More on recycling …
From Feb 1, what we can put in our recycling bins has changed. This, from TV1, is helpful:
New standards for recycling
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 Civic Tours
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...
Microplastic pollution at Auckland beaches
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...
EDS briefings for incoming ministers
Today, the Environmental Defence Society published its briefings for incoming ministers in the coalition government, covering these portfolio areas: Hon Penny Simmonds, Minister for the Environment Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Resource Management Reform Hon Todd McClay, Minister of Hunting and Fishing Hon Tama Potaka, Minister of Conservation Hon Simon...
Century-old Parnell church hall faces demolition
Image: Wikimedia Commons The article below was published in the NZ Herald on 9 December.
Petition to save the oil and gas ban
Five years ago, fossil fuel corporations were banned from from oil and gas exploration in New Zealand’s ocean. The coalition government wants to lift this ban. The Green Party has a petition opposing this move. You can read and sign the petition here. Image: Green Party
Coalition government and the environment
The following is adapted from the EDS News, December 2023 (Environmental Defence Society). The three-party coalition of the new government does not bode well for our environment. Many of the policy agreements in National’s deals with NZ First and ACT are regressive. In addition to rolling back the resource management...
Bird of the century
Forest & Bird’s Bird of the Century is the pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe. (It’s not one of the five birds I voted for.) It is a little-known lake bird, numbering fewer than 1000 in New Zealand. More than 380,000 votes were cast from 195 countries – the biggest reach the...
Auckland war monument now Category 1
New Zealand’s earliest built monument to the First World War is now a Category 1 historic place. It can be found at the intersection of Lower Albert and Quay Streets. The monument was constructed by the Auckland Harbour Board to commemorate its employees who fought in this war, and was first...