Press Release – Save Canal Road Native Trees
Overnight there was an attack on the contested stand of native trees at Canal Road. Around midnight a man snuck into the site and drilled poison into 18 of the trees, including the rare kawaka and other magnificent nearly century-old trees including Matai, Totara, Tawa and puriri in a concerted attempt to kill them.He was scared off by the Mana Rākau member on night watch. Today, on the 224th day of the community protest at Canal Road, the community are working fast to remove the poison and save the trees.
“This has been a devastating week for trees in Tāmaki Makaurau. This cowardly and malicious attack comes after mature native trees were destroyed at Campbell Road, Greenlane, the felling of three native trees on Henry Street on Tuesday and the removal of Big Mac, the scheduled macrocarpa in Avondale, on Friday,” said Juressa Lee, spokesperson for Mana Rākau.
On Parliament’s first sitting day of the year, Greenpeace has today delivered a petition with the names of 33,000 New Zealanders calling for the Government to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Environment Minister David Parker accepted .
Fonterra has admitted nitrate levels in drinking water near one of its 'ghost farms' have been high, and is looking at treating factory wastewater to a higher standard.
New Zealand climate change document is ‘free pass’ for dairy The independent Climate Change Commission in New Zealand has released its draft package of advice to Government on the steps the country must take to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change.
But Greenpeace said it amounts to a “free pass for dairy.”
Commission Chair Dr Rod Carr said the commission advice is ambitious but realistic and makes a clear case to Government for taking immediate and decisive action on climate change. As a country we need transformational and lasting change to meet our targets and ensure a thriving Aotearoa for future generations,” Carr said.
STUFF
Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw on what the Government will do about the Climate Change Commission s draft plan for slashing New Zealand s emissions. Many farms would need to change their management style, using smaller herds, better breeding, precision fertiliser use and other tactics to keep milk and meat production the same while shrinking methane emissions, the commission said. Waikato federated farmer president Jacqui Hahn said reducing herd numbers by 15 per cent would be difficult. The dairy, sheep and beef farmer has stock in Te Kūiti and Benneydale. “It’s saying whatever we produce now, we can make the same amount of money off, but generally your productivity has to go up just to survive.”