Forest and Bird Native Plant Sale

Environmental Sustainability Strategy

Review

HAVE YOUR SAY!

When: Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Time: 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Where: Reception Lounge, (Hamilton City Council)

In 2008, key agencies involved in environmental sustainability

programmes in the city came together to discuss a new way of

solving the environmental issues facing our city. The decision to

work together on a city-wide strategy for Hamilton was entirely

deliberate and was based on the belief that comprehensive

improvement to the city's environmental sustainability will not

be achieved by the actions of any one sector.

Hamilton’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy is currently

under review, and we would like to take this opportunity to

incorporate your views to help shape the new strategy. We are

keen to hear your thoughts on what you think are the key issues

facing our city and how we should be addressing these in the

future.

For further information please contact the Strategy and

Research Unit on 07 838 6537, or e-mail strategy@hcc.gov.nz

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability

Review of Council bylaws

Four more of Council’s bylaws are up for review.  The public are encouraged to submit their views on the proposed changes by Friday 18 May.

The bylaws cover the city’s parks, domains and reserves, traffic (including the Skating Bylaw and the declaration of Garden Place as  Pedestrian Mall) and cultural facilities, and are among a suite of bylaws Council is currently reviewing.

For more information, and how you can offer your views visit the bylaws submission page on www.hamilton.co.nz or come to one of the following public information hours being held next week.

Monday 23^rd April 12pm, HCC Reception Lounge – Traffic Bylaw 2007 Review - including the Skating Bylaw, the declaration of Garden Place as  Pedestrian Mall and shared zones.

Tuesday 24^th April 12 pm, HCC Reception Lounge – Parks, Domains and Reserves Bylaw 2007 Review – Includes bringing the bylaw inline with the Freedom Camping Act 2011.

Tuesday 24^th April 1 pm, HCC Reception Lounge – Cultural and Recreational Facilities Bylaw 2007 Review.

     Waikato Botanical Society AGM and talk

 Thursday 19th April

 6.30pm AGM, 7pm talk

At Waikato University, Room S.G.03, S block, Gate 8 Hillcrest Rd.   (please note: this is different to where we normally meet).  Contact Jackson Efford: bot_soc@waikato.ac.nz

This will be followed by questions and a cuppa

Peter de Lange - Kermadec Biodiscovery 2011 Expedition 

In May 2011 the Auckland Museum led a three week investigation of the Kermadec Islands Marine Reserve, New Zealand's largest and least explored marine reserve. The Kermadecs are an isolated, volcanogenic archipelago that owes its origin to the ongoing subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Austro-Indian Plate. The expedition team comprising a multidisciplinary, international body of mostly marine scientists intended to document the marine biota surrounding the Kermadec Archipelago. Two scientists were tasked with documenting the terrestrial biota of the island group; Dr Peter de Lange, a senior scientist with the Department of Conservation, was invited to participate as expedition botanist. 

Peter’s talk will detail the places visited, aspects of the vegetation and flora and illustrate some of the discoveries made during the expedition, which include a new ecosystem type of New Zealand, a raft of mosses, liverworts and lichens new to the New Zealand Botanical Region, and one new, as yet to be described, vascular plant endemic to the southern Kermadec Islands group.

Norah Howell Charitable Trust applications

Due to a change of date of the Trustee Meeting, the closing date for the  is now 30 April 2012.  Request an application form from: C B Cleland, Norah Howell Charitable Trust, P O Box 9495, Hamilton. (07) 838 2692

 Small Scale Community Initiatives Fund Applications Open

Applications for the above fund are open and will close on 25 June 2012. Funds to successful applicants will be available July/August 2012. This fund is for weed and animal pest management work. Information can be found at:www.waikatobiodiversity.org.nz/funding/ew_initiatives/

If you have any queries please be in touch Moira Cursey:    m.cursey@xtra.co.nz    www.waikatobiodiversity.org.nz

Fund Raising Opportunity

Clearwater Hydro Limited is looking for a workforce with some knowledge of planting to plant two areas of 2.65ha in Raninui (20 kms from Whakamaru).

They are developing a hydro scheme and are looking at retiring 2.65ha of farm land which will probably be planted in Manuka or Kanuka for stabilization. This slope is south east facing, is quite steep and is currently in grass. It would be planted in September-October. Clearwater Hydro Limited are interested in paying community groups who would like to fund raise.

The other area is 2.65ha of river bank which may need a mix of plants and may be planted the following season.  They are hoping to locate volunteers for this section because of its environmental benefits..

They estimate that a total of approxiamately 10,000 to 15,000 plants will be  planted.

If you are able to help or require further information, please contact:

Kat Chantler at Clearwater Hydro Limited

Ph. 07 5784096 |Fax. 07 5784275 | 021 147 9506| www.clearwaterhydro.co.nz

 “How to Build a Lifeboat”

 Nicole Foss - international speaker on energy and global finance

12 noon Monday 16 April 2012

Don't miss this fantastic speaker!

Hamilton City Council Reception Lounge, Garden Place, Hamilton

Nicole will explain reasons for vanishing wealth, rising global unemployment and social unrest amid global tensions over resources and how families and communities can navigate the choppy seas ahead.

Nicole has lectured in hundreds of locations across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and made numerous media appearances in a variety of countries.

Nicole is Senior Editor of the automaticearth.blogspot.co.nz - writing under the name Stoneleigh. She and co-author and Editor-in-Chief Raúl Ilargi Meijer have chronicled and interpreted the on-going credit crunch as the most pressing aspect of our current multi-faceted predicament.

Prior to the establishment of automaticearth, Nicole was editor of The Oil Drum Canada, where she wrote on peak oil and finance. She also ran the Agri-Energy Producers' Association of Ontario focusing on farm-based biogas projects, grid connections for renewable energy and Feed-In Tariff policy development.

While living in the UK she was a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, where she specialized in nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, and conducted research into electricity policy at the EU level. She also has significant previous experience practicing as an environmental consultant.

Free, but please bring koha.

Contact: katherine@envirocentre.org.nz

More information:

• http://theautomaticearth.org/TAE-Primers
• http://theautomaticearth.org/Lifeboat/how-to-build-a-lifeboat.html
• http://theautomaticearth.org/Lifeboat/40-ways-to-lose-your-future.html
• http://theautomaticearth.org/Finance/an-unstable-tower-of-breaking-promises.html
• http://theautomaticearth.org/Finance/a-future-discounted.html

Thursday 12th April

Waikato Regional Council Long Term Plan Roadshow

Combined ACRE / Waikato Environment Centre presentation.

5.30pm at Waikato Regional Council, Grey St, Hamilton East. 

Come and find out information regarding the Long Term plan, hear from and talk to Councillors. Get help with putting in your submission.

As this is after hours, anyone interested in coming please arrive at 5.20pm at Waikato Regional Council, on Grey St and you will be let in the sliding door below the Council building. Public parking is available from the Cook St entrance, at the same level as the entrance we are using.

Anyone after that will have to text Emma on 021 0357 573 so she can ensure you’re let in and wait at the sliding door under the Regional Council building. 

There is a copy of the Draft Long Term Plan in the Environment Centre or go to the WRC website   You can make a submission online. Submissions close on the 27th April at 4pm.