Beach-goers heading to cool off in the sea this summer are being warned to act quickly if they are nipped by sea lice and other miniscule ocean critters. Taranaki swimmers have reported being stung and bitten, leaving them with a painful skin rash or severe itching, with the culprits likely to be sea lice, jellyfish and other marine creatures too tiny to see. Abby Matthews, Taranaki Regional Council’s Director-Environment Quality, says the creatures are more prevalent and active in the summer
been made and grow awareness of the job left ahead and how everyone can contribute.” The exhibition includes a variety of mediums, with artists drawing on their personal connection to the environment and nature. Taranaki Kiwi Trust has commissioned a piece by Geoff Noble, with profits from the sale going towards protecting kiwi in Taranaki. Geoff has created a reproduction of a Western Brown Kiwi and the complex colours of their feathers and native Taranaki bush. Taranaki Regional Council Regional
Record high water temperatures and low river levels likely contributed to the deaths of more than 80 fish in two South Taranaki waterways earlier this year, says Taranaki Regional Council. A report to the Council’s Operations and Regulatory Committee revealed 27 fish died in the Waingongoro River and a further 55 fish were found dead in the Kaūpokonui River in January. An investigation was launched after members of the public alerted Taranaki Fish and Game to the deaths. The affected species
Businesses and homes in The Valley in New Plymouth will get improved protection from flooding with an upgrade to the lower Waiwhakaiho River Flood Control Scheme. The upgrades by Taranaki Regional Council will raise two sections of the existing defences including along the stopbank and a flood wall which protect shops and houses near Constance Street and Rifle Range Road. Council Rivers Manager Chris Vicars says revised flood modelling after a large flood event in 2017 identified two sections
Around 550 people have attended Taranaki Regional Council’s freshwater drop-in sessions at the 16 events held around the region over the past two weeks. The drop-in sessions, which ran from 17 June to 1 July and covered the main urban centres as well as smaller rural locations, were a chance for communities to chat with Council staff about the future of freshwater. The focus now shifts to online community conversations with a Zoom meeting on 3 July and surveys around key freshwater issues
Lakes and beaches generally have the best water quality for swimming in Taranaki, a new report has confirmed. Taranaki Regional Council this week released its report for the “Can I Swim Here?” monitoring programme for the 2023/24 season. From November to March each year the Council tests water quality at least weekly at 41 popular swimming spots, with the results available online. The annual report highlights that beaches were usually safe to swim while the region’s lakes and rivers were more
Taranaki Regional Council wants the public’s help to ‘back the bittern’ and has launched a new interactive map to make it easier to report sightings of the elusive wetland bird. Following on from the Council’s support of the matuku-hūrepo/Australasian bittern for the Forest & Bird Bird of the Year, conservation efforts are continuing with the call for people around the region to record whenever they see the nationally threatened bird. The webpage – haveyoursay.trc.govt.nz/bittern-sightings –
Manutahi reservoirs.
A schematic representation of injection wells for both waste discharge
and enhanced oil recovery is presented in Figure 1.
Further details regarding hydrocarbon exploration and production in
Taranaki, the DWI process and its history within region can be found in
previous compliance reports published by the Council (see
Bibliography).
Resource consents
Sections 15(1)(b) and (d) of the RMA stipulate that no person may
discharge any contaminant onto land if it may
Craig Williamson is the new chair of Taranaki Regional Council. At today’s Ordinary Council meeting councillors unanimously elected Mr Williamson to replace Charlotte Littlewood, who recently announced her resignation as chair. He took over with immediate effect. Mr Williamson has been a councillor for almost 15 years and represents the New Plymouth Constituency. He says it is a privilege to take on the role of chair. “I look forward to leading the Council as we build on the progress of the
Last year ended with December having 34% less rain than usual and the first month of 2025 mirrored that exactly with 34% less rainfall across the region in January. This was particularly the case in South Taranaki with the monitoring station at Kaupokonui at Glenn Rd recording 59% less than usual. The district also saw the highest soil temperature with 28.1°C at Waitōtara at Rimunui Station on 22 January. Mean river flows for January were 40.1% lower than typical values, low flows were 11.6%