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1311 days ago

Kauri health survey Waitākere Ranges

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

A new kauri monitoring programme has been launched in the Waitakere Ranges.

Auckland Council workers are surveying healthy trees as part of their study into kauri dieback disease.

They are investigating the impacts of the disease on individual trees and the wider kauri population.

Auckland Council kauri dieback team manager Lisa Tolich said new remote sensing technology had given the council a good estimate of how many kauri trees spanned the ranges.

The team had drawn a sample of trees to survey.

“We are giving 3500 kauri in the Waitākere Ranges a full health check and will continue monitoring these specific trees for years to come,” Tolich said.

“The trees have been randomly selected from the overall population so field teams don’t know going in whether they’ll be assessing healthy or diseased trees.

“This is important because it means we can build a picture of what’s happening across the entire population – not just the areas where we know the pathogen is already present.”

Data collected will identify risks to tree health associated with the locations, environment and other factors such as changing climate.

Survey findings will help the council assess how well precautionary measures are working and if any adjustments are needed.

Funding for the monitoring programme comes from the Natural Environment Targeted Rate at an expected cost of between $650,000 and $700,000.

This includes the design and delivery of the Waitākere Ranges Surveillance programme between 2020-2022.

Environment and Climate Change Committee chair Richard Hills said the investment was another step towards helping protect and preserve kauri forests.

“Kauri dieback disease is unfortunately not going away and the more we can find out about the disease, through robust processes like our surveillance and monitoring programmes, the better placed we are to protect our native taonga now and for generations to come.”

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

What workplace change would you like to see most?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

This coming Monday is Labour Day in New Zealand. This public holiday marks when the eight-hour workday and 48-hour workweek became law in 1899. The idea started with Samuel Parnell, a carpenter in Wellington, who in 1840 refused to work more than eight hours a day. Since skilled workers were in short supply, his employer had to agree.

As more skilled workers arrived, employers tried to change working conditions, but Parnell and others kept pushing for better rights. In 1890, Parnell led a Labour Day parade of 1,500 people to promote the eight-hour day. He passed away shortly after, and nine years later, Labour Day became an official public holiday.

Do you feel that we have reached the ideal in working environments yet? What rights are you passionate about relating to employment? Share your thoughts!

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21 minutes ago

Online Shopping warning

The Team from New Zealand Police

As we come up to the festive season, a lot of us want to shop online and look for good bargains 🛍️🛒

Here’s a few tips to help you stay safe, avoid buying stolen property, and not get taken advantage of:
💸If it is too good to be true, it probably is, or it could be stolen property.
💸If it’s being sold as new, ask for the receipt for the warranty. If they can’t provide it, that’s a red flag.
💸Check the seller’s profile, is it new or relatively blank?
💸If you make a purchase and need to meet somebody to get it, choose somewhere well-lit and well populated in public, near CCTV. If it has to be somebody’s home, take someone with you and let someone else know where you’re going and when.
💸Be especially cautious when buying power tools or high-end toy brick building block sets.

Sadly, if you unknowingly buy stolen property, you’re aiding criminals and inadvertently supporting them to steal more.
If you find a suspect listing or social media scam, call 105, or report it with us online at 105.police.govt.nz

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3 hours ago

Labour Day Shop Hours

Christine Corcuera from Red Cross Shop Henderson

Red Cross Shop Henderson is open on the 28th October Labour Day!
Come visit us at:
435 Great North, Henderson
Monday to Sunday
9:00am to 5:00pm