water Archive

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  Green Streets for Our Cities? - by frog

  
  
  
  The North Shore Times reports that a new trial of permeable paving in Birkdale has been highly successful, decreasing storm water run-off by up to 75 per cent. The run off also had a much lower content of harmful metals like copper and zinc.  Stormwater contamination is something Auckland has a bit of a problem [...] read more
  September 16, 2009 12:14 pm - 1 Comment
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  Sober Sunday reading - by frog

  
  
  
  Kim Knight at the Sunday Star Times provides welcome investigative journalism today in a story and major feature on the origin of the massive amount of palm kernel expeller (PKE) that New Zealand imports for supplementary feed on dairy farms. She writes: It looks like Armageddon. It’s just a palm plantation. Palm oil is a [...] read more
  August 23, 2009 10:32 am - 57 Comments
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  River-As-Drain No Longer Acceptable, or Exceptional - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The Kawerau pulp and paper mill should not be granted consents to pollute the Tarawera River — known locally as “The Black Drain” — for another thirty-five years. I spoke yesterday at the hearings in Whakatane for consents to discharge to air and water from the pulp mill. The pulp mill, owned by companies Carter [...] read more
  August 12, 2009 10:11 am - 14 Comments
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  Dairy pollution in a protected Wild River - by frog

  
  
  
  The Fishing News reported last year that: The Mohaka River has to be the jewel in the crown of Hawkes Bay trout fisheries, yet the upper reaches of this magnificent river are in decline due mainly to intense dairy farming and the subsequent effluent run-off. One of its tributaries is the Taharua River, into which [...] read more
  August 4, 2009 7:30 am - 14 Comments
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  Recommended Sunday listening - by frog

  
  
  
  Some great listening and viewing this morning on NZ environmental issues. Podcasts and on-demand TV means those who slept in haven’t missed out – so enjoy. RadioNZ’s Insight doco at 8am was on carbon offsetting. Reporter Ian Telfer narrated a well-rounded look at the benefits and risks inherent in the largely-unregulated voluntary carbon market. Includes [...] read more
  July 26, 2009 12:15 pm - 23 Comments
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  Wild irony in fish advert - by frog

  
  
  
  This advert is on prominent display at Wellington airport. It’s similar to one I noted last year. The Talley boys’ colourful political views are quite well known, and they are hardly the poster-boys for sustainable wild fishing. For example, this insightful analogy for bottom-trawling – a practice that has caused UK supermarket Waitrose to destock [...] read more
  July 22, 2009 7:00 am - 20 Comments
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  Feds’ selective with the science on water quality - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s one that left me speechless with incredulity… Fed Farmers Dairy chairman Lachlan McKenzie addressed the organisation’s AGM  yesterday and made some quite ridiculous and irresponsible comments on the progress that farmers have made in cleaning up waterways. This time last year, Fish and Game New Zealand was calling on the government to regulate production [...] read more
  July 2, 2009 1:35 pm - 9 Comments
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  Organics industry growth in jeopardy - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  In the 2005 cooperation agreement between the Green Party and the previous Labour-led government, we negotiated funding for an Organics Advisory Service (OAS). It included mentoring support for conversion to organics and peer support for organic farmers. Unfortunately, after three years of successful service to the organics sector, the modest $2.15 million funding has now [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 4:42 pm - 63 Comments
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  NIWA study backs Green New Deal planting & fencing - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday, Kevin Hague MP blogged on the voluntary efforts to improve water quality and water-way ecology in the Aorere catchment. And, the Greens continue to promote a Green New Deal stimulus measure to spread fencing and planting across the country, to create jobs and restore waterways at the same time. Today, the National Institute of [...] read more
  June 30, 2009 12:41 pm - No Comments
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  Aorere shows the way on water - by Kevin Hague

  
  
  
  On Friday I had the opportunity to attend a celebration of the Aorere Catchment Project in Golden Bay. When I had been presenting the Green New Deal in Takaka several local people had mentioned the project to me in tones of pride, so I jumped at the chance to attend the celebration. read more
  June 29, 2009 12:50 pm - 43 Comments
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  Reports a reminder of need for action on freshwater - by frog

