Papamoa Beach Top 10 Holiday Resort has followed up its Qualmark New Zealand 5 Star Holiday Park rating in October 2009 by achieving gold Qualmark Green Enviro-rating. The five key assessment areas for the Qualmark Green Enviro-ratings are energy efficiency, waste reduction, water management, and involvement in conservation and community activities. Operators must provide evidence that they have processes and programmes in place to monitor More...

The opportunity to inspect the Tuhua Marine Reserve without getting wet is being presented on Thursday night at the Tauranga Environment Centre. The Department of Conservation (DOC) is encouraging Bay of Plenty residents to get to know their local marine reserve as part of Seaweek. Tuhua Perch: A school of perch swimming over a kelp bed in Tuhua Marine Reserve. Credit Kim Westerskov. The presentation will feature underwater photography from Tuhua Marine Reserve as guest speakers from DOC More...

Tauranga was warmer, sunnier and wetter over summer, according to NIWA’s climate summary. The city was also the sunniest of New Zealand’s six main centres, with 771 hours of sunshine recorded between December 2009 and the end of February. NIWA climate scientist Andrew Tait says Tauranga’s sunshine hours over this period was 10 per cent higher than normal. The sunniest place in New Zealand was Kaitaia, which had 816 sunshine hours over summer. The average temperature More...

More than 35 diver and surface volunteers have spent their Saturday morning cleaning Pilot Bay. Underwater Clean up Pilot Bay organiser Shane Wasik says it’s really important to clean the area because of its large marine population, which includes sea horse, octopus and nudibrancs.    Mount Maunganui Underwater Club and local volunteers out in force Saturday to clean up Pilot Bay. The club has organised the underwater clean up in association with Seaweek, but Shane hopes More...

People are being advised to stay out of Lake Rotorua because of potentially toxic algal blooms. “High levels of blue-green algae, particularly in Ngongotaha, Holdens Bay, and the lake front area of the city have been confirmed – therefore a health warning for the entire lake has been issued,” says Medical Officer of Health Dr Neil de Wet.   Lake Rotorua. The health warning means that people should avoid any activity which results in significant contact with the More...

A conversation about feral goat control in the Kaimais between Environment Waikato and Environment BOP has sparked the creation of a joint approach to keeping water catchments clean on both sides of the ranges. The Kaimai catchment includes 250,000 hectares draining through the territories of two regional councils, five district councils, and 11 iwi, into Tauranga harbour or the Waihou River. The Kaimai Ranges. Populations on both sides of the Kaimais depend on the range’s health for More...

Mount Maunganui residents are annoyed that although the seasonal rubbish bins on Mauao and Leisure Island have gone, people are still dumping trash in those places. “My concerns are that although the bin is temporary (for summer), lots of locals use the site all year round for walking – as do many fishermen/women and tourists visiting off season,” says resident Mark Clayson. “I have witnessed cruise ship passengers, tourists, looking at the pile of rubbish in More...

The vegetable patch and garden of the Arataki Kindergarten is being irrigated by a new rain water irrigation system mainly thanks to Bayfair Shopping Centre. The rainwater irrigation system is being used as an educational tool for the children to learn about water conservation. Bayfair Shopping Centre management are hoping some of their enthusiasm for sustainable practice will rub off on the next generation. “Nearly one billion people worldwide lack access to safe, clean More...

The HazMobile, a free collection service for household hazardous waste, is about to make what is likely to be its last visit to the Western Bay of Plenty. The farewell visit to collect old and often dangerous chemicals, poisons and cleaning products begins at Katikati on Saturday, February 27. The Katikati collection is at Hume Pack-N-Cool, 4 Prospect Drive, from 10am to 2pm. The collection service will then move to the Maleme Street Transfer Station, Greerton on March 13 from 9am till More...

Department of Conservation is attempting to repopulate Mayor Island, Tuhua, with a rare bird which became extinct in the North Island in the late 1800s. There are about 100-200 orange-fronted parakeet, kakariki, left in the wild in New Zealand and these are all in the South Island. The orange fronted parakeet. This project began in December when the first delivery of birds courtesy of South Island iwi Ngai Tahu arrived, but this was added to this week when 10 more birds were More...