Today bidding opens for Matakana Schools fundraising silent auction. Matakana School’s annual auction event is one of their main fundraisers for the year. The silent auction will run for two weeks prior to the Bayleys Op Shop Ball & Auction evening, which will be held on Friday the 18th of June. There will also be live auction items on the night.The funds raised from this auction will be going towards programmes, such as their amazing Garden to Table programme and digital technology via robotics through Lego Education, to name just a couple. It will also go towards student enrichment through activities, such as the kapa haka group, school choir, school pool and library, along with additional learning support; and new school resources, such as technology, sports equipment, music, and art supplies.This year, the school is using online auction site 32 Auctions for the silent auction items. Please follow the steps below to ensure you have a successful bidding experience.Before the auction opens on Friday...1. Go HERE 2. Create an account.You will only have to enter your first and last name, your email address and create a password.3. Go to your email and verify your account through the email sent to you by 32 Auctions.Check out the amazing items and get ready to bid. The auction will run for two weeks closing at 3.00 p.m. on the 18th JunePlease feel free to share the link to the silent auction with friends, family and the community. Thank you for supporting Matakana School. 

Every holiday period and long weekend, we see large numbers of people heading out of the city to the Matakana Coast, and this can cause queues and delays.To help alleviate these problems, we recommend planning your travel well in advance and travelling outside the busiest periods. To make this easier for you, Auckland Transport have created an interactive traffic prediction map for holiday periods. The map shows when we expect traffic to be heavy based on travel patterns from previous years.Queen's Birthday weekend traffic predictionsBecause predicted peak times can change based on incidents, weather and even driver behaviour, we suggest that you also check the real-time Journey Planner before you leave for the latest information on road works, traffic, road closures and delays.Journey PlannerThe weather for Saturday isn't looking too bad, with some clouds, a chance of showers, and strengthening northerlies. Unfortunately things take a turn for the worse on Sunday, with northeasterlies and a few showers, then rain from evening which will carry on through Monday. Whats OnFridayLong Weekend Super Bash, Leigh Sawmill Cafe, 8:00 p.m.Three epic bands hit Leigh Sawmill to rock the stage and make you dance all night! For only $15.00 on the door, you can be a part of the best party the long weekend has to offer! Doors open at 8.00 p.m., so don't miss out.Big Tasty is a nine-piece funk party ready to shake your socks off! Led by diminutive powerhouse front woman Manuela Ovalle Herrera and backed by a full horn section, Big Tasty lays down some hard-hitting dance music and will make you groove!The Rvmes is one of Auckland’s most eclectic bands on the current music scene. Taking every genre into their consideration, they have based the essence of their band on the interesting, worldly and diverse, pulling inspiration from soul/blues, rock n roll right through to Middle Eastern European inspired melodies.Bruci Jordan is a rock/reggae fusion Brazilian artist based in Auckland. Mixing rock, reggae, blues and funk, Bruci Jordan brings some groovy vibes through his tunes making people show their moves on the dance floor!SaturdayEighties Forever, The Leigh Sawmill Cafe, 8:00 p.m.12XU presents Eighties Forever: 1980s Dance Party. It if came out in the 80s and you can dance to it, they might play it! Cheesy pop, synth pop hits, goth, indie, hair rock, hip hop +More!!!To make this an extra *special* night, costumes, leather, vinyl, lace, masks wigs, giant hats, overly hair-sprayed 80s hair, Bowie channeling face makeup and the weird are encouraged. But so you feel (somewhat) comfortable, you are also encouraged to dress however you want! Advance tickets available on Undertheradar.comSundayTawharanui Planting Day, Tawharanui Regional Park, 9:00 a.m.Join with TOSSI on this planting day. Parking is in the main car park, then follow signs to the meeting place. BYO spade, covered shoes / gumboots, gloves, hat, drink in a re-useable bottle. Food will be provided following the planting. Please register via the ticket link here: www.trybooking.co.nz/GGZ.A Clear Dawn Meets Robin Hyde, Art Matakana Gallery, 2:30 p.m.Celebrate our New Zealand writers among like-minded individuals, within the ambient surrounds of Art Matakana - Fine Art Gallery.Dr Paula Morris, professor of creative writing at Auckland University, becomes the subject of inquiry for ex-BBC journalist Juliet Robieson. Paula talks about her new illustrated book tracing the footsteps of NZ author adventuress, Robin Hyde titled Shining Land. This talented Auckland author descends from our own local Iwi, Ngāti Manuhiri, Ngāti Waiand Ngāti Whatua.Why not spend the day, or even the weekend? Enjoy your Queens Birthday Monday with an extra special discounted entry to Sculptureum as an added gift on entry.

