Environment

‘Inadequate’ rules costly for wildlife

Forest & Bird calling on Government to fix regulations around vehicles on beaches Gisborne District Council is in the black zone when it comes to regulations about driving on beaches. A Forest & Bird survey of 52 coastal local authorities...

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Gisborne Herald

09 Jan 2024

News

Fire preparedness a priority

Providing extensive training to Aratu Forests Ltd staff to respond to a fire has been one way the Gisborne forestry company has been preparing for fire season. Summer brings the threat of fire to the front of mind for Aratu, and it has been actively...

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Feel more alive this Summer! New guidebook features nature walks near the city

A new guide featuring five short walks close to Gisborne aims at getting people out in the natural environment to improve wellbeing. The free guide,called Ways to Wellness: He Ara Taiao ki te Ora Tairāwhiti, is a collaborative effort between the...

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Just Transition on agenda at COP28

A workshop before the official start of this week’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai was devoted to Just Transition pathways. More than 130 parties and observers took part in the workshop. The work programme on Just Transition pathways, which was...

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Gisborne Herald

05 Dec 2023

Environment

‘Weird’ kiwi nesting behaviour noticed

Conservationists working in the Maungataniwha Native Forest, near Wairoa, say “weird” kiwi nesting behaviour in the summer of 2022/2023 is repeating this year. There was an unusually high number of third clutch eggs last year, while this year...

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Award for ‘hero of the soil’ Kerry Hudson

Gisborne District Council staff member Kerry Hudson has been described as a hero of soil conservation and land management in Tairāwhiti after he was honoured at a national event last week. Kerry was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award at the...

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High-tech drone, jet skis and kayaks collecting vital river data

Rivers around the region are being surveyed by a high-tech drone this summer, replacing traditional ground-based methods for gathering river information. Jet skis and kayaks will also be used to collect depth soundings, which together with the drone...

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Gisborne Herald

21 Nov 2023

Environment

A ‘pretty’ toxic problem

A few years back, parts of Kaiti Hill almost looked like they’d been spray-painted pink for spring. While it wasn’t an eyesore, it was unfortunately a pretty serious invasion of a noxious weed — Ragwort. Also known as holly-leaved senecio...

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Sarah Curtis

07 Nov 2023

Environment

Flushing out our worst water polluter

There’s a pollutant rapidly accumulating in our waterways and seabed — one that’s arguably more serious than even forestry slash but features far less in media reports. It’s sediment. New Zealand is losing 192 million tonnes of soil each...

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Sarah Curtis

24 Oct 2023

Environment

Muttonbird numbers on the rise

Petrels and shearwaters belong to the same family of seabirds that once nested in their millions within underground burrows across mainland New Zealand and were an important food source. However, by 1930 nearly all were extinct. The country’s...

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Gisborne Herald

10 Oct 2023

Environment

Nature taking toll on historic site

Erosion at the northern end of Wainui Beach is the worst it has ever been and is starting to impact on the historic Whales Grave area. After the corpses of 59 sperm whales were buried there in 1970, the site was left to decline until 2013 when the...

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Sarah Curtis

26 Sep 2023

Environment

Native plants you didn’t know could feed or heal you

Kōwaowao – native bush lettuce (Lecanopteris pustulata) Otherwise known as Hound’s Tongue fern, kōwaowao has a nutty, creamy, flavour a bit like macadamia nuts and serves as a staple replacement for salad in the bush. Eat the opaque ends of...

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Gisborne Herald

12 Sep 2023

Environment

Searching for Pohokura hut

Looking through my grandfather’s albums you can almost smell the oiled wood, the wet dogs and spent black powder. “The subtle scratch of wool, the tickle of a pheasant feather in a coat pocket, the softness of an English Pointer’s ear as it...

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Gisborne Herald

12 Sep 2023