agriculture, waste management processes and ill-informed residents all have the potential to affect air quality in the region. The Regional Air Quality Plan for Taranaki sets our the regional rules used to control the discharge of contaminants to air, such as emissions from industry or agriculture, including whether or not an activity requires consent. It also includes the rules for what might be considered everyday activities such as spraying or burning rubbish in both urban and rural areas – all
practice cannot be recommended, because the trees
have usually been planted for another purpose - soil
conservation, shelter or timber production. Too severe a
lopping will retard tree growth and misshape their
crowns.
However, annual pruning of poplars and willows is
recommended from the third year of growth onwards.
To avoid infection and disease, the optimum time for
Poplars and willows for fodder
20
page
pruning is February-March. This fortuitously coincides
with the time of
just five minutes a day you can make a difference. “We see kererū, tūī - sometimes up to 12 or more, grey warblers (riroriro), kingfishers (kotare)... “The only one I have still not seen is the bellbird (korimako). I would love to see a bellbird.” He’s even had the odd kererū crash into his bay window after overindulging on berries next door and discovering ”the runway was too short”. But he’s quick to add they all survived and went on their merry way. It’s a similar story on the church grounds,
Waitara’s weekly ‘taxi day’ is proving popular with townsfolk, particularly those who are unable to use buses and have no other way to go shopping or get to medical appointments. New Plymouth Taxis has a car in the town from 9am to 3pm on Thursdays, under a trial coordinated by the Taranaki Regional Council. The trial’s been running 30 weeks, with more than 400 trips made so far and patronage growing by 60%. Regular passenger Pauline Hunt is grateful for the service and praises the New Plymouth
response personnel. “The Council has a team of trained responders that are involved in regular training exercises with Maritime NZ,” the Committee was told. “These have been very well run and have been highly beneficial preparation for a marine oil-spill response.” Oil spills are categorised according to whether they are small enough to be handled by the operator responsible for them (Tier 1) or whether the responses need regional coordination (Tier 2) or national coordination (Tier 3). The Council
hundreds of predators and led effective community ownership of the 80 or so TRC traps, even filling in gaps with his own rat and possum traps when he sees a need. As predator numbers decrease, native species are thriving. This is confirmed in formal surveys as well as anecdotal evidence. Dave is also an enthusiastic ambassador for the project, spreading the word among track users.
Video profile - Dave Watson John David Dodunski - for outstanding effort to protect and restore native biodiversity - and
This plan sets out the way the Council would respond an incident such as a spill of hazardous chemicals to fresh or estuarine waters or to air. Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan for Unauthorised Discharges Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan 2014 (1.3 MB pdf) (one document only) Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan 2014 (1.3 MB pdf)
This plan sets out the way the Council would respond an incident such as a spill of hazardous chemicals to fresh or estuarine waters or to air. Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan for Unauthorised Discharges Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan 2014 (1.3 MB pdf) (one document only) Inland and Esturine Contingency Response Plan 2014 (1.3 MB pdf)
From 16 September to 25 October 2024 (weather permitting), there will be 24/7 single lane closures on SH3 between Mangorei and Kent Roads. Here's what you need to know and what is in place for those who travel on the Connector and R98. Lane Closure Schedule: Southbound Closure: Midnight to Midday Northbound Closure: Midday to Midnight These lane closures will be in effect 24/7 during the specified period, and motorists are encouraged to plan their journeys accordingly to avoid potential delays.