Huge opportunity to accelerate ecological work
The Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust, or ‘WCEET’, is a collaboration between Mercury Power and the conservation groups that were involved in the re-consenting process for the company’s Waikato River dams. Together they manage an enhancement fund that supports efforts to environmentally compensate for the dams’ impact.
WCEET’s financial support has had a hugely positive impact on the Waikato and Lake Taupo catchments since it was established two decades ago – its funding of 300+ conservation projects has collectively enhanced 2600+ hectares of wetland and 2600+ hectares of riparian habitat, with 2.43 million natives planted and predator control applied to 7200+ hectares.
“We’ve supported some truly inspirational volunteer groups, landowners and businesses dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment,” said Trust Chair Gwyn Verkerk.
“Without any promotion, our funding rounds are always over-subscribed. So we’ve set up the WCEET Fund with Momentum Waikato, as both a new investment income stream in its own right, and to provide an easy way for the public to donate towards the expansion and long-term sustainability of this crucial local conservation funding.”
Bargain or big risk? Crown puts Huntly subsidence home on the market
A Crown-owned subsidence property has come on the market, but whether potential buyers reckon it’s a bargain or risky buy is yet to be seen.
While some might view the Huntly east property as a bargain, Huntly real estate agents reckoned living on top of the mining zone makes some buyers nervous they’re going to “just sink one day”. Although, the agents are fairly confident the area is safe.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Mayor’s use of poo emoji costs ratepayers over $4k
South Waikato mayor Gary Petley will make a public apology, and has sworn off social media after admitting he got it wrong when an online dispute turned sour.
A code of conduct complaint was made by Putāruru ward councillor Zed Latinovic in January after Petley reacted to comments made about council expenditure on Facebook by using the ‘poo emoji’.
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