Need an idea for a short walk between the showers this weekend? The Farm Forestry Trail located on Sandspit Road has had an upgrade.The Farm Forestry Trail connects the Parsley Pot Cafe to the Hamilton Road bridge. It was inspired by the need to protect the Duck Creek catchment and to provide access to regenerating totara.The trail is on private land and borders a working farm. Dogs are permitted on the trail but must remain under control at all times.The new upgrades are part of a wider plan for ensuring the trail has enduring public access. When the Mahurangi Trail Trust spoke with Auckland Council about access, council was very keen. However, it became obvious quite quickly that the ‘farm race’ standard bridges would not be adequate. The Matakana Coast Trail Trust is proud to be funding the work to bring this private trail to public walkway standard and to set in place easements to ensure that this access remains in perpetuity. The project involved remediating and bringing four existing wooden bridges to the standard agreed with Auckland Council.Hutchinson Consulting provided a significant amount of professional help. The project team has also received guidance and project support from the Auckland Council Community Facilities and the Walking Access Commission.All of the timber components have been cut and fitted off site to eliminate the possibility of treated timber sawdust entering Duck Creek.All of the labour, except for the scaffolding, has been by volunteers and more than 220 hours of work has been gifted.

Works have commenced for the upgrade of the treatment of the bore water for the public toilets at William Fraser Reserve, Omaha Beach. The upgrade of the water bore is part of the larger William Fraser Reserve Toilet Renewal project.This upgrade involves the construction of a new shed on a concrete pad for the plant room and installing treatment equipment to address the high alkaline, iron and salts content in the bore water. Equipment to be installed includes• a backwash pre-filter for iron and sediment reduction• ion exchange softening system• new booster pump and backwash pump and controller• UV disinfection unit.The plant room shed will be big enough to allow Healthy Water to install an additional plant to treat the bore water to a potable standard at a later stage. The bore has been identified for a ‘New Welfare Water Site’ for the supply of potable water during severe drought conditions for the Omaha area. The existing water tank is being cleaned out as part of the works and a more secure locking system fitted.Work began on the bore upgrade on18th May 2021 and will be completed by the end of June 2021.The preliminary construction estimate for the William Fraser Reserve Toilet Renewal is $730,000, including a provisional sum allowance of $50,000 for improving the quality of the existing bore water supply. A project contingency of around $100,000 has been allowed for.The tentative completion of the new toilet facility is October 2022, but this is subject to the local board approving the inclusion of the project in the 2021/2022 Risk Adjusted Programme which will be sought as part of the Community Facilities Work Programme.

The resource consent application by Kaipara Limited to extract sand off Pakiri Beach has been postponed. The purpose of the adjournment was primarily to enable the council’s reporting team and the applicant, Kaipara Limited, time to consider how long they would need prepare their written response and subsequent right of reply.A response from the applicant, submitters and council is expected by no later than Friday, June 4th.Kaipara Limited have released a memo outlining two potential pathways to conclude the hearing.The shorter pathway follows the usual hearing process. When all submitters have been heard, only the council reporting team and the applicant would have the opportunity to respond and reply to the submissions and the evidence that has been presented by submitters.The longer approach suggests Kaipara Limited and council working together and that it would therefore be appropriate for council to oversee a further bathymetric survey of the two extraction areas approved under the existing consent. This would leave no part of the area un-surveyed. Upon completion of that survey, it would be appropriate for the council to have “...an opportunity to independently comment on the results of the survey as part of its reply”.The advantage of a further bathymetric survey and analysis is that it may provide the commissioners with better information for assessing the relevance of allegations of past conduct under Kaipara’s existing consent. A disadvantage is that in order to undertake the survey itself, there would need to be additional delays before the hearing can be reconvened. The exact time frames are difficult to establish at this stage but are likely to be in the vicinity of at least two months. Based on the current information, the hearing panel supports the longer pathway approach to enable them to be best informed before they deliberate on the merits of the application.Kaipara proposes that this would also be an appropriate date for the Department of Conservation to file any response it wishes to make.

