Post
Tuesday • APRIL 1 • 2014 PHONE: 09 235 78 35 FAX: 09 235 78 34
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INSIDE THIS WEEK: PG 14
Mind
Body
and
VOL 26 • NO.12
Hula Girls make a splash
marleen Ohms
Sales Consultant Get Top Results from a Top Performer! Mob 027 448 3528 A/h 09 235 0070
osborne realty ltd licensed real estate agent (REAA 2008)
11 Bowen Street Waiuku Ph 09 235 7139
Gridlock frustrates Long Delays.. Angry Motorists!
The Post was inundated with calls yesterday afternoon after Transfield Services closed off a section of road during the roadworks to construct two new roundabouts at the lower end of Queen Street and Constable Road. The construction led to the complete collapse of traffic flow in and around Waiuku as hundreds of cars were backed up in all directions with one motorist saying his journey from one side of town to the other took over an hour. The road closure occurred at peak traffic time as the schools were coming out, resulting in further frustration and reports that at one stage traffic was backed completely along Kitchener Road for several hundred metres from the roadworks. The construction, which started in mid-January, was initially expected to take 16 weeks to complete although there have been some delays to Stage One.
LAUNDRY 4 U SUPPORTING LOCAL SCHOOLS Bring in the Voucher on page 6 , and WE WILL DONATE $1 for every $10 per transaction you spend with us to the School of your choice. Mon - Fri: 8am - 5:30pm • Sat & Sun: 9am-3pm
6A Court St, Waiuku Ph: 09-2352769
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The ‘Hula Girls’ team in action at the Waiuku Young Mariners Duckboat Derby on Sunday. Ideal conditions and excellent entries in both senior and junior sections meant a great day on and off the water, and planning is already underway to make next year’s event even better. More pictures page 12 this week.
$2 million for mangrove replanting Residents in streets bordering the Waiuku Estuary will this week receive packets of mangrove seeds to plant as part of a $2 million project to restore the mangrove banks in the township and provide nesting habitats for the rare and endangered Mudflat Heron. If the mangroves are not established by June, Council may introduce a targeted rate for the Waiuku area to pay for artificial mangroves in time for the breeding season. Auckland Council, in an initiative partlyfunded by its Swedish sister city Stromberg, will have contractors planting the upper reaches of the harbour with mangrove seedlings, but is hoping a community push will see local residents planting around 50 seeds each to provide the habitat for the Mudflat Heron as soon as possible. Swedish bird expert and mangrove enthusiast Dr Loof Lirpa says it is important to get the seeds planted before the cooler weather to give them the best chance to get established before the breeding season in late June. “The Mudflat Heron is one of the few birds which nests exclusively in mangroves, and worldwide deforestation has meant their habitat has shrunk dramatically over the past few years. Waiuku is home to a colony of just five birds, and one of those is past breeding
age, so it is critical that we get as many mangroves as possible around the waterways before June,” Dr Lirpa said yesterday. “We have experimented with mangroves on barges, which can be moved into position quickly, but it’s not as effective as the real thing. In Sweden we have installed plastic mangroves around many of our waterways, as the weather is too cold for them to grow naturally, and while this has had some success, it is simply too expensive for Auckland Council to do at this stage.” An Auckland Council spokesperson said yesterday that if Waiuku residents aren’t able to get the mangroves established over the next few months, council environment officers will look at introducing a targeted rate to pay for the plastic mangroves. The artificial mangroves, manufactured in Austria, cost around $900 per set, and will require a
total budget in excess of $11 million to provide sufficient habitat area around the Waiuku estuary. Council says any targeted rate is likely to be around $270 per household in the first year, rising to $400 in the third and final year, although there may be additional costs to repair, or if any of the mangrove sets are washed out to sea. “Obviously it is better for all concerned if the Waiuku residents can plant the seedlings themselves,” a spokesperson said. “It’s better for the Mudflat Herons, and it’s also a massive saving for local ratepayers if the mangroves can be established and we don’t need to purchase the man-made mangroves from Austria. “It’s a chance for locals to really do something special for the environment.” The first packets of seeds will be being posted to local residents today, April 1.
Beko 7KG Washer.
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GARY PYES
43 QUEEN ST, WAIUKU • PH 235 9711 • SAT: 9 - 4 • SUN: 10 - 3
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