Kiwi Aversion Training

Whakaangi Landcare Trust and Lesley Baigent are continuing the series of free kiwi aversion training workshops.

If you have a dog and go into kiwi areas you can reduce the risk of that dog attacking kiwi by attending one of these free workshops.

It will just take 20 minutes of your time and may mean the life of a kiwi.

Before Christmas there are courses at Fairburns hall (Sunday 8th Nov)

Herekino road on the south side of the gorge ( Sun 15th Nov),

Honeymoon Valley (early Dec. TBC),

and Broadwood saleyards ( Sat 12th Dec).

Mark a date on your calendar and make a difference for kiwi.

Please call first to set a time so the day can run smoothly for all concerned.

Phone Lesley 408 7800 for a time

or Wendy 408 4241 for more information.

Many thanks,

Wendy Sporle

kiwendi@xtra.co.nz

Transition Towns, Kaitaia

will show the movie

HOME

At Swamp Palace, Oruru

Saturday 31 October at 8pm

With aerial footage from 54 countries, the highly acclaimed documentary, Home, is a stunning depiction of how the Earth's problems are all interlinked. It starts with creation and the evolution of animal species on Earth, including humans—initially living peacefully with nature. But the accelerated population growth in the last 60 years in conjunction with increasing dependence on oil has changed all that.

The message is strong. Unlike countries, the Earth’s ecosystem knows no borders. As humans organised in nation states, we spend 12 times as much on weapons to defend ourselves from each other as we spend on aid for the planet’s poorest inhabitants. The effects of the exploitation of our shared ecosystem are dramatic and hit those who already face the toughest circumstances the hardest.

The Kaitaia Transition Town group has been holding monthly showings of relevant documentaries at the Community Centre in Kaitaia for some time. Now, with the kind assistance of Jason and Mark Bridgford, the same films will be available for viewing at the Swamp Palace on the last Saturday of each month. The first such opportunity for Doubtless Bay and Peria Valley residents (and, of course, anyone else) will be Saturday, October 31st.

The film begins at 8 pm and admission is koha. Mark this in your planner. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

John P. Haines 

 Telephone 09 4060149

Email johnhaines@xtra.co.nz http://www.insearchofsimplicity.com

Clean water in our streams and rivers - Towards a community based integrated catchment management plan of action for Doubtless Bay

Hui and Workshop

Friday 6th November
from noon

Taipa Area School Whare

Water quality testing workshop: Saturday 7th November, 11am
(Please click here for Water Quality Watch testing results)

An Open Invitation to the community - to you, whanau, and friends, people who know about the area, people who live in, are connected to, and work here in the catchment of Doubtless Bay

• What would it take for us to have water that is clean enough for all the uses we want it for?
• What would it take for our community to sustain itself long into the future?
• How can we help to sustain all the taonga of Doubtless Bay?

Hui and workshop programme:

About “Doubtless Bay Community Care for our Catchment”: This invitation is extended by Richard Robbins of the Far North Environment Centre. We’ve started a project with a long term aim – to improve water quality within the Doubtless Bay catchment, by taking an “integrated catchment management” approach that works with everyone in the catchment and sees the links between everything.

For more information on Doubtless Bay Community Care for Our Catchment please click here.

Below is the media release giving the basic outline of the illustrated presentation that Dr Roger Grace will be giving at the Bay of Islands Maritime Park Inc. AGM that will be held at –

10am Saturday 31st October
Treaty Room 1
Copthorne Hotel, Waitangi.

The presentation will be relevant to any communities exploring how to communicate the need for marine protection and catchment management:

“HOW CAN WE RESTORE THE WATERS OF THE BAY?”

Dr Roger Grace

We all want the waters of the Bay of Islands to be as bountiful and prolific as our grandparents found them in the early half of last century. But with over a hundred years of forest clearance and dramatic change in the land-use practices around the Bay, as well as a huge increase in the commercial and recreational fishing pressures and advances in technology, the favoured habitats of fish have been seriously degraded, and far too many fish have been taken out of the sea.

If we want to restore the waters of the Bay we have to get serious about minimizing sediment and nutrient runoff from the land, concurrently with providing highly protected areas where the fish can recover and begin to make a comeback. We expect the fish to provide us with endless opportunities to catch a feed, yet we seem reluctant to give them safe havens in which they can do their thing and ultimately provide us with those opportunities.

Roger Grace looks at the history of snapper fishing in northern New Zealand, as an example of what has happened to several of our popular fished species. He also follows some more recent history of encouraging changes that have occurred in the few totally protected areas we have in northern New Zealand, and compares this with half-hearted attempts at partial protection. We can’t “have our cake and eat it too!”

The story is similar for crayfish. Massive increases in crayfish have occurred at Tawharanui Marine Park, which has been totally protected for 26 years and provides a secure haven for crayfish to multiply to huge numbers and sizes and act as an extremely valuable stud farm. In contrast, partial protection at Mimiwhangata Marine Park for a similar length of time has had no positive effect on fish or crayfish populations, all of which have gone down hill seriously despite the absence of commercial fishing.

