✈ Understanding the DMAPS Changes ✈
We received this interesting question from a resident who has received the Wellington Airport consultation documents. To answer this question, here's what you should look out for:
🔎*Compare the old vs. new flight paths*:
*Page 7*: Old flight path
*Page 4*: New flight path (however, see more in the comments 👇)
🔎*Check page 2*: It mentions that pilots can request to deviate from the path, but 'occasionally deviating' is very different from being directly under the new path. Previously, lighter turboprop planes flew over, but now DMAPS concentrates jet engine aircraft over suburbs, causing a significant noise increase.
📊*Noise impact*:
*Old*: 54dB (prop planes) - this is what an Airways Report tells us.
*New*: Up to 80dB (jet engines) - actual noise captured by sound monitors in the suburbs (this isn't included in the consultation documentation). And remember, decibels increase exponentially like the Richter scale!
🚨Plus, unlike on the previous flight path, DMAPS means more frequent flights, with smaller gaps between them, and an increase in jet departures means higher noise levels for longer periods over the new path. That's why we're pushing for the DMAPS decision to be *reversed*, reverting to the old flight path - which isn't the same as sending all the jets over another suburb.
🤖Learn more about the bias in the consultation process, independently analysed by AI: 👉www.planesensewellington.com...
⚠️ 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 ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag