Canterbury wetland projects receive funding boost
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Eight Waimakariri environmental projects are set to receive a funding boost, including three wetland projects near Kaiapoi.
The Waimakariri Zone Committee has recommended eight projects receive a share of the remaining balance of $66,000 from its 2023-24 action plan budget.
Chairperson Carolyne Latham said 12 applications were received for projects totalling $150,000.
‘‘Nine of the projects met the criteria.
‘‘Some of the projects have only been allocated partial funding to meet the budget that we have, but we hope it will be enough to at least complete aspects of those projects.’’
Three wetland projects north of Kaiapoi are among those set to receive funding.
Two allocations of $15,000 have been recommended for a bittern and īnanga (whitebait) rushland project and for a fencing and planting project at nearby O’Kair Lagoon, on the side branch of the McIntosh’s Drain waterway.
A nearby Pohio Wetland project has also received $11,700.
A restoration project at Hunters Stream at Springbank, between Rangiora and Oxford, will receive $5285, and a wetland enhancement project at Ketchum Cottage, Fernside, near Rangiora, will receive $7210.
Other projects include a riparian enhancement project ($6000) at Whiterock Mains, near Oxford, and year three of monitoring by the Sefton Saltwater Creek Catchment Group ($2805).
The remaining $3000 has been allocated to the Waimakariri environmental awards, being run by the Waimakariri Biodiversity Working Group.
The Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group received $9000 towards its ongoing estuary shorebird monitoring in July last year.
Each of the 10 Canterbury water zones were allocated $75,000 from Environment Canterbury’s 2023/24 annual plan to distribute to projects which support the implementation of their local zone action plan.
The final decision on the funding will be made at the next Environment Canterbury water and land committee meeting next mopnth.
The Waimakariri Zone Committee is a joint committee of Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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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 ❤️