Protecting her roses from possums sparked Nancy Gordon’s passion for backyard trapping at her New Plymouth home over forty years ago. Many rats and more than 80 possums later, ‘Trapper Nancy’, as she is affectionately known by her neighbours, is noticing the benefits for her garden – thriving avocados, fruit trees and abundant birdlife. "We’ve planted lots of trees to attract birds, so we have Kērerū, Tūi, and fantail that follow us around the garden," she says of her property, in Merrilands,
A Taranaki grandmother who bought 12 rat-traps for her mokopuna says she wants them to give the koha back to taio (the environment) this Christmas. The grandmother, who asked not to be named so the gifts were still a surprise to her family, says her twelve mokopuna will find their traps unwrapped under the Christmas tree or on an outdoor treasure hunt. “They won’t be wrapped because that’s more waste in our environment. It’s important we’re teaching our mokopuna the importance of looking after
action. Many of our Enviroschools chose to populate their spaces with kai related plants or trees and others went full force into native plantings. All schools were provided with seeds, plants &/or trees of their choice and 5 schools (Ngaere, Stratford High, Stratford Primary, Toko and Waitara High) received funding grants to help with their planting efforts. Some of our Enviroschools chose their local awa to clear, test and plant along with long-term plans of weed releasing (chop and drop or just
Meet the 16 winners of the 2021 Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Awards. Education
Business
Community
Land management
Dairy farming Environmental action in educationCategory sponsor: Contact Ratapiko School - for empowering students to take action to build a sustainable community. Ratapiko School may be small in numbers but its pupils have giant-sized enthusiasm for the environment. With a roll varying from nine to 30 in the past three years, they’ve planted 800 trees on-site and on
seedlings will one day become trees your grandchildren will play beneath.
come a-feeding! For more ways to transform your backyard into a bird paradise check out Episode 7 from last year, and associated resources: Episode 7 on Facebook
Episode 7 on YouTube
The best way to feed native manu is to plant native trees and shrubs that will provide food year-round. For top tips, check DOC's advice on attracting birds to your garden. Join us again next time to learn more about outrageously cute native backyard molluscs. Ka kite anō au i a koutou / See you soon! See episodes 3 &
soil erosion, as identified in the Deer Farmers Landcare Manual.
Maintain pasture length in winter or wet periods, to prevent soil being washed off in heavy rain. In particularly vulnerable areas retain tussock cover or native vegetation to regulate water runoff and to reduce risk of soil loss particularly in gullies or along riparian margins.
If fence-pacing is bad, fill in area and re-sow or plant with trees and if damage is extreme, re-fence to remove the problem area. If fence-pacing continues,
streambed sedimentation. The proposals have now been modified, and the Government considers the implementation of widespread improvements in land management will achieve the re-worked targets. The Council remains concerned about potential sediment levels in any new regulations. The soils of Taranaki’s eastern hill country are naturally highly erodible when left exposed without tree cover. Slumping and landslips are routine without soil conservation measures in place, causing waterways to carry high
mud and wait for autumn rain! The Syzygium maire or swamp maire tree used to be plentiful across Taranaki but suffered as swamps were drained. Luckily there are still populations around the region, which we hope will thrive as wetlands are restored. If you have a wetland on your property and would like advice on how to protect or restore it, get in touch with us.
representative. In his 22 years, the number of covenanted sites increased from 82 to 470 and the area under covenant increased by more than 9,700 hectares. On his watch, Taranaki had the most new covenants every year. As a farmer himself, Neil quickly established a positive rapport with landowners. He also developed effective networks among allied agencies, including TRC, to maximise support for covenant holders. Neil has also been actively involved with local conservation groups including the Taranaki Tree