NOTEWORTHY

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

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. POO PROBLEMS

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. FAMILY FACE

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.

VISIT OLD ST PAUL’S

LIVING HERITAGE ICON EVENT & WEDDING VENUE

SCROLL UP, SCROLL UP

In creating Savage, Porirua writer and director Sam Kelly (pictured) was inspired by stories from New Zealand’s boys homes and the early history of gangs. Now the film’s composer Arli Liberman has been nominated for Best Original Music in a Feature Film at the Silver Scroll awards for his work on the movie. Arli is teaming up with Miramar’s Rhian Sheehan (who has also been nominated for a scroll, for Best Original Music in a Series Award) for Spectral Atmospheres, an “intimate, emotive, soundscape-focused collaborative performance” at Old St Paul’s on 25 September.

TELE ME MORE WAIRARAPA WINNERS BREEDING LIKE RABBITS

Chorus’ cabinet art programme uses artworks to fight vandalism. They commission the painting of around 100 murals on Chorus telecommunications cabinets every year. They’re currently working with Porirua City Council to find artists for four more cabinets. Bill Inge, Porirua City Council’s Village Projects Coordinator, is coordinating designs and artists. “This is a win-win for our communities. Not only do we get fantastic artworks in our streets, but it also provides work and promotes our local artists,” he says. Greytown photographer and 2021 Capital Photographer of the Year judge Rebecca Kempton has been recognised in the Iris Professional Photography Awards, run by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. Rebecca received a silver award in the Landscape Open category for her photograph of the jetty at the Lazy Fish retreat in Marlborough. Four other Wairarapa photographers, Esther Bunning, Amber Griffin, Terry Wreford Hann, and Sharisse Eberlein, also received awards. Over the past few years the number of rabbits in and around the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre has ballooned. Pūkaha has also had a year of record ferret and cat numbers, driven by the growing population of rabbits, which form their main prey. The Department of Conservation has announced funding of just under $700,000 over three years for three new jobs to kick-start more effective rabbit control and protect the taonga species in the area.