Pat Van Berkel - Whaitua Te Whanganui-a-Tara Committee
Kia ora koutou, I’m Pat, a member of the Whaitua Te Whanganui-a-Tara Committee tasked with making recommendations to Greater Wellington Regional Council on the future of our coastal and freshwater quality, and how our water is used. Our waterways and all the fish and species that live in them are precious taonga, so we have set out to understand how they are valued and what should be done to provide the future we want for our water.
I have had the opportunity to work with some of you through my involvement with Forest & Bird Upper Hutt. I also chair the local group – Friends of the Hutt River. I am passionate about the health of our waterways that should be safe for people to enjoy and would like to see a thriving natural ecology in our waterways.
This job isn’t easy. We need to find solutions to fix our waste and stormwater networks. These are big changes, and needs to reflect our communities’ views informed by good evidence and information.
Connect with us to talk about what we can do together. You can reach us at whaitua@gw.govt.nz. To see what we have been doing visit our Facebook page, and to share what you value about our water and your solutions have your say by following the link below.
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
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What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.