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Friday 4 October 2024
Digging in to care for shore
Community volunteers plant native coastal species at Seddon Street Reserve, Pūponga last Saturday morning. Photo: Jo Richards. JO RICHARDS
Members of the small coastal community of Pūponga came together last Saturday morning for a hands-on planting session. In less than two hours the two dozen residents had successfully dug in several hundred coastal plants along the shoreline at Seddon Street Reserve. The planting represents the first stage of a Coastcare scheme, steered and funded by Tasman District Council (TDC), to improve the appearance of the area and help protect the reserve from costal erosion. The initiative arose following last year’s felling of several large old man pine trees on the reserve which left the shoreline exposed and unsightly. With the tree canopy removed, sun-loving native sand-binding plants (spinifex and pingao), along with rushes and grasses (including sand coprosma, sand tussock and coastal flax), could be planted. In January this year a group of Pūponga residents met on site with TDC’s reserves
officer Stephen Richards to discuss an initial planting programme. As a result of that engagement Stephen drew up a plan which began to materialise on Saturday. Before the eager locals got to work with spades and gloved hands, Rob Lewis of TLC Native Nursery, who had supplied all the plants, explained that the various species should be planted in a position according to their tolerance to salt-water, with the most tolerant – spinifex and pingao – closest to the shoreline. “They recover well from salt-water immersion; others don’t recover so well.” He added that invasive marram grass on the reserve has been sprayed and cut back but some would remain in order to capture sand until the native species became well established. Rob continued to describe the other species, where they should be planted and how they would contribute to the regeneration of the reserve. “We’re putting the right plants in the right place.” Stephen explained that part of his role is to
act as Coastcare co-ordinator for the district. “We’re doing this sort of thing all around Golden Bay and Tasman Bay,” said Stephen, adding that it was about people as well as plants. “These events always go really well. There’s a positive social aspect to it and it gives a degree of ownership to the community. It’s engaging and empowering.” Volunteer Jan Dean agreed. “It’s a good thing for the land and a good thing for the people – to come together and be co-operative.” She said that her family had enjoyed spending time at the reserve over the past 20 years. “We’re regular users of the beach along with our children and eight grandchildren.” When all the holes had been dug and plants bedded in and mulched, thoughts turned to stage two of the plan – an extension of the scheme along the shoreline. “We’ll have another community planting this time next year for the next 70 metres,” said Stephen, “and as budgets allow.”
Bylaws for pet control JO RICHARDS
Amongst Tasman District Council (TDC)’s recent spate of hearings, two held particular interest for Golden Bay residents. Last Tuesday and Wednesday, TDC heard public submissions on draft bylaws for cat and dog management respectively. Both meetings were held in the Richmond council chamber and chaired by Golden Bay ward councillor Chris Hill. Cats Of the two drafts, the cat “snip and chip” bylaw has proved less contentious. It attracted a total of 152 submissions, 11 of which were heard during Tuesday’s 75-minute session. Ten of the speakers were strongly supportive of the draft bylaw, with many urging the council to go further and faster with its cat management regime. One contributor, however, questioned whether TDC had followed a robust legal process in choosing to create a new bylaw. TDC explains in the preamble to the document that it drafted the legislation “to address several issues associated with the unmanaged cat population, including public health concerns and nuisances caused by stray cats”. The key provisions laid out in the bylaw are as follows: All cats over six months old must be microchipped; all microchipped cats must be registered on the National Companion Animal Register; all cats over six months old must be desexed unless the owner holds registration as a breeder. Existing cat owners shall be granted a transition period (until 1 June 2027) during which they are required to desex, microchip, and register any cats they already own. The first member of the public to speak at the hearing, Les Cook, described cats as “urban guerillas” and “killers of birds” that “spread disease”. In addition to supporting the provisions in the draft bylaw, he advocated for each household to be limited to a maximum of two cats, for the pets to be confined on their owners’ property, and for the cat population to be “reduced drastically”. His views and suggestions were largely endorsed by others from Forest & Bird, Predator Free NZ Trust, and Project De-Vine, who were all keen to see the transition period end on 1 June 2026, a year earlier than specified in the draft. It was also clear that these organisations would press for 24/7 confinement of cats at the next bylaw review in five years’ time and, in the meantime, seek to introduce intelligent... Continued on page 2
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