21-year-old Leon Henson from Heron’s Flight Vineyard will be competing for the title of 2021 Young Viticulturist of the Year.An annual award, this is very first time we have a contestant entering from Matakana into the Auckland/Northern competition, which is very exciting. There are six regional competitions held in Auckland/Northern region, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough, South Island Regional and Central Otago. There are some amazing prizes to be won at both the regional and national competition.The winners go through to the national final which is held in a different region each year. 2021 will be in Marlborough.Leon will compete against 7 other Young Vits on Waiheke at Goldie Estate on Thursday 3rd June. The other contestants are from Soljan’s in West Auckland and five from various Waiheke Island vineyards. Viticulturists plan, supervise and coordinate the growing of grapes for the production of wine. The Young Viticulturist of the Year is a tough competition, and the winners very much earn their titles. The contestants undergo both practical and theoretical challenges, covering all aspects of viticulture which include pruning, netting, machinery, pests and diseases, budgeting, nutrition, wine knowledge, trellising, as well as leadership skills. They go head-to-head in the BioStart Hortisports race, a quickfire buzzer round and also give a speech at the awards dinner. It is a tough but rewarding experience and the winner certainly earns the prestigious title of Corteva Young Viticulturist of the Year. The NZ Young Viticulturist of the Year programme was established in 2006 with the aim of discovering and growing future viticultural leaders. It helps promote viticulture as an exciting career path and attract and retain talented young people to the industry. By running competitions as well as offering support, training and education we will have confident, professional and pioneering young viticulturists to lead the industry in years to come.If you would like to go along and support Leon at the awards dinner, tickets are $95.00, and include a welcome drink and delicious Wild Estate buffet accompanied by fine, local wines.Tickets are available HERE or for more information please contact Adam Yukich at [email protected] or phone 021 569 610.

Large swells and king tides impacted the Matakana Coast on Thursday morning, with no sand visible for morning walkers along Omaha Beach. Seaweed and driftwood from the high tide has been pushed all the way to the dunes on Omaha Beach.At high tide on Thursday morning, the water was rushing over the grass and into the carpark at Mathesons Bay, causing extensive flooding, and a digger had to be brought in to direct the water back into the ocean. MetService had issued a warning for possibly hazardous coastal conditions saying, "heavy easterly swell continues to impact the coastline until Thursday".According to NIWA's alerts, the king tides peaked yesterday. There are strong king tides for the next three days and then easing from the weekend.Experts say the term ‘king tide’ is used to describe the highest seasonal tides that occur each year in connection to the moon alignment.They say sometimes impact is minimal, but other times a king tide may cause coastal erosion, flooding of low-lying areas, and disruption to normal daily routines.

On Tuesday, Auckland councillors voted in a recovery budget that will increase rates by five per cent.The five per cent rate rise is a one-off increase that will be in place from July, followed by nine years of 3.5 per cent increases.This will lift the average household rates bill from $2810.00 to $4018.00, a jump of 43 per cent over the decade.Earlier in the year, 1,784 Rodney residents submitted their feedback on the rate increase, with 70 per cent saying that they were against it.Auckland councillors have argued the city needs to keep investing in infrastructure, even when revenue has taken a hit from Covid-19.Five councillors voted against stepping up from the initially planned 3.5 per cent rise, including Rodney councillor Greg Sayers.15 councilors voted for the increase. As well as increased rates, household water bills will rise by 7 per cent over the next two years followed by 9.5 per cent over the following six years and 3.5 per cent in the remaining two years, which will take the average water bill from $1,069.00 to $2,261.00.That's an overall average increase of 62 per cent in council costs for a typical Auckland household.

