It's okay to tell them - TURN THAT TAP OFF!
Water restrictions for Kaitaia and Kawakawa
Level 2 water restrictions are being applied to Kaitaia and Kawakawa-Moerewa due to low flows in rivers and little prospect of significant rain over the next two weeks.
The restrictions being applied from today ban the use of unattended garden hoses, sprinklers and irrigation devices by households and businesses connected to Council water supplies.
Acting Council CEO William Taylor says the restrictions recognise that Kaitaia’s Awanui River and the Tirohanga Stream at Kawakawa have not recovered well from the 2019/20 drought. “While both water sources are running above minimum consent levels, flows are trending downwards which is cause for concern. We know demand for water is likely to increase over the Christmas and New Year period, so as a precaution we need to reduce demand now to avoid the need for even tighter restrictions in coming weeks.”
He says the restrictions are a reminder to all Far North residents to use water sensibly over summer and the need to adopt simple conservation measures. These include:
· Shorter showers
· Flushing less often
· Only washing clothes on a full load
· Turning off taps while brushing teeth
· Fixing leaking taps, toilets and other fittings.
Mr Taylor says an increased holiday season population will increase pressure on water supplies. “I am asking all residents and business owners to remind visitors, friends and whanau of the need to conserve our precious resource.”
He says work to develop secondary water supplies for Kaitaia and Kaikohe – the two communities most seriously impacted by the recent drought – are progressing well. A bore site at Sweetwater near Kaitaia is due to supplement supplies from the Awanui River before next summer. Meanwhile, a second bore at Monument Hill in Kaikohe should be operational soon and could meet up to 45 per cent of the town’s summer water needs if required. The Council is also undertaking detailed research on the Tirohanga Stream near Kawakawa. It is hoped new evidence will show it is safe to take water for Kawakawa and Moerewa residents even when flows in the Tirohanga are lower.
Poll: Does the building consent process need to change?
We definitely need homes that are fit to live in but there are often frustrations when it comes to getting consent to modify your own home.
Do you think changes need made to the current process for building consent? Share your thoughts below.
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the Conversations column of your local paper.
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91.7% Yes
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8% No
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0.3% Other - I'll share below!
Food and product recalls
These items have been recalled during the last month. If you have any of these items at home, click on the title to see the details:
Product recalls
Avanti, Malvern Star & Raleigh bicycles
Yoto Kids Speaker
Anko Kids Pyjamas
Battery drill chainsaw attachment
Industrial pedestal misting fan
Yamaha adaptor
Zero Tower safety harness
Naturacoco moisturising cream
Thule child bike seat
Food recalls:
Maketū pies mussel pie
The Catering Studio cottage pie
Matakana Smokehouse gravlax/salmon
Our Fruit Box fruit juices
ProLife Foods value packs - nuts, raisins.
YY Dumplings & Fu Yuan ready-to-eat meat products
Waiheke Herbs italian herb spread
We hope this message was helpful in keeping your household safe.
Say goodbye to tyre waste
About 40% of the 6.5 million tyres Kiwis use every year are recycled, repurposed, or used as tyre-derived fuel. But the rest end up in landfills, stockpiled or dumped.
The good news is now there’s an easy solution to all that tyre waste. It’s called Tyrewise and is New Zealand’s first national tyre recycling scheme.
Tyrewise ensures that tyres in Aotearoa New Zealand are recycled or repurposed properly, saving millions from going to the landfill.
Find out more about the scheme online.