Goat Island Marine Reserve - Photo by Roger Grace

The message is clear. We need a good network of highly protected areas in the Bay and adjacent coasts if we are to make any headway towards restoration of the marine habitats and fish life towards their former glory.

If we want to get serious about restoring fish life in the Bay of Islands, then we have to get serious about a network of fully protected areas where they will have a chance to recover.

For more information on the presentation or the Bay of Islands Maritime Park Inc, please click here to email David Clarkson.

Bay of Islands Maritime Park Inc.

A.G.M

10 am, Saturday 31st October

Treaty Room 1

Copthorne Hotel, Waitangi

Guest Speaker will be the noted Marine Biologist:

Dr Roger Grace

speaking on

“How can we restore the waters of the Bay”

Business:

A Restructuring Proposal

and

Election of Officers

Free entry - Donation appreciated – Morning tea provided

For more information, please click here to email David Clarkson

Independent community-lead water quality testing of Doubtless Bay’s rivers and streams has highlighted the deteriorated state of water quality in the bay area. As part of Doubtless Bay Community Care for Our Catchment, a programme being co-ordinated by the Far North Environment Centre, seven water quality sample sites will be continually monitored over the next three years and reported back to hapu and communities in the Bay. To help raise public awareness of the issues around fresh water quality, the testing aims to summarise both the environmental and human health risk at each site. To achieve this goal the levels of Ph, nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, total solids, bacterial faecal coliform, and bacterial e-coli are tested at each site at least once every month (twice a month over the summer period) by testing accredited firm Envirolab. The locations of the sample sites, and all the test results can be viewed on the Far North Environment Centre's website here.

Doubtless Bay water quality watch results map October 2009.pdf

The water quality at each site is assessed and reported according to the Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Health ‘Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines for Marine and Freshwater Recreational Areas’ revised and issued in 2003. The guidelines recommend a three-tier (traffic-light) management framework according to single sample results of E. coli. Utilising bacterial e-coli levels at each site as a general indicator of overall water quality, results generated over the last two months have recorded potential issues in all the samples collected in low lying waterways.

It would appear that as water passes through waterways in the Bay the water quality significantly deteriorates. For samples collected on 10th October, four of the five samples collected in the low lying waterways recorded the highest level signal of “Red, Action Required”. The management framework suggests that the water at these sites is highly likely to be contaminated, and requires the following urgent action:

• Increase sampling to daily
• Undertake a sanitary survey
• Erect warning signs
• Inform public through the media that a public health risk exists

Unfortunately the resources of the Far North Environment Centre are not able to cover the cost of daily sampling. However, the Far North Environment Centre is in the process of contacting both Northland Regional Council and Northland District Health Board to see if further action is required. The Far North Environment Centre would also like to stress that the sampling results gained are only a snap shot of water quality on that day the sample was taken, and should NOT be used as a recommendation or guidance for general water quality, safety, or activities e.g. guidance on whether it is safe to collect shellfish

Across New Zealand land use changes have typically resulted in the loss of vegetation along waterways, the realignment of streams, increased sediment and nutrient loading and greater areas of impervious surface resulting in a range of stressors on aquatic and terrestrial environments. The natural physical environment and hydrological processes are increasingly impacted by development, subdivision and some farming practices.

These issues are highly evident in Doubtless Bay, and the hapu and communities in the Bay face considerable land and water management issues. Land catchment management in Doubtless Bay directly affects the water quality of its streams, rivers, harbour and sea. Doubtless Bay Community Care for Our Catchment is an integrated catchment management programme. It aims to connect hapu, landowners, stakeholders and communities within the catchment so that a unified plan can be formulated to improve the quality of both fresh water and seawater within the Bay area. As part of “future proofing” Doubtless Bay the programme will then support positive action to achieve those improvements. A hui is planned for Friday 6th November at Taipa Area School Whare, and everyone is invited to join in. For more information contact Richard at the Far North Environment Centre on 09 408 1086, or email h2o@ecocentre.co.nz

Schools, groups and individuals are urged to participate by monitoring their nearby waterways (kits available at the Environment Centre) and adding their thoughts, experience and expertise to the planning process. A water quality testing workshop is also being planned for Saturday 7th November, watch this space.

Come have your say and be a part of the Greenpeace Oceans Team on their nation wide tour

HELP SAVE THE OCEANS!

(Kaitaia, Kerikeri, and Whangarei Events, please see dates below). Our loveable Sad Fish and our awesome Oceans Team will visit 19 various locations around the country to save our seas, and we need you!

Sad Fish on Tour

The world’s oceans are in trouble!

Chronic overfishing and destructive, short-sighted fishing methods are threatening the survival of one of our most valuable and vital resources, the ocean.

