A retired climate scientist says his analysis of rainfall and temperature records for the last 100 years shows climate change is not happening in Tauranga. Dr John Maunder's records of Tauranga rain and temperature on a month by month basis show there is no significant trend in either set of climate data. John Maunder says there is no evidence to suggest climate change is occurring for Tauranga. "Although I am sure some people will see or think that they can see changes," says More...

Environment Bay of Plenty says new measures are being introduced to stop the drift of sprays from kiwifruit orchards. Hydrogen Cyanamide, or Hi-cane, is sprayed on kiwifruit vines to promote bud break and ensure earlier and shorter flowering. File picture. EBOP pollution prevention manager Bruce Gardner says if spraying operations are not strictly controlled, or carried out in unsuitable conditions, it is likely spray will drift over neighbouring properties. This season kiwifruit More...

A Bay of Plenty Crown research institute is being accused of building its new genetically engineered field trial space before permission was granted by the Environmental Risk Management Authority. The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand claims Scion in Rotorua is building a field of 4000 genetically engineered pine trees, without first gaining approval from ERMA. "By enlarging its Rotorua GE field trial site more than tenfold, ahead of having its latest GE application More...

Students from Whangamarino School have their own wetland to manage on Lake Rotoiti and they're building it for themselves. The wetland is an artificial floating construction of coconut matting and foam with plastic material holding it together, which can be planted up with natives to form a new habitat for native plants and wildlife. Students from Whangamarino School are working on keeping a Lake Rotoiti wetland afloat. The project is one of the first initiated by Environment BOP and the More...

The Environmental Risk Management Authority has approved Scion's application to release a parasitic wasp into New Zealand to control the gum leaf skeletoniser. The gum leaf skeletoniser Uraba lugens is an Australian moth that has the potential to defoliate thousands of hectares of Eucalyptus plantations. Scion entomologist Dr Lisa Berndt says the young caterpillars skeletonise gum leaves by eating the green parts of the leaves, avoiding the veins, which results in a skeleton appearance to More...

An Environment BOP study has found that New Zealand's most widespread and well-known brush weed, gorse, is also a significant pollutant of the Rotorua lakes. Environment BOP's sustainable farming adviser John Paterson says the study's aim was to measure how much gorse there was, how much nutrient was leaching from it and what that meant for the health of Lake Rotorua. Lake Rotorua is at risk from the large amount of gorse in the region. "We know we have gorse all over the More...

Environment BOP is going to convert the gorse-covered hills behind Rotorua International Airport to pine forest in an effort to reduce the amount of nitrogen leaching into Lake Rotorua. Mature gorse leaches nitrogen at a high rate into waterways, and with 864ha of gorse known to be in the Rotorua catchment, about 43 tonnes of nitrogen enters the lake from mature gorse each year, contributing to the lake's problems. Environment BOP is conducting a trial to replace gorse near Rotorua More...

People walking dogs or picnicking on the shoreline should avoid a green algae scum which is showing up along the Lake Rotorua shoreline. Environment Bay of Plenty has collected samples and have found that the scum is made up of large numbers of the blue-green algae Microcystis Wesenbergii. The algae is not toxic but the scum could contain other toxic algae. The algal found at Lake Rotorua Environmentalist Matt Bloxham says it is unusual to see such sizeable scums appearing at this More...

A new recycling centre sees Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Avalon (BOP) Incorporated, a training organisation for people with disabilities, partner to deliver the Te Puke based service. The Eastern Recycling and Greenwaste Centre is due to open August 1 and will service Te Puke and its neighbouring communities. See video below of key stakeholders in the new Eastern Recycling and Greenwaste Centre talk about the opportunities and benefits this venture More...

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges has become the first person to sign up as an official friend of the Tauranga Environment Centre. He joined the centre's new 'Friends of Tauranga Environment Centre' programme on Monday morning. Tauranga Environment Centre trustee Mary Dillon and the centre's waste minimisation coordinator, Katrina O'Connor, with Tauranga MP Simon Bridges as he signs up as an official friend of the centre. Friends of Tauranga Environment Centre is a new initiative that offers More...