Young water science talent recognised
Third-year student Cady Burns has won the Waikato Regional Council Prize in Water Science for 2024.
Waikato Regional Council has given 44 pest animal and plant control projects $150,000 in funding in the latest round of its Small Scale Community Initiatives Fund (SSCIF).
The fund was set up to help local and individual landowners undertake ecological enhancement through pest animal and plant control.
This year, the fund received 99 applications seeking a total of $345,484.
SSCIF is funded through the uniform annual general charge rate and $150,000 is available every year. Applications can be made for up to $5,000, with the funding round falling in June.
Successful applications ranged from $323.96 for pest animal control by an individual landowner in Thames to $4999.59 to Pukawa Wildlife Management Trust to expand its possum and rat trapping network around Pukawa settlement on the southwestern shore of Lake Taupo.
Natural Heritage biodiversity officer Andrew Thomas says preference is given to applications that seek to look after the region’s special natural areas.
“The fund helps volunteer groups and landowners with the costs of materials required to undertake pest management. Being able to support them financially to buy the tools can make a real difference in trying to keep on top of pests.
“In this funding round we are helping with the purchase of a range of traps for rats, stoats, possums and herbicide for pest plant control.”
Thomas says it’s heartening to see how much ecological enhancement is going on by individuals and groups across the region.
“We have people who are just starting to do predator or pest plant control on their properties to projects that have been operating for over 50 years.”
The regional council also recently granted $54,000 from its Environmental Initiatives Fund to six community groups working to enhance and/or benefit the environment or provide environmental education.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.