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Enthusiasm for the 1920’s era of flappers and speakeasies prompted some Wanaka locals to prepare for the upcoming movie premiere of The Great Gatsby. Pete Legnavsky, Sonia and Mark Richter, Shannon Van Walt, Brona Parsons, Rachael Bowering and Hannah Stevens gathered on the Wanaka lakefront yesterday afternoon to sip bubbles and celebrate the extravagant Gatsby lifestyle. The Great Gatsby premieres in Wanaka on June 6. PHOTO: WANAKA.TV
Queensberry 1080 use queried Tim Brewster
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sunviews PAGE 11
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One of the largest and most complex rabbit poisoning operations planned by the Otago Regional Council in the Queensberry area is angering some of the 58 residents, who feel they have a lack of choice in the matter. Just over 2000 hectares of farmland above the subdivision up to the top of the Pisa Range will have carrots laced with 1080 and pindone dropped by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, with some of the 280 hectares that make up the subdivision spread with pindone-laced carrots. Mike Burrowes and Caitlin Harvey live on a fully-fenced lifestyle block that borders the farmland above them and are concerned about possible 1080 runoff and the amount of pindone required for the heavily-infested bare section in front of them. “We potentially are going to have 1080 right along our back boundary and the hills above, and then pindone along our entire front boundary. We feel gutted that although our property is not deemed to have a rabbit issue,
we suffer the possible risks and whatever else (the unknowns) due to our neighbouring properties having issues,” Caitlin said. “On our property we have all our own meat, pigs, sheep and cows, as well as two milking cows, chickens, a large garden, fruit trees and three
“We can’t understand why other methods haven’t been explored and incentives given, such as rabbitproof fences, active shooting…more environmental ways,” Caitlin said. Another resident, Robin Dalton, said he had mixed emotions about the operation.
We can’t understand why other methods haven’t been explored and incentives given, such as rabbit-proof fences, active shooting…more environmental ways. young children. We do everything as organic as possible, using no sprays or chemicals and organic feeds. We are concerned about the long-term and short-term effects of poison use in the area.” The couple, pictured on page 3 with their seven-month-old son Nico, are also concerned the gully and steep hillside above them could enable the 1080 to run-off into waterways around the area.
“It was quite draconian by council. We were asked to report what control work we had done and then simply told it was not adequate. It seemed as if they had already made up their minds.” He said he knows something needs to be done, but is concerned there is no sure way of ensuring the 1080 will not make its way into waterways. Rabbit numbers are “way beyond” being controlled by other methods,
council senior field advisor Peter Preston said. He said the legal compliance limit set for rabbit numbers on land using the Modified McLean Scale is three (signs infrequent with heaps more than 10m apart, odd rabbit may be seen), with many areas in the Queensberry area as high as six (signs very frequent with heaps often less than 5m apart over the whole area, rabbits may be seen over the whole area) on the scale. Landowners may control numbers themselves using whatever methods they prefer, but if unsuccessful, council can step in as a last resort and take over the job at the owner’s expense, Peter said. Much of the difficulty at Queensberry is the large number of different landowners, with an estimated 30 of the 90 not resident in the area. The control work will only be done on properties that have a rabbit problem, with all those owners he has been able to contact agreeing for the work to be done. Story continues page 3...