Articles in ‘Environment’

Wild horses galloping through wild country, manes and tails flying as they bound through the tussock, snow capped volcanoes in the background. It’s a romantic image, one that appeals to our love of the landscape and wide open spaces and speaks to the freedom we all yearn for. But the horses of the Kaimanawa ranges have had a long struggle that’s been far from romantic, not only…

Bees are the world's most numerous and arguably most essential livestock. Going quietly about their buziness in farms and gardens all over the country, honey bees are directly responsible for earning us billions of dollars in gross domestic product. They make honey, of course, but more importantly they pollinate horticultural and specialty agricultural crops, and by pollinating…

DC fast charging technology for 34 buses at depots in Christchurch and Auckland with an overall power capacity of around 3.7 Megawatt Flexible charging systems to easily expand the infrastructure and adapt to future battery voltage levels of up to 1,000 Volt Integration with one of the world’s major bus suppliers Yutong Siemens Smart Infrastructure received an order from Go Bus,…

It beggars belief that at this critical point in earth’s history when climate change is making its presence felt, Auckland city is set to lose thousands more trees. We have already lost one third of our tree canopy between 2012 and 2017 according to Dr Mels Barton from the Tree Council. In the Waitematā Local Board area alone, a 2018 report recorded tree canopy loss of an area…

This is the final article in the 1080 series and will look at how 1080 is delivered, any potential revenue losses for NZ, the results after 60 years of using 1080 and the alternatives? Doc employs an aerial dispersal method, usually by helicopter. This method has major issues with accuracy. Pilots use a GPs layout in an attempt to hit targeted areas. This is affected by wind…

by Shelley Hedges In the first article of Simplifying the 1080 Evidence I looked at technical aspects of the scientific research, the effects on aquatic fauna particularly freshwater trout and eels, and at the 1080 concerns raised in the 2007 ERMA report. This article looks at how 1080 kills and potential impacts on human and animal food and health. Death by 1080 is an…

Each year the debate intensifies as supporters and detractors line up on opposing sides of the fence. Both sides are equally passionate in their presentation of evidence, and fervent in their claims to be preserving our native wildlife. This article seeks to give a simple, easy to read explanation of the scientific evidence offered. The Department of Conservation (DoC) and…