N O T E W O R T H Y
GOOSE REDUCE A “population control operation” was conducted in August to reduce the growing number of Canada geese in the Kāpiti area. Flock Off bird repellent had failed to solve the problem. Anecdotally said to chase children, the large birds foul waterways and can carry diseases such as avian influenza, campylobacter, E. coli, and salmonella. More than 270 of the pest goose species were counted in Otaraua Park on a single day, and 107 of them were shot. “It was done to the highest safety standards and in the most humane way possible,” says Kāpiti District Mayor K Gurunathan.
HIGH FLYERS
POO PROBLEMS
FAMILY FACE
Tītipounamu have been sighted on Te Ahūmairangi Hill for the first time in over a century. Zealandia’s Kari Beaven says it’s an incredibly exciting step by the bird species, which were introduced to Wellington’s ecosanctuary in 2019. “A pair being spotted kilometres away from the sanctuary at Te Ahūmairangi Hill is extraordinary.” The rifleman is New Zealand’s smallest bird. It weighs only 6.5 grams, and its high-pitched calls are often inaudible to humans.
Porirua City Council is asking for submissions from the public on a vast proposed storage tank to help stop wastewater overflowing into Porirua Stream and Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour. The tank would be located north of Porirua railway station, between SH1 and the railway line. It will hold up to seven million litres (about three Olympic-sized swimming pools) of wastewater when there is heavy rain. Plans include protecting the existing wetland and planting to screen the tank from sight.
Eleanor Wright’s charcoal and white chalk drawing Paratai (2019) has won the People’s Choice Prize in the inaugural Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award. The artwork portrays Paratai Tai Rakena, who is a member of Eleanor’s extended whanau. “I feel very privileged that my whanau have trusted me to portray their images,” says Eleanor. The award is hosted and administered by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata.
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