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Young scientists’ research impresses judges Students across Canterbury have been rewarded for their scientific research. Prizes were awarded to students taking an innovative investigative approach to solving an environmental issue facing Canterbury. Our staff selected the recipients of the resource management awards based on their scientific method, innovative thinking, practical application, and relevancy to the…
Waste to energy plant consent applications received Environment Canterbury has received resource consent applications from South Island Resource Recovery Limited for a proposed waste to energy plant near Waimate and is now auditing the applications before any public notification begins. We received seven resource consent applications on Wednesday 21 September, which contain numerous documents and…
Meatworks sentenced to pay $57,000 for discharge to land and marine area FEATURE IMAGE: This photo, taken on 26 March 2021, shows discharge from Alliance Smithfield meatworks entering the marine environment off the coast of Waitarakao Washdyke Lagoon. Alliance Smithfield meatworks has been sentenced to pay $57,000 after being prosecuted by Environment Canterbury for unlawfully discharging…
Fun Day will launch pump track at McLeans Forest On Sunday October 2, we will officially open the new pump track and drag strip at McLeans Forest. The launch day will include bike races, prizes, track demonstrations and a sausage sizzle. Parks and Forests Manager Chuck Dowdell said the new features will be an asset…
LAWA river and lake water quality national assessment welcomed Environment Canterbury welcomes the latest river and lake water quality assessment from Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA). Chair Jenny Hughey said it was important to reflect on the state of all Canterbury rivers, streams and lakes, particularly our iconic braided rivers, on World Rivers Day. She…
Celebrate World Rivers Day 2022 Every year, the last Sunday of September is celebrated as World Rivers Day and, for 2022, that’s Sunday 25 September. So, what is World Rivers Day all about and how can you get behind it? What is World Rivers Day? The first World Rivers Day was celebrated in 2005 and…
Track closed on Pūkaki-Tākapo River A main access track along the Pūkaki – Tākapo/Tekapo River is closed following significant landslips. The track is near the delta of the Ōhau, Waitaki and Pūkaki – Tākapo rivers, and will be closed indefinitely. Warning tape on either side of the slips will be replaced with semi-permanent deterrents on…
Historic sheep dips identified in Waimate research Research on historic land use in the Waimate district has found that old sheep dips are the most common source of potential soil contamination in the area. This follows the trend of other Canterbury districts, including Ashburton and Hurunui, that also share a strong history of sheep farming….
Nitrate exceedance in council drinking water supply near Waimate A council-run rural water supply near Waimate has recently been impacted by high nitrate concentrations and is not meeting drinking water standards. Environment Canterbury is supporting Waimate District Council to help resolve the nitrate exceedance at its Lower Waihao Rural Water Supply in the Glenavy and…
Environment Canterbury celebrate kick-starting Living Wage accreditation Environment Canterbury will soon apply to be an accredited Living Wage employer. After Council asked staff to begin the process in July, the Living Wage Movement visited this week to acknowledge the journey Environment Canterbury has been on and celebrate with Councillors and staff. As part of the…
New Te Waihora Co-Governance website builds on a decade of achievement The Te Waihora Co-Governance partners have reached another important milestone to mark a decade of successful restoration activity in and around Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere. The partners are: Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Environment Canterbury Christchurch City Council Selwyn District Council Department of Conservation Te Papa…
Cones Road Community Planting Day Come down to the Rakahuri on Saturday 24 September at 10am and join us in planting seedings. What: Community planting day When: Saturday 24 September, approximately 10am – 1pm Where: The area between the primary and secondary stopbanks west of Cones Road – Ashley River/Rakahuri. RSVP: Not required, but feel free to join the…
Youth-led planting day enhances Waimakariri River Regional Park Members of our Youth Rōpū recently held a successful planting event in Waimakariri River Regional Park. A group of 24 people, including Youth Rōpū members, Environment Canterbury staff and members of the public, planted 418 native trees in part of Templars Island known as ‘The Sanctuary,’ then celebrated…
Rolleston tamariki get involved in planting project along Te Waikēkēwai Students from Waitaha and Te Rōhutu Whio schools in Rolleston have had some hands-on planting experience during Kids Discovery Plant-out days with Te Taumutu Rūnanga in Te Waihora catchment. Source link
High flows expected in lower Waitaki River as storage lakes are spilled Page last updated: Friday 2 September 9am Flows in the lower Waitaki River are expected to run significantly higher than normal from late Thursday 1 September, while spill flows from the storage lakes in Lake Pūkaki and Lake Takapō/Tekapō are released. Releasing this…
What caused Timaru’s drinking water to change colour? Our science investigation into what caused the discolouration of Timaru’s drinking water in late 2021 has found that discharge from silage pits was a likely contributor to the problem, but we couldn’t rule out other possible contributors. Timaru residents experienced several weeks of yellow/brown water during the summer…
Regional overview gives high-level information on current state and trends Environment Canterbury is congratulating the Canterbury Mayoral Forum on the release of its updated wellbeing overview, a fantastic document that will be a valuable resource over the next three years. The wellbeing overview includes high-level information on the current state of the region and trends….
