Latest news from the Taranaki Regional Council
Talking Taranaki is Taranaki Regional Council's bimonthly newsletter.
In this issue
Why Council Chairman David MacLeod is a trapper and wants you to be one too; a new way to find out how to get from A to B; and spring delights at Tūpare, Pukeiti and Hollard Gardens.
Chairman's chat
Confessions of an urban trapper
Urban trapping in New Plymouth
David MacLeod
Kia ora tātou katoa, greetings to you all. Like many of you, I wear multiple hats and have different roles to play depending on where I am and who I’m with. The newest is something different: Urban trapper.
I’m among the 1000-plus Taranaki people doing their bit for Towards Predator-Free Taranaki, in my case by having rat and possum traps in my back yard. What about you? 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. New Plymouth has the highest percentage of indigenous plant cover of any NZ city, so it’s well worth looking after!
It’s most encouraging to see the cause being embraced by people of all ages and in all walks of life. There’s some truly inspirational stuff happening out there. I’m particularly impressed by the way people in the Kaitake community, including Oākura and Ōkato, have taken the project on board. They’re making things happen!
The Kaitake Ranges Conservation Trust is playing a leading role in the local Restore Kaitake project as part of Towards Predator-Free Taranaki. The trust has been fielding dozens of unsolicited offers from people wanting to help trap predators, and its membership has jumped from eight to about 40. “Everyone’s really keen to get involved, it’s just great,” says the Chair, Pete Morgan.
Now there’s a committed community! Our aim is to foster similar commitment across Taranaki. So do get involved! It’s easy and the rewards can be many – not only for the environment but in terms of community connections, improving lifestyles and a more resilient regional economy.
Go to www.trc.govt.nz/pf-taranaki2050/ to get involved.
And if you are already involved, good on you! Remember, though, that it’s most important to register on the Trap.NZ website, and record your trapping catches there. This provides invaluable data not only for this project, but for others around New Zealand wanting to do something similar.
The process is easy and free. First get your trap, then go to www.trap.nz(external link) to create an account and find the project for your area. They all have ‘Restore’ in their name – for example, Restore Kaitake, Restore Vogeltown, Restore Waitara West, and so on. Then click on the option to join. Get to it, and happy trapping!
- David MacLeod, Chairman
Improving lifestyles
Full of colour, full of life
Tūpare in spring
There’s nothing like colourful spring blooms in a well-tended garden to get people out of winter hibernation. Just ask Tūpare’s Mitch Graham.
“There’s so much colour and vibrancy in the garden,” he says. “We always have lots and lots of visitors over spring. People come out from indoors and they come to enjoy Tūpare because it’s full of colour and it’s full of life and there’s plenty to see.”
All three of the Council’s premier heritage properties – Tūpare, Pukeiti and Hollard Gardens – are putting on stunning spring displays. Take the family along and check them out for yourselves.
All three gardens are open all day, every day, and entry is free. Hollard Gardens has a Family Corner with a quirky playground and free gas barbecue.
Pukeiti’s Treehouse Trail is a big hit with children of all ages, and Founders Café is now open daily for you to enjoy a tasty lunch before or after you explore the gardens and rainforest.
Gardens have always been an important part of Taranaki’s culture and lifestyle, and Tūpare, Pukeiti and Hollard Gardens are among the best examples in the region.
See www.trc.govt.nz/gardens/ for detailed information on all three properties.
Taking Taranaki forward
From A to B via C (for cloud)
A new online tool is helping Taranaki people find out how and when they can travel from A to B by bus. The digital Journey Planner is available on this website, and identical data is also fed to those using Google to find public transport options in the region.
Using the Journey Planner is simple. Simply enter your starting point and destination, and when you want to travel. The cloud-based tool quickly finds the best range of options, including times and details of relevant Citylink and/or Connector bus services.
The Journey Planner is optimised for use on mobile devices and also works well on desktop computers. “We hope it will encourage people to give public transport a go,” says the Council’s Transport Services Manager, Chris Clarke.
See it for yourself at www.trc.govt.nz/journey-planner/.
Other new features on the Council website include:
- New buttons making it easy to give the Council feedback on many sections of the site, or to review Pukeiti, Tūpare or Hollard Gardens on social media sites.
- Improved display of live environmental data on mobile devices.
- New live environmental datasets relating to freshwater quality.
Work is continuing on more enhancements, including a new app that combines live environmental data with weather and swell forecasts to help surfers decide where best to catch a wave. It will be launched by summer.
Around & about the region
Anglers need to keep it clean
The region’s anglers are being urged to protect their patch as they head out to their favourite fishing haunts this spring. Inadvertently moving algae, fish and aquatic plants between waterways not only puts the environment at risk, but also puts transgressors on the wrong side of the law. Anglers should follow the ‘check clean dry’ procedure to ensure they don’t transfer unwelcome aquatic pests between waterways – CHECK for any plant or animal material on clothing and gear, CLEAN thoroughly with
detergent and DRY for at least 48 hours before using in another waterway.
'CHECK CLEAN DRY' REMINDER TO ANGLERS
Region in league of its own
Outstanding developments during the 2017/2018 year helped to put the region in a league of its own, says Taranaki Regional Council Chairman David MacLeod. “Taranaki has a good story to tell,” he says of the Council’s 2017/2018 Annual Report which was formally adopted recently. “Once again we saw solid progress with a good financial result." Highlights included continued improvements in freshwater quality, the launch of Towards Predator-Free Taranaki, and a massive 285% increase in visitors to Pukeiti. A disappointment was the closure of earthquake-prone grandstands at Yarrow Stadium. Mr MacLeod says the stadium's future will become clearer in the next few months.