Tāne Manu from Ngā Māhanga a Tāiri. Taranaki Regional Council has pledged $3.5 million to Te Ara a Ruhihiweratini, and New Plymouth District Council is considering a $2.1m contribution. Manu told a hearing of submissions to New Plymouth District Council’s Long Term Plan there was no budget to deal with concerns uncovered in a cultural impact assessment by the hapū. “It will result in significant adverse effects on the cultural landscape we are part of and our ongoing relationship with our tupuna mounga.” Manu said the hapū were worried about crossings affecting 26 streams, vague remediation plans, and the impact on restoration work including predator control and returning native species such kiwi and whio (blue duck).
Te Kotahihanga o Te Ātiawa Pou Whakahaere Dion Tuuta.
Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Taranaki Regional Council considers about 400 consent applications a year and many of them require input from Māori about cultural impacts, especially on waterways.
Te Ātiawa told a hearing for the council s Long Term Plan that iwi and hapū need money to help decide and monitor consents.
Te Kotahihanga o Te Ātiawa Pou Whakahaere Dion Tuuta said money for Māori could be levied as part of council consent application and monitoring fees. We have an overwhelming avalanche of groups wanting to consult with us. one of our responses will be to start charging for our services.
Climate activists centred their concerns towards poor public transport services in Taranaki. Swiss-born Urs Signer, now living in Parihaka, said he was disappointed with the council not including climate change at the forefront of the plan. Signer supported every diesel bus in the council’s fleet being replaced by electric buses, but couldn’t understand why electric buses cost $680,000 each. “It sounds quite high,” he told councillors through a Zoom broadcast to the council chambers from his coastal Taranaki house. Signer said he was pleased that when he used the bus to get home from New Plymouth on Friday afternoon it was full of passengers - but he wanted extended services to Okato and Urenui.
There is also discussion on ownership of Port Taranaki, and involvement of Māori in local government decision-making. Twenty-two individuals and groups, from a total of 91 submitters, will present their submission to the meeting. More than half the submitters (53) support the council improving water quality under new central government reform sooner rather than later, and the council has budgeted $2.88m from general rates over three years to achieve its aims. More than a third of submitters (35) favoured the council moving to an alternative fuel to replace diesel in public transport, and increasing the range of passenger services, including using smaller buses and connecting more rural areas.
New Zealand s annual sunshine hours have increased in the past 40 years.
Grab your sun hats, slap on the sunscreen, Taranaki is in first place in the sunshine race as the country s sunniest province so far in 2021. The west coast region, known for its high rainfall, westerly winds and lush green paddocks full of dairy cows, has recorded 1033 hours of sunshine so far this year. That’s more than any other region. The figures from the latest National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) climate summary give Taranaki bragging rights, for now, over some of the country’s well known “sunny” regions.