Listed Land Use Register wins another award Environment Canterbury’s innovative online tool for monitoring potentially contaminated land has received its second award in eight months. Our Listed Land Use Register (LLUR) was given a WasteMINZ Award for Excellence in Contaminated Land Management. The award given to the LLUR team WasteMINZ considered the LLUR a project,…
Propagation workshops help farming communities Around 40 people attended two propagation workshops held in June and July in Hinds and Hawarden to learn how to grow and plant the most suitable plants for their properties. Planting has many environmental and conservation benefits – including providing habitat for birds, improving water quality, and protecting soil…
New groundwater quality reports released Environment Canterbury has released two new reports on groundwater quality in the region. Groundwater Science Manager Carl Hanson said the report on our Annual Groundwater Quality Survey summarises the current state of groundwater quality throughout the region and provides analysis of trends over the past decade. While the Risk Maps…
Soil Conservation and Revegetation Programme marks another successful year Environment Canterbury’s Soil Conservation and Revegetation Programme (SCAR) has marked another successful year with significant fencing and planting projects being undertaken. The four-year programme, which has funding support from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), aims to reduce erosion and sediment loss, and stabilise damaged land in…
Recipients of community fund sing its praises Orari River Protection Group (ORPG) from Geraldine were proud recipients of the Waitaha Action to Impact Fund in 2021. The group, which received $6,500 last year (and will receive the same this year and next), aims to eliminate predators and sustain weed eradication in the upper and lower catchments…
Reviews on track to keep more water in the Hakatere/Ashburton River Record rainfall over the last month has left our river flows in a constant rise and fall, however the lack of water in the Hakatere/Ashburton River has been a concern of river users for many years and is still being addressed. From 1 July…
Take care near new monitoring equipment at Lake Benmore Our scientists will gain a better understanding of the health of Lake Benmore – thanks to a new, purpose-built monitoring station. The equipment includes a large yellow hull (about 1.5 metres wide) with a solar panel on top, six orange marker buoys, and underwater anchor ropes….
Woolston scrap metal yard fire – environmental response updates Our incident response team was last night notified of a large fire at the National Steel yard in Woolston. The fire is now under control. Some oil has entered the Heathcote River via the stormwater network. Our staff remains onsite to minimise any environmental impact from…
Funding clears the way for Kowhai River clean up Kaikōura’s awa/river Kowhai will benefit from one of the region’s largest scale weed control efforts thanks to a $500,000 investment through our berm transition programme. Removing weeds from the berms – the land next to the river – makes them more resilient against weed intrusion and more…
Environment Canterbury won’t appeal water bottling decision Environment Canterbury has decided it will not seek leave to appeal the recent decision of the Court of Appeal on its grant of consents for Cloud Ocean Water Limited and Rapaki Natural Resources Limited to carry out water bottling activities at plants previously used for other industrial activities. In 2020,…
New candidates to vie for Canterbury constituencies Election contests will be held in all seven constituencies for the Canterbury Regional Council. “With the deadline passing for people to get their nominations in and candidates confirmed, I can advise that there will be an election in all seven constituencies,” Environment Canterbury Electoral Officer Anthony Morton said….
New candidates to vie for Canterbury constituencies Election contests will be held in all seven constituencies for the Canterbury Regional Council. “With the deadline passing for people to get their nominations in and candidates confirmed, I can advise that there will be an election in all seven constituencies,” Environment Canterbury Electoral Officer Anthony Morton said….
Wilding conifers removal for Twizel residents As part of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, we are working to remove pest conifer trees from across the region. We are seeking expressions of interest from landowners within Twizel township and the surrounding area to have problem conifers removed from their property. Applicable species include: Contorta (lodgepole)…