Omaha Surf Life Saving Club is looking for community help so they can continue to provide vital lifesaving and train future lifeguards in how to do the same.The club is a non-profit organisation made up of dynamic, highly trained volunteers and supporters who are passionate about water safety, the beach environment and are willing to contribute their time and skills to the local community.It has been welcome news that some government funding is now available to support surf lifesaving clubs with the cost of delivering lifesaving services, but this doesn't cover all of their costs - they still need to part-fund some of the patrol operations, and all of the junior surf and surf sports programmes which have grown hugely in popularity.Omaha Beach Surf Life Saving Club has developed a sponsorship framework that provides supporters with an opportunity to align themselves with the club and see their brand or business name displayed on the building, website and some of the equipment. The club offers a range of options from one-off donations to multi-year sponsorship partnerships. What they are looking for now is community connections, networks and knowledge. If you own a local business or work for a company that you think might be interested in sponsoring them, let the club know.  “If you have any contacts or think about any opportunities you might have to connect with potential sponsors we want to hear about them. We know that asking for money can be difficult, so we're prepared to do that bit. We just need our community to get behind us and tell people about the good work we do and that you think we're a worthwhile charity to support.”Alternatively, you might like to consider joining the club as a supporter. This is an area the club is looking to grow so they are better connected with the community.The club would like to gather contact details by the end of May so they can contact potential supporters, host them at the club, show them what they do, and explain what they need so that next season they can be ready to hoist the flags, hit the arenas, and keep getting better.If you are interested in the sponsorship framework, have a contact, or any questions please send an email to [email protected]

A blood supermoon and heavy swells are what the Matakana Coast has in store over the next 48 hours. Tonight, a ‘supermoon’ will coincide with a total lunar eclipse for the first time since 1982, but unfortunately it may be a bit hard to catch a glimpse.MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said cloud was likely to blanket the night sky across the North Island's East Coast, and potentially Northland, Auckland and down to Hamilton.A supermoon occurs when the Moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth, making it appear much larger than usual.A ‘blood moon’ happens when Earth's Moon is in a total lunar eclipse. The view in the sky is striking as the usually whiteish moon becomes red or ruddy-brown. The lunar eclipse is due to last five hours, beginning at 8.47p.m. on Wednesday, and ending at about 1.49 a.m. the next morning.The period of totality where the Moon is completely hidden from the Sun by Earth, and when the reddening was most noticeable, is due to begin at 11.11 p.m.Back down here on Earth, MetService is forecasting a deep, slow-moving low northeast of New Zealand which will direct a strong, moist southeast flow across the North Island over the next few days. The east coast of the North Island will see rain, strong winds and, in some cases, heavy swell. These swells will peak midweek. With the combination of the king tide expected over the next few days we could see combined waves rising to around 7-8 metres, potentially causing coastal inundation for parts of the upper North Island.Thursday and Friday have been forecast to be pretty great surf at the local beaches, with good a long swell period, little or no wind, and swell height greater than a metre.

