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20 Hall Street, Pukekohe tel: 09 238 3796 free phone : 0800-SEEING Formerly John Kelsey Optometrists
Tuesday • OCTOBER 14 • 2014
• PHONE: 09 235 78 35 • w w w . th e po s tn e w s p a p e r . co . n z
Walkway good to go
Weekdays 9am - 5:30pm Saturday 9am - 1pm
Car dented, but confidence still high
Elders flock to Expo
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37 Queen Street, Waiuku Phone 235 5180
VOL 26 • NO.40
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A kilometre on his knees to fix slippery boards Next time you think your job is a bit tedious, spare a thought for Lloyd Stewart. For the past few days Lloyd, working for MES Services, has been contracting to Transfield to fix the new boardwalk area in Waiuku’s Queen Street. The boardwalk has been closed for some time as the original boards were found to be dangerously slippery. The solution? Into each board, router two 2.5mm deep grooves the length of each board, and insert, then glue, a narrow strip of fibreglass with an anti-slip coating into each groove. There’s over 600 of them, and Lloyd reckons that’s about 1.2km of routering and panelling. He laughs that he didn’t have kneepads the first day he worked on it, but that soon changed. Lloyd expects to be completed today or tomorrow, so it’s hoped the footpath may re-open in the near future. But when you walk on it, (in safety now), spare a thought for Lloyd.
Controversy after council approves 1080 usage in Hunua Auckland Council has approved the use of the poison 1080 in the Hunua Ranges, a decision which saw UnitedFuture Leader Peter Dunne immediately call for a five year moratorium on aerial drops of 1080. At its meeting on 9 October 2014, Auckland Council’s Regional Strategy and Policy Committee decided in favour of a proposal to manage pests in the Hunua Ranges using sodium fluoroacetate (1080). The proposal outlined the effect of significantly increased rat, possum and stoat numbers in the Hunua Ranges parklands and the limitations of current pest control methodology in managing high pest numbers. It particularly noted the impact this will have on the breeding success of threatened species and damage to the forest canopy. But UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne says the controversy surrounding the decision emphasises the need to take a take time out on the use of 1080 as a pest control method
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to better assess its efficacy. “UnitedFuture policy is to have a five year moratorium on the aerial dispersal of 1080, for two reasons. “First, if 1080 is to be dropped aerially near urban communities or waterways, better information about the long-term effects of 1080 on not just the local bird population, but also human beings, needs to be established. “In the absence of this, there is a strong risk of adverse public reactions over time making it impossible for any form of intrusive pest control to be carried out. “That gives rise to the second reason for the moratorium – it provides an opportunity for redirecting some funding towards alternative pest control strategies and methods, and also for a more informed community debate about pest management strategies generally, and the role of 1080 in particular. “Otherwise, there is a real risk of mount-
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ing public opposition to 1080 leading to its being banned before effective alternatives are put in place, and that would be simply disastrous for our biodiversity,” he says. Council Committee Chair Councillor George Wood says this is a landmark decision for the future of the Ranges. “This was not an easy decision and one in which we considered a wide range of views and opinions. “We have drawn on the experience of other agencies and the expertise of scientists from across New Zealand to make a decision that confronts a very real threat to the Hunua Ranges. “Throughout this operation, Auckland Council will be looking very closely at the science and the practical implications of the use of 1080 – we will take these learnings to control pests and ensure that our bush and native wildlife is preserved for the future. “Council has a responsibility on behalf of
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the people of Auckland to get this work underway,” he says. This decision is site specific, applying to the Hunua Ranges only. Officers will now begin work on the operational plan, which includes seeking approval from the Medical Officer of Health, obtaining independent peer reviews, and setting down a timeframe for the operation. The operation will be carried out in mid-2015. Council will continue to engage with iwi, local residents and landowners, key stakeholders and interest groups as it develops this plan. “The decision has been made and councillors have provided some direction for officers, they will now turn their attention to planning the operation – the future of the Hunua Ranges will be a hot topic for discussion for some time to come,” Councillor George Wood added. • The vote was passed 17 for, two against.
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