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Water Sensitive Design – the rural dimension
There is no ‘R’ in WSUD…and perhaps there should be. In light of NZ’s growth in dairy and wine-making, amongst other - potentially – thirsty industries with rural significance, should we not place as...
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What is it to be Water Sensitive?
The goal of WSUD is to ensure water systems in and near urban environments are protected and repaired. Very simply, WSUD – water sensitive urban design – is about understanding sites – or whole...
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WSUD in HafenCity: ‘Future-Adaptive Urban Development’
A picture (or a series of pictures) can tell so much more than words. Here is a link to a stunning example of water sensitive – urban – design: Worldchanging: Bright Green: HafenCity: A Case Study on...
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Quickfacts on Canterbury Water
With nearly three quarters (70%) of New Zealand’s irrigated land, Canterbury uses more than half (58%) of the country’s total allocated fresh water. Near two thirds (65%) of hydro-storage capacity is...
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Kapiti moves to secure their water supply
Kapiti Island – Image by rmm Just over a year after appointing a water project manager to work with the community and agencies to secure a better water supply, Kapiti District Councillors have chosen a...
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The price of water
Pauatahanui Inlet – rmm What price for water? In 2001, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Morgan Williams observed that enhancing and advancing water management is primarily a...
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Affordable water – Porirua’s Water Guy shows you how to fix water leaks at...
Porirua has been short-listed for the World’s Most Livable City by the United Nations. It’s innovative initiatives like this one that keep Porirua on track to securing a better future. Good on you...
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Porirua’s Village Planning is a World Winner
Press Release, 8th November 2010 EMBARGO: 00:01 9th November 2010 UNEP LivCom Awards, Chicago, USA Cutting edge environmental projects from Canada, South Africa and New Zealand win praise at UN-backed...
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Mainland Farmers of the Year – amazing Averys
South Island Farmer of the Year is Doug Avery – what a well deserved win! Awesome farming family, the Averys, of Starborough Flaxbourne Soil Conservation fame (see earlier posts) have shown New...
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Dancing at the Dead Sea and more – 3 books to read and read again
My holiday reading has included re-reading three powerful narratives. These really hit the spot in terms of entwining a good read with science, history, adventure, questions, and to an extent –...
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The Earth – another good read
I caught bookblogger Graham Beattie reviewing some top reads for 2010 on Radio NZ National today, and wanted to share a quote from his blog. Beattie attributes it to author Margaret Coel: I noticed...
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Village planning ‘unplugged’
Here’s a walk through Porirua city’s village planning programme, meeting the people, seeing the places, the changes…for good. It’s not just our waterways that are benefiting from Porirua’s innovative...
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Dirty rivers and streams – time for a change
Thanks to PENNY WARDLE – The Marlborough Express – for this story. The Wairau is one of the South Island’s longer rivers – at around 170 km. Along its lower reaches are some of New Zealand’s foremost...
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Underwater ‘rainforests’, world warming and more – on water
These water stories have my attention right now… Killer floods and landslides in eastern Sri Lanka where more than 360,000 people fled their homes…more Massive crop losses and 70 deaths in South...
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Earthquake or drought: The joy of a bright orange – or green or blue – water...
More than one billion people drink unsafe water, with children suffering most, from the illnesses and malnutrition that result. Following a disaster like earthquake, access to clean water is a...
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Mining lignite in Aotearoa NZ – a price too high?
Interested in what’s on the horizon in respect of our natural resources – including freshwater? Two reports released in August are worth your attention. Lignite and Climate Change: The High Cost of Low...
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Green growth in NZ – a case of once over lightly?
The Resource Management Amendment Act (RMAA 2009) seemed like a good idea at the time – and so did the Green Growth Advisory Group. The National government’s 2009 amendment to the Resource Management...
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Freshwater in NZ – Auditor General unimpressed by ‘forgiving’ Regional Councils
Regional Councils are too forgiving – and our waterways are the worse for it. Kevin Parris from the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate is undertaking a report on water quality in OECD nations....
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National – declaring war on rivers?
Green’s co-leader Russel Norman said this morning on Radio NZ National that the current government’s promise to fund irrigation infrastructure out of asset sales is akin to it making a declaration of...
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Have enough farmers cleaned up their act?
I have great respect for Jon Morgan who writes for the Dompost. His article Farmers really have cleaned up their act (Dompost 16/11/2011) begs some questioning though. Yes, I imagine most kiwis would...
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