Royal Society Teacher Fellowship

Dargaville Intermediate School Deputy Principal and keen environmental science teacher and advocate Diane Bell has been awarded a prestigious Royal Society Teacher Fellowship for the next year, and her research will directly benefit Kaipara.

Diane will team up with Kaipara District Council, working out of their Dargaville office, as she focuses on her project which looks at ways to improve the health of local waterways. "The health of our waterways is key to our future and the Fellowship gives me a year to focus on learning about this and finding solutions for existing problems. I will be looking at the effects of human activities on waterways, especially that from agriculture," says Diane. "I will focus on riparian management and want to investigate what effect planting around waterways has on water quality and ecological diversity. I hope my research will be something that the community and Council can use and will encourage more people to get on board."

Kaipara District Council Development Manager Mark Vincent says his team is "very excited" to have Diane working alongside them for the next year. "It will be great to work with someone who is so enthusiastic and focused on coming up with relevant solutions for local problems. Diane's study mirrors Council's aim to protect our waterways and improve the health of our harbours and it is my wish that we work together to come up with practical, user-friendly ideas for our community.'"

Diane will spend time visiting other areas such as the Waikato to look at sustainable land management ideas and the use of planting to improve water quality, as well as connecting with other organisations. Extramural studies, workshops and other research will also help Diane gather ideas, and she will use Council resources, documents, maps and technology, as well as getting out in the field to monitor the waterways. The Fellowship aims to give teachers an opportunity to see how sciences, mathematics and technology can be used outside the classroom and have real community impact, and Diane will be out and about in the community next year sharing what she has learned. "It is an important part of the process to produce something that people can use. I want to work with Council, Iwi, local news papers, farming groups and others to get the word out. I hope this project will get people thinking about how they can have a positive effect on our environment, and work to make sure our gorgeous harbours and waterways are here for generations to come."

Heritage Assistance Fund

Kaipara District Council is again offering help to preserve our district's unique heritage through the Kaipara Heritage Assistance Fund. The fund was set up in 2006 and as a result of its success Council has again set aside $10,000 for 2009 to help and encourage people to protect and preserve resources of heritage value. These can include historic sites, buildings and archaeological sites. Projects can include archaeological assessments as well as physical preservation.

Individuals, private landowners, iwi and hapu and groups, including community groups and organisations, can all apply but to qualify for funding, projects must:

• be within the Kaipara District
• have the support of the owner of the heritage resource
• be of proven historical significance
• demonstrate some community benefit
• be essential and appropriate to ensure the preservation of the heritage resource
• include a contribution from the applicant

Last year seven projects were funded including repairs to the Gittos Mission House, re-roofing the Church of Epiphany at Tangiteroria, urgent electrical repairs at the All Saints Church Mititai, window repairs and replacement at St Albans Church Paparoa, re-roofing of the former Old Folks Association building in Dargaville and replacement spouting and down pipes at the Pahi Community Hall. Money also went to the New Zealand Society of Genealogists Incorporated for the binding of historical reference books.

New Zealand Historic Places Trust's Northland Manager, Stuart Park, stresses the importance of protecting our unique, rich and varied heritage and is urging Kaipara residents to take up the offer of assistance. "The knowledge we gain from our past helps communities understand where they have come from and what makes them special," he says. "Cultural heritage is essential to our well-being and is not just an optional extra. Kaipara District Council is to be applauded for its initiative in helping residents care for the district's heritage".

Applications to the Kaipara Heritage Assistance Fund close on Saturday 31 October 2009. Guidelines and Application Forms are available from Kaipara District Council service centres or online at www.kaipara.govt.nz. More information is also available from the Customer Service Team on 09 439 7059, 0800 727 059 or 0800 100 388.

Taharoa Domain Meeting - Change of Time

Please note that there has been a change of time for the Taharoa Domain Governance Committee Meeting on Tuesday 27 October. This meeting will now commenance at 10.00am

For more information please see attached advertisment below.

Advert

Family of Ancient Trees

Kaipara's economy could be boosted by 500,000 more tourists a year thanks to an innovative partnership between two giants of the forest, the ancient Kauri Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest and the huge Cedar, Jomon Sugi, in Yakushima, Japan. Representatives from Kaipara District Council, Te Roroa, Copthorne Hotel, Omapere and The Matakohe Kauri Museum have just returned from the island of Yakushima, excited about the future of the partnership and ready to see Kaipara reap the benefits.

"Tane Mahuta is currently being advertised at Jomon Sugi, exposing it to a massive 500,000 visitors per year, and the trip has pushed forward the relationship even more," says Kaipara's Mayor Neil Tiller. The two trees are to feature in a giant rugby ball at the upcoming Bledisloe Cup match in Tokyo, the same ball which has been travelling the world promoting the 2011 World Cup, giving the partnership exposure on a massive scale. Prime Minister John Key is aware of the project, and Tourism New Zealand is also involved in making it a success.

"The relationship is about encouraging economic development, but there are all sorts of benefits educational, cultural and environmental," says Mayor Tiller. "The preservation of the Kauri and Cedar is key to the future of both areas, and the back-to-nature experiences cannot be replicated any where else in the world."

Mayor Tiller and the Kauri Museum's Betty Nelley were filmed for Japanese television, a great promotional opportunity for Kaipara, and the group attended Yakushima's 'forest festival', where locals got a taste of Maori culture thanks to Te Rora's Alex Nathan and Wayne Bisset who introduced the crowd to mihi and waiata. "It was great to be there in person and meet people who are so focused on building the relationship between our two areas," says Mayor Tiller. The Mayor of Yakushima spent time with the group, and will be at next year's Waipoua Forest Fun Walk along with another 120 visitors from the area, friends of the Mayor and a group organised by a tour operator.

The 'Family of Ancient Trees' initiative which has joined Tane Mahuta and Jomon Sugi is sure to raise the profile of Kaipara and Yakushima, and may be extended to include other famous trees such as a Giant Redwood in the United States of America, and ancient trees in Europe, promoting them on a global scale and targeting the ever increasing eco-tourism market. "Shane Lloyd, Betty Nelley, and Alex Nathan have all put in a lot of effort to get this project off the ground, and the possibilities are just huge now," says Mayor Tiller. "The $8,500 Council put towards the trip is the best spend of economic development money we've ever had. We have an environmentally sustainable alliance of which will we can be proud. It's now up to us to capture the tourists and show them what we've got."

District Plan Debate

Development versus the environment is a hot topic. Kaipara needs growth but our biggest asset is our environment, the harbours and waterways. Both sides, environmentalists and developers, are to face off in an innovative debate in Maungaturoto on Thursday 5 November to discuss how a balance between the two issues can be found. "The role of District Plan, which sets out rules for what you can and can not do on your land, will be on the table," says Kaipara Mayor Neil Tiller. "There are some big issues to get stuck into, how we can encourage development in our area while still protecting the environment? The District Plan needs to strike a balance."

Everyone is invited to come along and listen to the debate, there will be a speaker from each side, Mark Rowbotham from Mangawhai and Mark Bellingham from the Royal Forest and Bird Society as well as an invited panel. It will be a great way to hear different points of view on where Kaipara should head.

Come along, hear both sides of the story, get informed and then submit your thoughts to Council. The event starts with a friendly cuppa at 6.30pm, with the debate kicking off at 7.00pm.

For more information please contact Council's offices via email at council@kaipara.govt.nz or telephone 0800 72 7059 or 0800 100 388. Submissions to the Proposed District Plan close on Friday 18 December 2009.