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Nature & Environment
Midday Rural News for 4 June 2021
Fencing contractors are being inundated with calls as Canterbury farmers start the process of fixing the damage caused by this week's floods. Audio
Promising signs for kākāpō summer breeding
Kākāpō last bred in early 2019 when a record 73 chicks hatched, but Department of Conservation is predicting they may breed again this summer.
Govt unveils major transport projects, new Ak harbour crossing
The government has unveiled a nine billion dollar suite of transport projects, including a nearly 800 million dollar bridge over the Auckland Harbour for pedestrians and cyclists. Not everyone is… Audio
$302 m to encourage EVs - are feebates back on the agenda?
The government has set aside $302 million to encourage low emissions vehicles and looks set to move on a feebate scheme, introducing incentives for electric vehicles and eventually a tax on gas… Audio
Federated Farmers president on flood clean up
South Canterbury got "a fair hiding" in the severe rain from Saturday to Monday - and the damage across the region shows it. Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Greg Anderson says there is a… Audio
Far North iwi rejects local council control of land use
Far North iwi Ngāti Wai says the local council is undermining their treaty rights with a proposal that could restrict how they can use their land.
Proposed changes to the District Plan would see up… Audio
A step up in cycling's battle to ride
Our big cities are supposed to be getting more cycling friendly - but progress is slow and there is a wall of road users who would rather bicycles just disappeared. Audio
A step up in cycling's battle to ride
Our big cities are supposed to be getting more cycling friendly - but progress is slow and there is a wall of road users who would rather bicycles just disappeared.
AudioReopened Ashburton Bridge likely to see heavier weekend traffic
The Ashburton bridge re-opened to all vehicles today, after being damaged by debris from surging water in the Canterbury floods.
Huge desalination push aims to ease China's water scarcity
China will invest in new desalination plants over the next five years and raise capacity to 2.9 million tonnes a day.
Whakaari trial: Defendants call for more time before pleas
Most of the defendants accused of health and safety breaches in the lead-up to the deadly 2019 Whakaari eruption say they need more time before they can enter pleas.
Thirteen parties have been… Video, Audio
Criminal probe into Brazil's Environment Minister and illegal logging in Amazon
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has authorised a criminal investigation into allegations Environment Minister Ricardo Salles obstructed a police probe into illegal logging.
Kiwi bird found buried in Hawke's Bay park, dog attack suspected
Dog owners are urged to keep their animals under control after the death of a monitored kiwi bird in Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke's Bay.
Oxygen levels in lakes dropping rapidly
Oxygen levels in lakes worldwide are in rapid decline, with potentially dire consequences for biodiversity.
Almost four hundred lakes have been tested by the US Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute… Audio
Forest and Bird not happy with government work on whitebait
Four of six whitebait species are threatened or at risk of extinction. Yet Forest and Bird says the government's latest moves to protect the fish are wholly inadequate.
Minister for Conservation… Audio
Truck drivers dealing with big delays in Canterbury
Truck drivers in Canterbury have been dealing with big delays because of the Ashburton bridge damaged in the floods, forcing them to take a big detour inland.
The Hakatere Bridge over Ashburton River… Audio
Whakaari/White Island: Worksafe court case begins
The 13 organisations and individuals charged by Worksafe in the aftermath of the eruption are due back in court today.
They are accused of health and safety breaches in the lead-up to the disaster -… Audio
Whakaari/White Island: Confusion over Minister's responsibility
A year and half on from the Whakaari/White Island tragedy there is still confusion about the government's responsibility for public safety on the island.
Forty-seven people were on the island in… Audio
'The majority of these fish are on the brink'
A whitebaiting group is happy with the Department of Conservation's new approach to managing the fishery, but environmentalists say DOC just keeps getting it wrong.
Shorter season, gear changes: Government announces range of new rules for whitebaiting
Whitebaiting will now only be allowed in estuaries and near river mouths, and it will be paused in parts of some national parks. The season will be shorter and so will nets.
