Come and see us at the Waikato Show and then head on down to the Gardens!

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

The Department of Economics, Waikato Management School invites you to a Public Seminar presented by our Distinguished Visiting Academic PROFESSOR NICHOLAS HANLEY
University of Stirling, United Kingdom

 5.45pm in MSB1.05
Waikato Management School, University of Waikato
Free car parking via Gate 10 on Silverdale Road

The economics of biodiversity

Why should we spend money protecting endangered birds like the kakapo?
What's the point of trying to conserve native forests?

In this talk, Professor Hanley suggests that one of the main reasons is that conserving biodiversity provides very real economic benefits, and we will look at some examples of studies which have measured this economic value of biodiversity, from the deep sea to the Scottish mountains.
We will also look at the contributions that economics has made to helping us to decide how best to protect biodiversity, especially when this involves changing how private land is managed.

Brief Bio: Nick Hanley is an environmental economist whose research interests involve the economics of biodiversity, environmental valuation, ecological-economic modelling and measuring sustainability. He is a Board Member of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and is also the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Coastal Zone Forum Convenor for the Scotland Marine Biodiversity Function and Services Steering Group. Nick has acted as a consultant to many UK government departments and agencies, the EU, the World Bank and the OECD.
In his spare time Nick likes to go tramping and hillwalking, and plays the guitar in a band. During his time here Nick has also been doing some busking at the local farmersmarkets.

Reminder - Living Streets strolls  - both at 2pm

April 6^th  Waiwhakareke reserve. This guided tour, again led by a Living Streets member with long experience of the Waiwhakareke restoration, will lead you around the present reserve and point out the land area concerned. The history of the area and its restoration programme will be explained as the walk progresses. Meet in the carpark directly across the road from the Hamilton Zoo by 2pm.

April 13th
The second walk is an exploration of urban parks and local walkways in the Te Rapa area. Meet at 2pm on April 13^th at the corner of Morrow St and Totara Drive for a fascinating stroll through local parks, connecting alleyways (including some superb graffiti art) and a lovely section of the riverbank walkway below the St Andrews Golf Course.

Waikato Show 11th - 13th April

The EnviroExpo is once again in Hall A, so come along and see what groups and organisations are up to. What lives in our gullies, what is around at night, live beasties and more. Only $5 for adults.
10 - 6 each day.

Wanted:
Aerator(s) : If anyone has a spare aerator or two for a fishtank that we could borrow for a few days please let us know (email)
Volunteers : If anyone would like to come along and help during the show please contact Katherine at the Centre. We just need helpers to relieve stall holders, and be a bit of added security so if you are able to give a few hours please let me know. We will give you a pass to get into the Show.

Tuesday 6th May
WRC Fieldday at Raglan 

The annual Waikato Regional Council fieldday is being held this year on Tues 6 May at Raglan. It starts with morning tea at 9.30 at Sunset Motel Hall and finishes at 3.30. This year the focus is on harbour care, riparian planting and freshwater fish.....opportunity for volunteers from all the Waikato- Coromandel to meet and share common interests in conservation.

Please email Bala  if you'd like to attend.

Tikkisetty, Bala
email

Fresh Honey in the Centre

We have new supplies of delicious Sweetree Marakopa Spring honey and some new Active 10+ Ohui Manuka honey.
Come by and pick some up.

Hamilton residents have until Sunday 23 March to recycle their old television as part of the nationwide TV TakeBack programme.

The Hamilton Refuse Transfer and Recycling Centre on Lincoln Street has already completed its participation in the programme but the Envirowaste Recycling Centre at 99 Sunshine Ave will be collecting old televisions for the subsidised rate of $5 until Sunday 23 March.

For other collection places around the Waikato region go to http://www.tvtakeback.govt.nz/collection-sites?tid=14

Just a friendly reminder:

Tomorrow evening, Thursday, Chris Gaskin is down from Auckland to speak to Forest and Bird about the work he and others are doing looking at Important Bird Areas, Birdlife International, Petrels. Will be an interesting illustrated talk for anyone remotely interested in birdlife - please send round your networks. Anyone is welcome to attend.

And on Sunday there is a workshop and meetup run by Hamilton Bicycling Network at 9.45 in Barton St.

Thursday - Forest and Bird Talk

7.30pm Chartwell Room, Hamilton Gardens

Speaker: Chris Gaskin
Chris’s talk will look at Important Bird Areas (IBA) programme – taking a bird’s eye view and identifying areas that are important for New Zealand’s seabirds. The marine IBA network provides a comprehensive overview of New Zealand’s seabirds allowing researchers to visualise where they breed and the extent of their foraging across the marine, and for inland breeding gulls and terns, freshwater environments.

The IBA programme places that in global context. He will touch on the role we all can play in taking the IBA programme forward.
He will also talk about some of his experiences with seabirds, both here in New Zealand and elsewhere in the South Pacific.

Chris is currently coordinator of the BirdLife International Important Bird Area (Seabirds) Programme in New Zealand (on contract to Forest & Bird, BirdLife’s NZ partner).

Sunday 23rd March

Hamilton Bicycling Network workshop for cyclists
9:45 am - Meet outside R&R Sports in Barton St.
10 am  Bike Clinic - adjusting various types of brakes including V-brakes & mechanical Disk-brakes
10:30am  Networking at Sierra Café - $6 coffee & muffin

A group of students is starting up a community garden at the university,  and are looking for donations of  trowels and small garden forks which are still in reasonable condition but no longer needed. 
The garden begins on Wednesday 19^th. The tools can be dropped off at the Environment Centre, 25 Ward Street, between 10 and 4. If this is not possible the students can make arrangements to pick them up.

Any queries contact Cheryl at the Permaculture Trust