Teaming up for a healthier harbour
Thousands more plants were put in the banks of Porirua Stream last week as part of a project to reduce silt and contaminants entering Te-Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour.
Dozens of community volunteers joined Word Wide Fund for Nature and Porirua City Council staff to plant native trees and plants below Kenepuru Drive. The school holidays brought a number of children with their families down to help, in warm and overcast weather.
Carex, flax, toitoi, lemonwoods and other plants were put in the ground as part of Project #ReBlossomNZ, a collaboration led by Botanica by Air Wick and WWF, working with Ngāti Toa and Porirua, Wellington City, and the regional councils.
All up, about 6600 plants have gone in to provide shade and help prevent pollutants from the nearby roads and state highways enter the stream, which flows into the harbour. The stream supports six species of native fish: longfin and shortfin eels, giant kōkopu, inanga, redfin, and common bullies.
Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said it was great to see the turnout last week and was confident of continuous community involvement.
While the recent lockdown and current alert levels curtailed some public participation, there will be ample opportunities in the coming five years for people to get their hands in the soil.
“We’ve set aside $600,000 for riparian planting in our recent Long-term Plan, so this is important for our Council and our city,” Mayor Baker said.
“These plantings are a big step towards rejuvenating our precious harbour and, with many more harbour-related projects in the pipeline, I’m sure the community will help us along the journey.”
Ngāti Toa Treaty and Strategic Relationships General Manager Naomi Solomon acknowledged the significance of the waterway to Ngāti Toa, having historically been used for mahinga kai (food gathering areas).
“The collective planting efforts will go far in providing protection for the stream bed and raising awareness in the community around kaitiakitanga of our natural environment,” she said.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
Fair play
Whether it’s a playhouse, she shed or teenager’s sleepout, a stencil-painted floor in Resene Clockwork Orange will elevate it from meh to wow. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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