LOCAL NEWS
KEN RING: WEATHER
BY THE MOON - AUCKLAND WEATHER DIARY, MAY 2022
May is expected to be a wetter and cloudier month than average, with nearly double the normal rainfall. May is expected to be a wetter and cloudier month than average, with nearly double the normal rainfall. The first week with the highest pressure may be driest, and the second week the wettest. The third week may be the sunniest. The best weekend for outdoor activities may be the 28th/29th. For fishers, highest tides are around 17th. The best fishing bite-times in the east are around dusk on 1st-2nd, 15th-18th
and 29th-31st. Bite-chances are also good around noon of 8th-10th, and 22nd-25th. For gardeners, planting is best (waxing moon ascending) between 7th-14th, and pruning is best 20th-28th, (waning moon descending). For preserving and longer shelf-life, pick crops or flowers around neap tide of 9th. Always allow 24-hour error for all forecasting. (KEN RING)
For future weather for any date, and the 2022 NZ Weather Almanac, see www.predictweather.com.
LETTERS & EMAILS
Opinions expressed in Ponsonby News are not always the opinion of Alchemy Media Limited & Ponsonby News.
CONTINUED FROM P30 THE STATE OF MEOLA CREEK
Looking at the state of Meola Creek from the bridge immediately behind Pasadena School is distressing. The lack of weed control by the Auckland Council's contractors has allowed many areas to become overgrown with invasive vegetation. This has restricted the flow of the stream allowing even more invasive plant growth. Most distressing is having had discussions with contractors while crossing this same bridge on two separate occasions. They were spraying the banks with the contents of their backpacks. Both times they verified it was "Roundup"! This is not the first time council contractors have been observed applying glyphosate in unsuitable conditions. In response to my official complaint to Auckland Council in October 2021, Mr Karl Beaufort, Community Facilities Manager wrote, "We have also instructed the contractor to provide us with a written plan on how they will address this issue and prevent it occurring again". However, it would appear the council’s instruction had little control or monitoring of the behaviour of contractors with regard to the use of glyphosate, as I again observed, and had confirmed, the use of Roundup in November 2021. Mr Beaufort’s reply acknowledged this second complaint by saying, "...they have since returned to the same location and undertaken the same activity in exactly the same conditions
32 PONSONBY NEWS+ May 2022
reported in your first complaint. This is not acceptable behaviour from our contractor and the matter has been referred to the contract manager to address through performance management within the contract bounds". So my query is, why is the council contractor not fulfilling their contractual obligations by keeping the waterways around Western Springs clear of vegetation and importantly, why are they still using glyphosate when the Waitematā Local Board have assured this area would be free from this poison? Linda Hill, by email MAKE THEM WALK THE PLANK
Our city is a shipwreck, wind swept and abandoned, torn sails flapping in the wind, bankrupted by a bunch of drunken sailors asleep at the wheel. Political pirates high on power, their plan will see us run aground. Cannon balls of legislation are blasted indiscriminately across our bow, while bootleg barrels are smuggled secretly away. "Shiver me timbers," I say, "make 'em all walk the plank, vote this motley crew OUT come October"! Lisa Prager, Westmere Shipwright
PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)
