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Friday 25 March 2022
Stranded whales perish
High and dry: Some of the 36 whales which stranded on Farewell Spit last week. Despite rescue efforts, there were no survivors. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
All of the whales which stranded on Farewell Spit last week have perished. The beached pod was first observed on Thursday by a member of the public, who alerted the Department of Conservation (DOC) at around 6pm. DOC Rangers dispatched to the scene counted 36 pilot whales, spread along approximately two kilometres of beachfront. Only seven were still alive. With darkness falling, however, any attempt to refloat the creatures on that night’s incoming tide was deemed unsafe. When The GB Weekly arrived at the site – around 4km from the base of the spit – just before dawn on Friday, Project Jonah team leader Rob Leenheer had already taken stock of the situation. He explained that the rescue would be challenging because the whales were lying on the sloping sand at the high tide mark, rather than on the intertidal flats.
The majority of the stricken mammals were distributed across two groups located approximately 100 metres apar t. The individuals lay mostly in single file, their bulbous heads facing towards the far end of the spit. Of the first group of eight, three were alive but showed signs of mild skin blistering. In the adjacent group of 17, all were dead, but two whales located much further along the spit were still breathing. Under Rob’s supervision, a DOC team of four excavated a trench by removing sand alongside an adult whale before rolling it upright. That was achieved at 8.20am but, rather than dig additional trenches, DOC ranger and marine mammal specialist Mike Ogle suggested it was more important to keep the whales’ skin hydrated. “The priority is to get water on them; there is some blistering. It’s two hours to high tide.” Given the low number of survivors, there was no public call for helpers, explained DOC Golden Bay operations manager Dave
Winterburn. “We didn’t request widespread public support as there were sufficient DOC staff, who were supported by Project Jonah.” A couple of hours later, DOC and Project Jonah marine mammal medics successfully refloated all five surviving whales on the morning’s high tide, but some quickly beached as the water receded. “Shortly after these whales were refloated, four whales stranded,” said Dave. “They could be from among the five refloated whales but we can’t be certain as they stranded at different locations over several kilometres. However, due to the timing, we think they are likely the same whales.” Their survival chances were deemed slim, said Dave. “One whale was deceased on stranding and three whales were euthanised for their welfare as they were in poor condition and would not survive.” Representatives from Manawhenua ki Mohua visited Farewell Spit to say a karakia... Continued on page 5
FDS - have your say JO RICHARDS
The Nelson Tasman Future Development Strategy (FDS) remains a work in progress, but has now reached a crucial stage. As part of the formal public consultation period, which runs from 14 March to 14 April, Nelson City Council (NCC) and Tasman District Council (TDC) are seeking feedback on their recently published draft document. The publication outlines the strategic growth options for future housing and business land in the region over the next 30 years. Submissions close at 5pm on 14 April 2022. Last Friday evening it was Golden Bay’s turn to listen to, and to question, council staff and their advisors via a public webinar. The one-hour Zoom session, designed to engage with local communities, was one of 17 to be held across the districts. T h e w e b i n a r, h o s t e d b y T D C communications officer Tim O’Connell, began with a short animation covering some of the key points of the FDS before a more detailed presentation was delivered by senior council staff and consultants. TDC urban growth co- ordinator Jacqui Deans provided some contextual information about the FDS, explaining that it was a “30-year, high-level, pivotal strategy” that informs a range of other council plans including the Long Term Plan, financial policy and climate action. Jacqui explained that around 200 potential sites for development of housing, commercial or industrial land had been evaluated across the region using a range of assessment criteria. NCC’s Chris Pawson presented figures relating to projected housing development in the Nelson-Tasman region over the next 30 years, which showed that up to 29,000 new dwellings are envisaged in the draft FDS, compared with the current plan which specifies 14,000. “FDS plans for high growth,” said Chris. Almost 30 minutes in to the webinar, Cam Wallace of consultants Barker and Associates made the first specific mention of Golden Bay, saying it was “not seen as a key area for development”. He explained that Tākaka’s new plan envisages 730 new dwellings – significantly higher than the 100 shown in the current plan, and said most would be built on “greenfield sites”. Jacqui rationalised the increased provision as a result of the latest population growth statistics. Continued on page 2
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Inside: Top 10 legends THE GB WEEKLY, FRIDAY 25 MARCH 2022
Gardening tips
Jenny Bennett
Rural Views
Nikki Winter
S c h e d u l e d • S c e n i c • C h a rt e r ISSN (PRINT) 2538-0923 ISSN (ONLINE) 2538-0931
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