Rodney is yet again to receive new speed limits.The Auckland Transport board of directors has amended the Speed Limits Bylaw 2019, which means more safe and appropriate speed limits will come into force next Monday, 31 May, in the Rodney Local Board area.Auckland Transport’s Executive General Manager of Safety, Bryan Sherritt, says this is another way to make Rodney even safer, following on from changes introduced in June 2020.“Rodney is the area in Auckland with the highest rate of road death and serious injury. This is simply unacceptable.“The current speed limits on some of Auckland’s roads are not suitable for existing conditions. Many of our rural roads are twisting, have sharp bends, are hilly, and have narrow unforgiving lanes. Humans are vulnerable and even the best of us make mistakes, the speed of vehicles involved in any crash will determine the outcome of the crash, the lower the speeds the more survivable crashes are when they occur. The chances of you or a member of your family surviving a crash that would otherwise be a fatality, or walking away without a debilitating injury, are greatly increased with lower speeds,” Mr Sherritt says.“No one should have to lose their life simply travelling around our city. The changes continue our work towards our Vision Zero goal of no deaths or serious injuries on our transport system by 2050.“The roads that are selected are called self-explaining roads, which means drivers already travel at a lower speed due to the road conditions.”New speed limit signs will be installed prior to 31 May, but will be uncovered on this date. From 31 May the new speed limits will be legally enforceable by NZ police.The changes are as follows:WarkworthHepburn Creek Road - from 100km to 40kmWilson RoadFrom Hepburn Creek Road to the eastern end of Wilson Road from 100km to 40kmEdwards Road - from 100km to 40kmHodgart Road from 100 km to 40MatakanaMatakana Valley RoadFrom No. 216 Matakana Valley Road to No. 960 Matakana Valley Road, from 100km to 80From Smith Road to No. 960 Matakana Valley Road, from 100km to 60km Smith RoadEntire length of the road from 100km to 40kmWard RoadEntire length of the road from 100km to 40kmGovan Wilson Road from 100km to 40kmTawharanui Peninsula:Takatu RoadFrom Leigh Road intersection to 2km east of Baddeleys Beach Road, from 100km to 80 kmFrom 2km east of Baddeleys Beach Road to Tawharanui Regional Park, from 100km to 60kmBaddeleys Beach RoadFrom No. 55 Baddeleys Beach Road to the southern end of Baddeleys Beach Road from 100km to 40kmFrom No. 55 Baddeleys Beach Road to Takatu Road, from 100km to 80kmBuckleton Road from 60km to 40kmBishop Lane from 100km to 40kmClinton Road from 50km to 40kmKookaburra Drive from 50km to 40kmPigeon Place from 50km to 40kmCampbell Road from 50km to 40kmHaywood Lane from 100km to 40kmWhitmore Road - from Takatu Road to 1.3km north of Bishop Lane, from 100km to 60kmFrom 1.2km north of Bishop Lane to Buckleton Road, from 100km to 40km

The stream of Aucklanders heading to the northern reaches of the city has created a property boom for Warkworth, pushing house prices way up. The town and its prices appeal to first-home buyers as well as retirees and investors.The latest OneRoof Valocity figures show that the town's median value has tipped over $1 million (to $1.06m), up a whopping 28 percent in the past 12 months. Buyers with budgets under $700,000 would struggle to find anything but the roughest do-up property, perhaps a 1980s house on a quarter-share cross-lease section.An 80sqm three-bedroom do-up 1950s house at 28 Bertram Street on a 796sqm recently sold for $951,000. The same house sold in 2017 at the peak of the market for $650,000. Pre-covid you would have expected to have paid somewhere in the $700,000s. Prices are going up $50,000 to $100,000 a month.The growing work opportunities in the town, including around Mahurangi College, new big box stores, improved public transport and the opening of the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway link which will improve travel times, is luring citysiders to the country town. Auckland Council plans see the town as a major growth hub and project that Warkworth will have a population of 25,000 by 2030.

to be the oldest community rural library still operating in New Zealand and has been continuously run by volunteers for all of that time. Today the library is home to around 4,000 books and has over 700 members. Celebrations will begin at the library on Saturday the 22nd of March at 11.00 a.m. After a welcome, there will be short speeches followed by the unveiling of a historic board. All attendees will then proceed to the Leigh Hall where there will be a display of the rich history of both the library and the founding fathers of settlers.On May 27th, 1871, settler Charles Septimus Clarke held a meeting about beginning a library and one was started at his house. Moved to Little Omaha School, it shifted to Leigh Hall before finding its current home at 15 Cumberland Street, Leigh..Charles Clarke was intimately connected with the social and public life of the district. His diary provides an in depth look into life in Leigh 150 years ago. You can read it here

This week, construction will begin on a long-awaited pedestrian crossing on Matakana Road.The work will include the installation of a signalised pedestrian crossing, and high friction road surfacing approaching the crossing. The crossing will be located on the stretch of road between the primary school and the roundabout, where there is currently a red, courtesy crossing. The work is expected to take until mid-June, 2021. Hours of work are between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. This excludes line marking and line removal, which will happen at night.Vehicle and pedestrian access will be maintained throughout construction, with temporary traffic management in place. There may be some delays while materials are delivered, so it is advisable to add some extra time to your journey. Detours will be in place for alternative pedestrian access, and pedestrians may have to use the opposite side of the road for safety reasons. This is an area of heavy traffic flow where school kids often have to cross the road and local parents and teachers have been petitioning for a crossing here since 2017. 

