Newsletter May 08 - Guardians of Pauatahanui Inlet

This is a very full Newsletter so I will not take up much space with my thoughts, except for two things. Firstly, please come to the AGM. This is your opportunity to voice opinions and to have a say in the election of your committee. It is also a small social occasion which no doubt will be enhanced by an address by Jim Dearsly. Jim is noted for his willingness to speak out on matters concerning the Inlet and its place in the values of Whitby as a place to live, as well as on his concern for its ecology. Secondly, you may have noticed in the local press a reference to the new Porirua City Council bylaw on silt and sediment control, which places controls on the release of sediment from small development sites, including house construction and landscaping. This attention to the prevention of damage to the Inlet from the cumulative effect of small earthworks is timely and speaks well of the Council’s increased concern for the welfare of our environment. GOPI congratulates the Council on this action.

The AGM will be held on Thursday 26 June at 7.30 pm in the Bradey Room, Whitby (next door to the Library at the shopping centre). Members and friends are most welcome. Following presentation of the annual report and election of officers and committee Jim Dearsly will speak. Jim has recently retired from a long stint as Chairperson of the Whitby Residents Association and is known as an interesting and lively speaker.

We have a vacancy on the committee. If you would like to join the committee phone John Wells at 234-1788 for more information, or simply for a chat. Nominations can be made from the floor at the AGM.

There were 196 entries in total, from 45 competitors, eight of whom entered in our Youth section for those under 18 years. The new Junior section, for those under 13, attracted three pioneer entrants. We hope to build up this new section in our next competition. Numbers were down on last year’s record entry, but were higher than all our other years. The judge, Geoff Marshall, commented that the high number of entries in the youth category, and the high overall quality, were very encouraging and were a compliment to all the people who went to the effort of taking photographs for the competition.

In Geoff’s words - ‘It’s good to see a lot of people using the “magic light” that occurs early in the morning and late in the evening. I hope the entrants continue to get out and enjoy the beauty of the Pauatahanui Inlet, an area which we are lucky to live near and have easy access to, and to make compelling images of the Inlet.’

The Guardians are grateful for the continuing support for the competition from generous local business sponsors, and from the Creative Communities Fund of Porirua City Council. We are also grateful to the competition subcommittee of Ken Rae, Priscilla Isaacs and Ian Thompson, who worked hard to make sure everything went smoothly. Prize-winning entries will soon be posted on the GOPI website.

The PLP helps new immigrants to Porirua to settle into the community, learn English and learn about the environment in which they will be living. The committee has agreed to help the project by providing information about the Inlet and its fauna and flora and by encouraging the participants to join our programmes. We are very pleased to welcome Porirua’s migrant community to our activities on behalf of the Inlet.

Each year we supply volunteers to assist the City Council’s planting programme around the Inlet. The Council’s programme for 2008 is not yet finalised but we could be asked to contribute to plantings at Pauatahanui at some stage. Planting on the Camborne escarpment was interrupted for an archaeological investigation of the area, but the Council hopes it will be resumed in August. We will give you more information as it becomes available.

The City Council is at an advanced stage of planning for the extension of the Inlet Pathway from Ration Point to Pauatahanui village. The committee has been consulted and we were reasonably satisfied that the plan provides for a path that is safe for walkers and does not encroach significantly on the saltmarsh. Minor encroachment is inevitable given that the marsh comes right up to the road in places. We also think that the design will protect the birds of the wildlife reserve from disturbance during the breeding season. However, since the design was drawn up, the situation has been complicated by the migration to the Grays Road edge of the reserve of some of the NZ shore plovers that DoC had recently reintroduced to Mana Island. This news is excellent for the Inlet but may have ramifications for the routing of the pathway. We would appreciate questions and comment from you on pathway development; please email wellsjm@xtra.co.nz.

GOPI is a member of Environment and Conservation Organisations of NZ (ECO), a national organisation that seeks to provide a forum for debate on environmental issues and to promote appropriate policies with government and other official bodies. It also supplies information to member bodies via a newsletter and email announcements on all kinds of matters concerning the environment, local and global. At the moment it is heavily concerned with issues of climate change and the possible local environmental and political consequences. ECO is holding its annual conference this year in Wellington from 27-29 June. Attendance is open to any member of Guardians. If you are interested you can find more details on the ECO website www.eco.org.nz.

The returns from the wind farm questionnaire have now been analysed. The questionnaire was sent to all members and achieved a response rate of 41%. The committee considers this a sufficient basis on which to base GOPI policy on wind farms and their effect on the Inlet, and has now developed such a policy. We thank you all for your contribution to this development. Comments on the analysis and the policy are welcomed.

