.
That’s why we can report such encouraging results. It’s also why we’ve been able to tell the Government there are no ‘at-risk catchments’ in this region according to Wellington’s own criteria.
But there are still gains to be made and a lot of work to do. At the Taranaki Regional Council we’re fully engrossed in a review of our Freshwater and Land Plan, to tease out issues and fixes. There’s been a raft of scientific studies and hui with iwi and others.
So never let anyone tell you that Taranaki’s doing nothing about its waterways! Check out the waterways report card: www.trc.govt.nz/taranaki-waterways-updates/
- David MacLeod, Chairman
Taking Taranaki forward
Youngters' awesome job for biodiversity
Woodleigh School's awesome rat catchers
The region’s schools and their students have embraced our Towards Predator-Free Taranaki project, and they’re doing fantastic work trapping predators and spreading the word.
Woodleigh School in New Plymouth is just one example. Students aged eight and nine made this short video showing how they're protecting native birds and wildlife by trapping rats at school and at home. It’s worth a watch.
We need as many people as possible to get involved if we are to achieve our end goal of restoring Taranaki’s native birdlife and plant diversity in all its glory and richness.
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki will thrive on the sort of enthusiasm and energy shown by the Woodleigh students, and countless others all over the region. And you don’t have to be a student or a youngster. More and more households are also taking up the cause.
If you’d like to support these children and their schools helping local biodiversity, you can buy a $10 rat trap and box from a school near you and get trapping in your own backyard.
For a list of Taranaki schools selling traps as a fundraiser, go to www.bit.ly/trapschools(external link).
If you are among the hundreds of Taranaki people already involved in Towards Predator-Free Taranaki, remember to register on the Trap.NZ website, and record your trapping catches there. Download a handy how-to guide at www.bit.ly/TrapNZ(external link).
Improving lifestyles
Perfect for kids young and old
Family fun at Pukeiti
Secret hidey-holes, tree houses, a roving quiz challenge, aerial platforms, kid-friendly artwork, interactive touch-screens and oodles of space . . . Pukeiti has enough to keep the most energetic of youngsters absorbed over the long summer break.
Open all day, every day and with free entry, it’s an ideal spot for a family day out or to take out-of-town visitors young and old. Bring a picnic or enjoy the tasty fare at Founders Café.
“It’s a place where no child will be bored and there’s plenty for grown-ups to enjoy too – a world-class collection of rhododendrons in a beautiful and unique New Zealand rainforest setting,” says Greg Rine, Regional Gardens Manager for the Taranaki Regional Council.
“It’s all looking great for the summer holiday season, as are our other two iconic heritage properties, Tūpare and Hollard Gardens.”
Check out their websites at www.trc.govt.nz/gardens, or follow each of them on Facebook.
The 2019 schedule of public events and workshops, most of them free, has been finalised for each of the gardens, and there’s something for everybody. See the details at www.trc.govt.nz/whats-on/.
Around & about the region
Highway advocacy pays off
Taranaki’s Regional Transport Committee has long been pushing for SH3 safety improvements between Bell Block and Waitara, and warmly welcomes last month’s announcement of
$29 million in Government funding for the project. “We agree with the Minister, the Hon Phil Twyford, that there’ve been too many deaths and injuries,” says the Committee Chairman, Cr Craig Williamson. “It’s an important road, one of the busiest in Taranaki, and it needs to be made as safe as possible.” In his announcement, Mr Twyford acknowledged that the community had been asking for safety improvements for some time.
SH3 WAITARA SAFETY BOOST WELCOMED
Buses for Christmas shoppers
With gift-buying season reaching its peak, the Taranaki Regional Council is providing extra Saturday bus services for those needing to hit the shops. Nine New Plymouth Citylink services, including Bell Block/Waitara, and the Connector service linking Opunake, Hāwera, Stratford, Inglewood and New Plymouth, will run on the three remaining Saturdays before Christmas.
WWW.TARANAKIBUS.INFO(external link)
We're webbing the surf
The Taranaki Regional Council has launched a new online Surfwatch, offering real-time and forecast data covering wind, swell, tides, weather and water and air temperature at nine key surfing locations spanning the entire Taranaki coastline, with live webcams at some. The new tool, which functions as a smartphone app when users save it to their home screen, incorporates the Council’s own real-time wind data, as well as forecasts or data from NIWA and MetOcean Solutions’ SwellMap covering swell conditions, air and water temperature and weather. Some sites also feature Primo Wireless webcams.
WWW.TARANAKISURF.NZ(external link)