The Sawmill Brewery and Mahurangi Wastebusters are working together to help reduce waste from the brewery and make sustainability a local priority. Mahurangi Wastebuseters have been collecting the spent hops each week to put through the new composting system. In 2018, the Sawmill Brewery installed 54 solar panels to meet the bulk of their daytime energy needs. By working with Plasback, who collect all the incoming plastic shrink wrap, they have reduced their waste to landfill by over 85%. The kitchen waste is composted on-site. They collect over a million litres of water a year from their roof and all grey water is used on the farm as irrigation. They avoid the use of PVPP (microplastics) in fining the beer. Grain silos outside the building replace the use of over 12,000 plastic sacks of grain annually.Not only that, they have now become New Zealand's first B-Corp certified brewery. B Corps™ lead the growing global movement of people using business as a force for good, aiming to have a positive impact on their team, their community, and the environment. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Mahurangi Wastebusters have started composting local food and compostable waste at their community recycling centre in Lawrie Road, Snells Beach, turning it into beautiful compost which they will be selling soon. They now work with the Matakana Farmers Market, which has always been a zero waste market and were previously sending their compostables all the way down to Tuakau to be composted at Envirofert. Wastebusters are saving all that transport by doing it locally. Along with Sawmill Brewery’s hops, they are working with Daily Organics Kombucha factory, taking their tea. Composting is a super important part of the waste hierarchy. When food scraps go to landfill, methane is emitted as they break down, contributing to the climate crisis. However, composted materials hold greenhouse gases in the ground keeping them out of the atmosphere, and by using compost we replenish the soil with natural nutrients keeping it healthy and rich. 

On the 7th of June 2021 there will be changes made to the speed limits on some local roads. Between May and June last year Waka Kotahi consulted the local community, iwi and road user groups on speed limit changes, in an effort to find out what would help save lives, prevent serious injuries and reduce the number of crashes on the stretch of State Highway 1 between L Phillips Road and Pūhoi,.“We know this is a particularly high risk stretch of road. There are tight and difficult corners along parts of the route as well as very narrow shoulders and poor visibility. Between 2010 and 2019, 10 people were killed and 47 seriously injured in crashes,” says Waka Kotahi Director of Regional Relationships Steve Mutton. “The insights from everyone who provided a submission or feedback on the proposal helped us in our technical review and as a result we have been able to make an informed decision on these speed limit changes,” says Mr Mutton.“Even when speed doesn’t cause the crash, it’s what will most likely determine whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed from that crash.”The new speed limits will come into effect from June 7, but will be implemented in two phases to align with the expected opening of Matakana Link Road (Auckland Transport) and the new Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth in mid-2022.The motorway will extend the four-lane Northern Motorway (SH1) 18.5km from the Johnstones Hill tunnels to just north of Warkworth. It will connect to the Northern Gateway section of SH1 south of the Johnstones Hills Tunnels.Ara Tūhono will vastly improve the safety, connectivity and resilience of the network between Northland and Auckland, helping to boost the economic potential of the Northland region.Over 23,000 vehicles currently travel the route each day, with vehicle numbers increasing Along with the devasting effect on families and communities, crashes on this route can cause extensive delays and long detours if there are road closures.New speed limits for SH1 L Phillips Rd to Pūhoi from 7 June 2021Phase One - new speed limits will come into force on 7 June 2021, as set out in the table above.Phase Two – (after construction of roundabout around mid-2022) the speed limit will be further reduced to 60km/h from 200m north of Kaipara Flats Road to 365m north of Hudson Rd. We will notify people of this phase two speed limit change at that time.

On Monday morning, a minke whale was found dead on the shore at Goat Island. A rāhui has been placed by the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust from Cape Rodney – Okakari Point Marine reserve to Te Arai Point until further notice following the death of this taonga species. A rāhui (physical and spiritual protection mechanism) sets a temporary prohibition around an area and limits access for a set period to acknowledge the loss.All visitors are asked to consider alternative areas while the rāhui is in place.The eight-tonne female whale was removed from the beach, supervised by DOC officers. Local iwi Ngāti Manuhiri have requested that the body be buried. Out of respect for their wishes, the whale will be buried in an undisclosed location. The cause of death of this whale is unknown. Minke whales were hunted extensively by whalers during the 70s and 80s, with hundreds still being killed today under the guise of scientific research in the Southern Oceans.Minke whales are fast, observed swimming at speeds of 30 km/h, and their surfacing can be sporadic and hard to follow. Little is therefore known about this species.