Wind farm questionnaire and analysis of responses

The questions asked in the questionnaire

Do you support wind farms as a way of generating electricity in New Zealand?	Strongly support	Support	Oppose	Strongly oppose	No opinion

Do you support the proposed wind farm at the Puketiro location?	Strongly support	Support	Oppose	Strongly oppose	No opinion

Would you accept some ecological impacts on the Pauatahanui Inlet from a wind farm?	Yes	Only if minor	No	No opinion

Would you accept some impacts on the landscape of the catchment hills around the Pauatahanui Inlet from a wind farm?	Yes	Only if minor	No	No opinion

Would you accept some impacts on the amenity values of Pauatahanui Inlet or of its catchment hills from a wind farm?	Yes	Only if minor	No	No opinion

* The Resource Management Act defines amenity values as ‘Those natural and physical qualities and characteristics of an area that contribute to people’s appreciation of its pleasantness, aesthetic coherence, and cultural and recreational attributes’.

Analysis of responses

Wind farms generally

95% of respondents strongly supported (67%) or supported (28%) wind farms as a way of generating electricity in New Zealand. One person strongly opposed wind farms, and one had no opinion; both strongly opposed the proposed Puketiro wind farm and any impacts.

The proposed wind farm at the Puketiro location

Ecological, landscape and amenity impacts

Respondents varied in what impacts, and what level of impacts, they were willing to accept.

Most respondents opposed ecological impacts irrespective of their support or opposition to the Puketiro wind farm: 79% opposed ecological impacts (30%) or accepted them only if minor (49%), whereas 19% would accept them.

Of the respondents who strongly supported or supported the proposed Puketiro wind farm, 73% similarly opposed ecological impacts or would accept them only if minor, compared to 24% who would accept ecological impacts .

People were more reluctant to accept ecological impacts than landscape or amenity impacts. There was a more even split between people who would accept landscape or amenity impacts and those who opposed them or would accept only minor impacts: 53% vs 47% for landscape impacts, and 47% vs 49% for amenity impacts respectively.

Six wind farm supporters nevertheless opposed ecological impacts. In contrast, none opposed landscape impacts and only one opposed amenity impacts, which were instead generally only opposed by those who strongly opposed the wind farm at Puketiro.

GOPI POLICY ON THE IMPACT OF WIND FARMS ON THE VALUES OF THE PAUATAHANUI INLET

It is clear from this survey that there is an overwhelming desire from the members for GOPI to maintain its opposition to any significant deterioration of the ecological values of the Inlet. It is equally clear that opinion among members is divided about the need for GOPI to strive with similar vigour to protect landscape and amenity values.

On the basis of this survey the Committee adopted the following policy on wind farms in the Inlet catchment.

GOPI opposes any activity associated with wind farms that may have a negative impact on the ecology of the Inlet. GOPI will advocate for the prevention or mitigation of potential adverse affects during all stages of construction and operation of the wind farm, including accessory activities, e.g. associated roading and transport activity.
GOPI will not take a strong position regarding potential adverse impacts of wind farms on the landscape and amenity values of the Inlet. It will, however, monitor developments and argue, if necessary, to keep these to a minor level where this will not affect the viability of the operation of the wind farm.

The Committee will continuously review this policy as the plans for wind farms develop and more information becomes available on the location and size of the turbines and on the means of transporting turbine components to these sites.

The committee is undertaking a review of our website. We’re aiming to make the site easier to use and we also want to update the information and make it more comprehensive. Beverly Fairfax, our Webmaster (fairfaxnz@googlemail.com), is coordinating the project and would appreciate hearing from members. How do you think the current layout and information content can, or should be, redesigned to achieve these objectives?

We continue to maintain a four-seasons cycle with small dedicated teams on our four monitored streams. This work is ongoing and provides vital information on the health of the Inlet. Further information on the programme and the role of volunteers is available on our website and from coordinator Ian Thompson, who can be contacted on 233-1221.

Several recent incidents, especially at Brown’s Bay, indicate that pollution of the Inlet is still occurring, with clay coming in via the input streams. The source of this may not be immediately obvious but it is very important that when you notice discolouration, especially the distinctive yellow colour of clay particles which can only come from subsoil exposed by excavation, you report it as soon as you can to the regional council (0800 496 7340 – 24 hours) so that the source can be traced and appropriate action taken.

Pollution : Discharges of contaminants to air, land, stormwater drains, streams, rivers or sea and for after hours consent enquiries - ring Greater Wellington 0800 496 734 (24 hours)

Let us know what you have reported so we can keep an accurate record and follow up if necessary - Ken Rae (Secretary, GOPI) 233 9614.

PO Box 57034
Mana
Porirua 5247

www.gopi.wellington.net.nz

Wind farm questionnaire and analysis of responses

The questions asked in the questionnaire

Analysis of responses

Wind farms generally

The proposed wind farm at the Puketiro location

Ecological, landscape and amenity impacts


Home	GUARDIANS OF PAUATAHANUI INLET

PO Box 57034 Mana Porirua 5247

www.gopi.wellington.net.nz

Wind farm questionnaire and analysis of responses

The questions asked in the questionnaire

Analysis of responses

Wind farms generally

The proposed wind farm at the Puketiro location

Ecological, landscape and amenity impacts

PO Box 57034
Mana
Porirua 5247