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Recent News and Events

Working with groups to identify wetland
Pipeline likely to be built offshore
New era ahead in environmental management says CEO
Otamahua / Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust wins trophy
Charlesworth Tidal Wetlands
Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board
Operation Ark to save species on the brink

Sites Added

Canterbury Forest Trust
Formed to encourage tree planting in Canterbury.Facilitates joint ventures among people with land available for planting and people who wish to plant trees.Facilitates commercial and amenity planting.
Pattle Delamore Partners
Environmental solutions business. Information on services including Air Quality and Odour Management; Biosolids Treatment and Disposal, and Contaminated Sites Remediation. Publications.
Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Awards from Environment Canterbury recognises farmers who practice sustainable land management and achieve success without compromising environmental values.
Hurunui Mainland Island
Mainland island habitats are conservation areas which aim to protect and restore habitats on the mainland through intensive management of introduced pests. Situated in remote area of North Canterbury.
GE Free Canterbury
Umbrella organisation called together as a result of the threat to the environment from the commercial release of genetically engineered organisms. Information on events. Resources.

Viewpoint

The week 17th -24th October is the Carter Group Heritage Week in Christchurch. The theme of this year's week is Spires, Wires and High Flyers - A City on the Move. Christchurch also values its environmental heritage and this is reflected in the ongoing debate over preserving aspects of the introduced European environment such as introduced trees and shrubs  versus replacing this  with elements of  the natural environment that existed prior to European settlement.

The Christchurch City Council has taken a positive approach to preservation of the natural environment which reflects both the European and pre European natural heritage of the city.  The environmental policies of the council are recorded in a  document   -  Environmental Policies and Programmes. Significant trees - both native and introduced - are recorded and preserved wherever possible - see the council site on Trees. The  Parks and Waterways site  has a section which features many aspects of the council's approach to the natural environment including biodiversity strategies, weed control, streamside planting etc.

Biodiversity is the theme for this month’s Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture Conference in Christchurch. The conference, titled ‘Greening the City: Bringing Biodiversity Back into the Urban Environment’, will be launched on the evening of Tuesday 21 October, with Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Morgan Williams delivering a keynote address, ‘The Ecologies of Liveability – Why Cities Need Biodiversity’.
As well as addressing the important role of cities in maintaining biodiversity, the conference will cover the need to focus on sustainable development; triple bottom line accounting; and the function of green environments in maintaining community health and cohesion.  

Buried Treasures

Environmental organisations are many and varied. localeye brings together the websites of local groups under the category Organisations. Among the sub categories of organisations are lobbying and advocacy groups such as Public Access New Zealand and the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust.

Organics groups include WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) which offers accomodation on organic farms in exchange for work and the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand which supports organic growing with information  and education.

Christchurch is home to a number of research organisations concerned with the environment  including Landcare Research New Zealand based at Lincoln. The Landcare site has a great number of resources of interest to environmentalists.