On Wednesday 5th of May, a petition by Omaha local Mary Coupe to ‘Protect Rock Pool Sea Life’ was presented to Parliament.Mary Coupe is passionate about preserving our rock pools and shoreline for future generations to enjoy, as well as upkeeping the balance of these incredibly delicate ecosystems.Mary first raised the issue when she noticed people harvesting large amounts of periwinkle from the pools. After doing some research, she was shocked to find that this activity was completely legal, with no restrictions on what could be taken.  “I thought to myself, ‘what is the future that I want to create?’” says Mary.Her answer was simple: “I want future children to discover the wonder of nature up close and personal, and I want there to be fairness and harmony among people with each other, and with nature.“Humans are discovering at our own peril how out of whack we are with nature. You cannot touch one thing in these ecosystems without interrupting the natural balance and affecting every little part of it.”So, she began looking at what she could do to protect the magical little worlds that can be found in rockpools, and after getting in contact with local MP Chris Penk, she started a petition that quickly gathered over 3,000 signatures. Mary and her husband Tony erected signs at the southern end of Omaha, informing people of just how much the collecting of shellfish from the rockpools could damage the ecosystem forever. The signs seem to have worked well so far, with a decrease in reports of people harvesting from this area. However, as Mary said, this problem doesn't just affect Omaha. Stopping shellfish collecting in Omaha is a step in the right direction, but this is an issue that is affecting all of New Zealand's coastline. If we want the magic of rockpools to be preserved for the children of the future, this needs to be addressed.Now that the petition has been heard by parliament, it will likely be a few weeks before the next step of the process in which Mary will speak directly and present her findings to parliament. They are hoping that parliament will grant a temporary ban on collecting from the area, as per section 186 in the Fisheries Act (which can be found here).“Ideally, by this summer we would like to have a ban on collecting from the Omaha rockpools” says Mary.In the meantime, Mary is continuing conversation with local Iwi and Kaitiaki Eddie Watts to place a ban or rahui on our area and other areas nearby who also are experiencing over-harvesting.The Tiaki Promise is a commitment to care for New Zealand for now, and for future generations, and it is something that resonates with Mary. It is something that all Kiwis and visitors to our incredible country should keep in mind as they experience all the New Zealand has to offer. The Tiaki Promise is as follows:While living or travelling in New Zealand I willCare for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no traceTravel safely, showing care and consideration for allRespect culture, travelling with an open heart and mind.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is rolling out new fire plans across the country and are consulting on fire plans in our area.Late last year, Fire and Emergency undertook a formal consultation on fire plans in three trial areas - Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Otago - using a new template. They received constructive feedback from members of these communities and assessed and incorporated recommendations where appropriate into the updated fire plan template.Using the updated fire plan template, they have since developed new fire plans for the whole country and have updated the first three trial fire plans for our consultation.What is a fire plan?A fire plan outlines policies and procedures at a local level for the management of public safety and risks relating to fire. Each fire plan outlines things like declaring the beginning and end of fire seasons, prohibiting and restricting fire use, and the issuing of fire permits.Fire plans also provide increased transparency to the public about how Fire and Emergency’s fire control powers are used. Fire plans now include information on things like local demographics and environmental factors in order to reduce risks from fire and to manage the potential impacts if one occurs. This information helps Fire and Emergency to deliver on the Reduction component of the 4Rs of Emergency Management.Before Fire and Emergency finalise New Zealand’s fire plans, they would like to invite the public, and interested stakeholders to have their say on the new proposed fire plans. You can provide feedback using the submission form found here.You can access the fire plan for Auckland here:https://www.fireandemergency.nz/assets/Documents/Public-Consultation-page/fire-plan/Te-Hiku-Tamaki-Makaurau-Auckland-Fire-Plan-Draft-for-consultation.pdfYour feedback will help Fire and Emergency. The relevant amendments will be made on each fire plan before they are finalised and published by 30 July 2021.