  
  
  
  Two important studies revealing the state of our freshwater came out last week, and the news is disappointing. The first comes from NIWA, and updates water quality trends at the 77 National River Water Quality Network sites, which have been monitored over the last 20 years. The study confirmed that waterways flowing through farmland have [...] read more
  June 25, 2009 3:40 pm - 5 Comments
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  Where there’s a Will there’s a Way - by frog

  
  
  
  Russel Norman recently submitted to many Councils’ LTCCPs through the country on the importance of planning to restore our waterways to health. Other MPs and Greens ably presented his submission at hearings around the country that he couldn’t make. Jeanette pushed for retention of the Clean Streams funding for riparian planting and fencing in the [...] read more
  June 18, 2009 9:37 am - 1 Comment
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  A bouquet to the Bay - by frog

  
  
  
  Hawke’s Bay has come up with a solution to one of the main sources of pollution in the scenic and popular Tukituki River. Two months ago I highlighted some photos of Tukituki algae blooms on the Baybuzz blog, noting that: The slime is associated with low flows due to over-allocation of the water during summer drought flows, [...] read more
  June 16, 2009 7:36 pm - 7 Comments
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  The summer of ’69 is still with us - by frog

  
  
  
  1969 – the year the PLO appointed Yasser Arafat leader; Vietnam protests were raging; Yoko and John were bedding-in again; Apollo 11 lands on the moon; Woodstock opened; the Beatles released Abbey Road; two computers were first networked; and capital punishment was abolished in the UK. The same year, an article by G R Fish* [...] read more
  May 22, 2009 3:14 pm - 12 Comments
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  Crapfarms – how many times? - by frog

  
  
  
  So, dairy farming company CraFarms has been charged yet again for alleged dirty dairying on a farm near Hamilton. They were in court yesterday in Te Awamutu, prosecuted by Environment Waikato. Their defence: “the farm’s effluent system had difficulties managing the herd size.” Imagine if Air NZ said, “sorry the landing gear collapsed due to [...] read more
  May 21, 2009 8:00 pm - 6 Comments
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  Greens don suits, and gumboots - by frog

  
  
  
  Today the Green Co-leaders launched our Green New Deal stimulus package to “to save the economy and the environment at the same time”. Launching it, Jeanette said: We’re engaging on economic issues on a new scale. The Greens’ package is costed with the best available published figures, and clearly specifies the benefits of each initiative [...] read more
  May 15, 2009 3:05 pm - 12 Comments
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  Greens riskily agree with the Feds - by frog

  
  
  
  Federated Farmers’ press release just now – Move over shark wranglers, farming’s far riskier – is something the Greens can agree with. Farm related fatalities  have grown over the past five years to 20 and that is too many. The Feds also acknowledge the economic loss of farm accidents, citing “ACC statistics show that a [...] read more
  May 13, 2009 2:00 pm - 1 Comment
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  The water crisis – a sequel - by frog

  
  
  
  Water pollution comes from other sources beside dairy (see post last night), so a broader solution is needed, than just best-practice and full compliance from the dairy industry. NZ also needs a basic standard for water quality that says all water must be swimmable, and if it isn’t at the moment, then it needs to [...] read more
  May 10, 2009 11:00 am - 57 Comments
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  Nice words, but where’s the action? - by frog

  
  
  
  The release of a Strategy for New Zealand Dairy Farming slipped quietly under the public’s radar this week, with few media picking it up. At the Strategy launch, the PM and Ag Minister David Carter mooed in the direction of the environment: the PM said, “It is important that farmers step up and take leadership [...] read more
  May 9, 2009 8:05 pm - 6 Comments
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  RMA Phase II: a Pandora’s box? - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Today, the Government announced its “work programmes” for Phase II of the reform of the New Zealand’s resource management laws… These reforms are opening too many Pandora’s boxes at once. Unless achieving better environmental outcomes becomes a key objective, they will simply facilitate the increased degradation of our water, land, coast and communities that are the very reasons we all love this country and which underpin the brand our export industries need. read more
  May 8, 2009 2:32 pm - 5 Comments