New Zealand supermarkets must implement a sustainable seafood policy by refusing to stock fish listed on our Red Fish guide and stop supporting wasteful short term fishing methods before it is too late.

For more information, please click here. www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/sos/red-list

You can also download the Red Fish guide below:

3llb41ru.pdf

Red Fish Guide pdf

Come along to one of our volunteer/supporter meetings or public stalls and learn about our campaign and how to get involved. Help Sad Fish save our seas! Locations and times are listed below. We look forward to including you in our team!

Cheers! Roshahn

To email Roshahn, please click here. ocean.team.nz@greenpeace.org

Or become a fan of Sad Fish on Facebook here. www.facebook.com/pages/Sad-Fish/133087533156?ref=ts

VOLUNTEER/SUPPORTER MEETINGS:Kerikeri Rd, Friday the 16th of October 1-4pm

KAITAIA Volunteer/supporter meeting: Beachcomber restaurant, 222 Commerce St Kaitaia, Saturday the 17th of October at 6.30pm

Public stall: Cable Bay opposite the Dairy, Sunday the 18th of October 1-4pm

HAMILTON Volunteer/supporter meeting: Bazurk Gourmet Pizza Bar, 250 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Wednesday the 21st of October 6.30pm. Public stall: Victoria St, Town Square, Thursday the 22nd of October 1-4pm

ROTORUA Volunteer/supporter meeting: Charlie Bo's - Pub & Restaurant, 1153 Arawa Street, Saturday the 24th of October, 6.30pm Public stall: Amohau St, Sunday the 25th of October, 1-4pm

NEW PLYMOUTH Volunteer/supporter meeting: SALT restaurant, 1 Egmont Street, New Plymouth Tuesday the 27th of October, 6.30pm Public stall: Powderham St, Wednesday the 28th of October, 1-4pm

PALMERSTON NORTH Volunteer/supporter meeting: The Gallery Cafe-Restaurant, 412-414 Church St, Friday the 30th of October, 6.30pm Public stall: Main Street & The Square, Saturday the 31st of October, 1-4pm

WELLINGTON Volunteer/supporter meeting: Aunty Mena Veg Café, 165 Cuba St, Tuesday the 3rd of November 6.30pm Public stall: Cuba St, Wednesday the 4th of November 1-4pm

NELSON Volunteer/supporter meeting: Stefanos pizzeria, 91 Trafalgar Street, Nelson, Saturday the 7th of November 6pm Public stall: Halifax St, Saturday the 7th of November 1-4pm

WANAKA Volunteer/supporter meeting: Relishes Cafe‎, 1/99 Ardmore St, Wanaka, Wednesday the 11th of November 6.30pm Public stall: Ardmore St, Thursday the 12th of November 1-4pm

QUEENSTOWN Volunteer/supporter meeting: Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar, The Mall 7 Ballarat Street, Saturday the 14th of November 6.30pm Public stall: Camp St, Sunday the 15th of November 1-4pm

INVERCARGIL Volunteer/supporter meeting: Sopranos - Gourmet Wood Fired Pizzeria, 33 Tay Street, Invercargill, Wednesday the 18th of November 6.30pm Public stall: Dee St, Thursday the 19th of November

1-4pm DUNEDIN Volunteer/supporter meeting: The Palms Restaurant, 18 Queens Gardens, Saturday the 21st of November 6.30pm Public stall: The Octagon, Sunday the 22nd of November 1-4pm

CHRISTCHURCH Volunteer/supporter: Govinda's Vegetarian Restaurant, 602 Colombo St, Tuesday the 24th of November 6.30pm Public stall: Cathedral Square, Wednesday the 25th of November 1-4pm

KAIKOURA Volunteer/supporter meeting: The Whaler Bar and Restaurant, 49-51 West End, Friday the 27th of November 6.30pm Public stall: Churchill St, Saturday the 28th of November 1-4pm

HASTINGS Volunteer/supporter meeting: Starlake Restaurant, Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, Wednesday the 2nd of December Public stall: The Plaza, Karamu Rd Nth, Thursday the 3rd of December 1-4pm

GISBORNE Volunteer/supporter meeting:The Works Cafe Restaurant, Cnr Esplanade & Crawford Road Crawford Road, Inner Kaiti, Saturday the 5th of December 6.30pm Public stall: Gladstone Rd, Sunday the 6th of December 1-4pm

TAURANGA Volunteer/supporter meeting: De Bier Haus Restaurant, The Strand, Tauranga 3110, Tuesday the 8th of December 6.30pm Public stall: Red Square, Devenport Rd, Wednesday the 9th of December 1-4pm

WHITIANGA Volunteer/supporter meeting: Uncle Harrys Cafe & Winebar 2 Mill Road, Whitianga, Friday the 11th of December 6.30pm Public stall: Albert St, Saturday the 12th of December 1-4pm

Click on the PDF below for a timely discussion of ecosystem-based coastal management and its relevence for protecting the marine environment.

MEAM9.pdf