Auckland Council’s urban forest and botanic specialists have chosen six new exotic species to add to the domain’s collection. Senior Urban Forest Specialist Bernardo Santos says heritage protection of the domain and its governing framework mean the chance to plant new specimen trees within Auckland’s oldest park is rare. Restoration...
Using built heritage conservation contractors, the first part of an important repair and restoration project of the Town Hall has commenced. The distinctive classical-styled stone façade of the building, completed in 1911, needs a range of repairs in response to ongoing decay and atmospheric factors. Ōamaru stone is being used...
The Free Fares Campaign has a petition here: https://transport4all.org.nz/petition In summary, it reads: We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the new coalition government’s approach to transport, which fails to recognise the crucial contribution trains, buses, ferries, walking and cycling make to maintaining and improving the efficiency, value and speed...
The decision of independent hearing commissioners on Plan Change 82: Amendments to Historic Heritage was notified on 16 February. This plan change amended the Unitary Plan historic heritage schedule and maps to update the category status and/or other information for 99 historic heritage places already scheduled. Key changes include the...
Sea Cleaners and Manukau Harbour Forum chair Jon Turner recently spent a morning in a hovercraft ferrying up and down the mudflats to remove tyres that had been used in old seawalls. They collected about 250 but there are thousands of them. Sea Cleaners report the volume of rubbish removed...
The Environmental Defence Society is critical of the government’s intention to establish a new fast-track consenting regime, as outlined in this letter, sent by the Minister for Resource Management Reform to stakeholders on 31 January. The new stand-alone law will enable Ministers to approve projects that are locally, regionally or...
From Feb 1, what we can put in our recycling bins has changed. This, from TV1, is helpful:
New national standards for recycling come into effect on 1 February 2024, with identical guidelines across the country for what items can and cannot be placed in kerbside recycling bins. Items accepted in kerbside recycling bins from 1 February: Glass bottles and jars Paper and cardboard Plastic bottles, trays, and...
The tours of The Civic are back for 2024. Discover the rich history that spans the last 94 years: world film premieres and celebrities, the uncertain future in the 1990s, community support to save the venue, and its eventual restoration. The Civic Tours are on sale now for tours from...
Auckland’s popular beaches, including Okahu Bay and Mission Bay, are polluted with microplastics at rates at least 50 times worse than reported elsewhere on New Zealand’s coasts, researchers have discovered. They used sophisticated imaging techniques to identify the microplastics, many of which were widely used in packaging, coatings, footwear and...