News

The project in Uawa/Tolaga Bay that we visited as part of our conference this year has won the Green Ribbon Award for Protecting our Biodiversity this year.

The Minister for the Environment, the Hon Dr Nick Smith, and the Minister of Conservation, the Hon Maggie Barry, announced the winners of the 2016 Green Ribbon Awards at a ceremony at Parliament on 7 June 2016.

From the MfE website:

Collaborative and innovative, the Uawanui Project has taken a whole-community approach to improving the environmental health of the Kaituna Estuary, by managing the activities in the catchment that impact on the estuary – a “mountains-to-sea” approach.

Input from marae, iwi, individuals, business, primary industries, landowners and schools has developed a project that enables the community to manage the catchment in their everyday activities, with direct benefits to both the community’s and the environment’s health. Activities have included trapping pests, weed control, planting and monitoring. Creative thinking has led to planting of seeds from Cook’s first collections, transit of Venus celebrations, and archaeological investigations – building on the area’s history, and adding to the local community’s knowledge of their culture and where they have come from.

For more information about the Uawanui Project go here:

To see this year’s other Green Ribbon Award winners, check out the MfE website.

A charity whose business involves getting their hands dirty is to set up in Northland, having pulled millions of litres of rubbish from New Zealand seas.

Seacleaners charity founder Hayden Smith was in Whangarei last month to meet with sponsors, with a view to getting a full-time operation set up in Northland within the year.

Since forming in 2002, the trust has collected 27 million pieces - about 3.4 million litres - of rubbish, mainly from Auckland’s harbours, using community volunteers.

Read the full story.

The tsunami risk for Gisborne is lower than estimated in previous reports but is still up there as one of the most at-risk areas in New Zealand, experts say.

The dunes west of Gisborne city would block a lot of a tsunami but there were city areas with a moderate to
high level of risk, such as along the riverside walkways, the logging terminals, the lower ends of Customhouse and Grey Streets, and the Waikanae campground.

Wainui properties would also be protected by the dunes, but some areas up and around stream outlets had a moderate to high level of risk.

Read the full story.

The New Zealand Coastal Society has published Adapting to the consequences of climate change: Engaging with communities to assist coastal professionals, decision-makers and communities in preparing for sea-level rise and the associated effects of climate change.

The aim of this publication is to encourage the development of best practice in working with communities as they adapt to the consequences of climate change.

The publication includes examples of how local authorities are engaging with the public and working to create climate-smart communities. Some of this work includes considering when and how to engage with communities in planning processes, as well as how to make general and site-specific information, such as estimated sea-level rise, available in a way that supports better decision-making.

The publication is divided into three sections:

• Section 1 is an overview of the national landscape in addressing the consequences of climate change.
• Section 2 provides a discussion on engaging with communities on this issue.
• Section 3 looks at how Coastcare groups and communities are addressing climate change. The case studies were prepared in collaboration with the Coastal Restoration Trust.

Much of the information in this publication is based on presentations that were given at the 2015 Australasian Coasts and Ports conference that was held in Auckland last September.

For more information, images or to set up interviews, please contact editor Shelly Biswell at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or 021 985 843.

The New Zealand Coastal Society is an IPENZ technical group that was formed in 1992 to promote and advance knowledge and understanding of the coastal zone. It provides a forum for those with an interest in the coastal zone to communicate amongst themselves and to the public.

Johannes is studying for an MSc in conservation biology at the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University, Wellington. He is studying the ecology, breeding biology and conservation status of the South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus). The South Georgian Diving Petrel is listed as nationally critical and is the sole Procellariiformid seabird in New Zealand that only breeds in sand dunes. If that is not enough to spike your interest; it might also be an undescribed, cryptic species!

The only extant population of South Georgian Diving Petrels in New Zealand is located at Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), off Stewart Island. Invasive predators have been removed from Codfish Island more than a decade ago, but the population does not appear to be increasing in size. Vegetation encroachment and erosion have been put forward as potential hypotheses for the lack of population growth. Therefore, the focus of the study is to assess the nest site selection of South Georgian Diving Petrels at Codfish Island. Habitat selection is an important part of ecological research.  Understanding if and why species prefer certain habitats and avoid others is crucial to successful conservation management. Through this research dune management may be implemented specifically to aid the South Georgian Diving Petrels on Codfish Island.

Stay tuned for further updates from Johannes.