Ed Said - Keeping the future clean and green

There has been a real conservation and environmental theme to much of our local news lately. How does a relatively small though bustling seaside town get itself involved with issues on such a large scale? And how do locals really feel about the future and local development?

Initially there was heavy opposition by locals to the Tara Iti golf course development. Following the recent news there may be a couple more courses planned along the same stretch of coast there seems to have been complete indifference. Is everybody now resigned to the inevitability of large-scale development in the area? I suspect there are as many, or more, who are ready to embrace change as there are detractors. The problem is we often only hear from those in opposition.

Mangawhai Central is another example of a development that is receiving a collective sideways glance. Many are worried it will be a blot on the landscape, bring too many people to the area, and put a strain on underdeveloped infrastructure, along with all sorts of environmental issues.

One facility on the radar of those questioning a new town development is the Mangawhai wastewater plant and its ability to cope with future demands. Journalist Julia Wade recently had an extensive tour and gained some interesting insights into how the operation works, and what plans are in place to deal with future growth. Wastewater technician Andrew Springer says the standard of our recycled water is so high it’s just two stages away from human consumption. Such a lofty claim is not to be sniffed at.

Much of the community is involved or invested in protecting the local environment in some way. And maybe a positive of the Covid-19 situation is an even keener sense of self, family, community, country… the world around us. What’s important.

The Big Dig in 1991 is part of Mangawhai folklore, and was instrumental in galvanising a small community into a culture of local coastal and environmental awareness. The Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society was borne from this.

What about the next generation? Schools now are also introducing enviro programmes which do much to foster an environmental awareness in kids as early as possible. In the 70s and 80s I recall little attention paid to serious environmental topics at school. We rested on our laurels as our rivers, streams and creeks naturally ran clear, and another cold Lion Red was the answer to any ‘global warming’. We were encouraged to put rubbish in the right place and ‘Keep New Zealand Beautiful’. Some of those principles have stuck.

Now the Government is putting money into initiatives like Sustainable Kaipara to engage with, and educate, the community about avoiding and reducing waste.

Other hot topics include mangrove removal, dune planting, pest trapping, landfill, farm runoff, plastic, sand mining, and the plight of the fairy tern.

By the way, the fairy tern is just one of 4000 native plants and animals at risk of extinction according to a report out last year. It’s tough going for the embattled fairy tern, who really doesn’t live sensibly, is very fussy, and has a fairly weak constitution. Not good attributes for survival in the outdoors. But read Farah Hancock’s survival story of fairy tern chick RY-BM and you can’t help but cheer for the underdog.