Beau Bryers spotted this Kākā "gouging itself" on persimmons in his Dargaville backyard.
Beau Bryers spotted this Kākā "gouging itself" on persimmons in his Dargaville backyard.
Several rare kākā have been spotted in the backyards of homes in Dargaville.
Resident Beau Bryers says he was working on his car when his pet cat dragged the bird out of a nearby tree and brought it over to him, "to show it off to me".
"I thought he had a possum. But it was a kākā. Fortunately the bird was fine and had been gorging itself on persimmons all day.
"I think they've set up camp in the bush behind my place. They're reasonably friendly as I can get within 6 feet of them before they decide to move."
Bryers lives in Awakino Rd – which is close to the centre of town.
"I've never seen kākā before. At first I thought it was someone's pet parrot that had escaped because of all the unusual sounds it was making. I was really shocked to see it was a pair of kākā when they flew past."
Northland conservation advocate for Forest & Bird, Dean Baigent-Mercer, has previously been quoted as saying pest animals drove Northland's mainland kākā to extinction in the 1970s/80s.
"They were now flying over offshore islands, but most large Northland native forests were collapsing. If the populations of introduced pests were kept low enough, the cheeky native parrot would re-establish and could become common."
Love Kaipara - Celebrating World Environment Day Environmental Care group Love Kaipara is showing its support for World Environment Day by holding a BYO BAG stall at Countdown Dargaville.
The stall will support Dargaville and Kaipara residents going plastic bag free, by selling locally made shopping bags from fabric previously destined for landfill.
The stall is also a fundraiser for the printing of posters that will educate the public about ocean pollution and the role disposable plastics play in this environmental problem.
Love Kaipara, in collaboration with the Kaipara District Council, is set to print and distribute the latest Kaipara annual recycling flyer.
In a bid to educate Kaipara residents about recycling and waste reduction, this flyer will soon be available to residents and visitors at key spots around the district.
"There is no magic bullet for this plastic crisis," said Love Kaipara project manager Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock, "but we would be failing in our duty if we did not mention the situation of the plastics recycling industry.
"Our role is to educate the public about waste reduction strategies," she said. "In the international waste reduction hierarchy, reducing comes first; followed by reusing, recycling, and recovering whatever resources a product holds.
"The very last resort is disposal to landfill, which represents a 'waste'. Avoiding goods that are packaged in plastic that cannot be recycled is one strategy, and a choice that consumers have."
Love Kaipara is the brainchild of director and project manager Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock. Studying for a master's degree in politics from 2013 was an eye-opener for her.
She saw Kaipara's unique environment required protection and this would require leadership.
As a Kaipara resident, del la Varis-Woodcock knew that in particular the Kaipara district needed a waste minimisation leader.
In 2016 she initiated an inaugural waste minimisation education and promotion project with the Kaipara District Council and the Waste Minimisation Fund as funders.
The current Love Kaipara Project educates Kaipara primary school children and promotes waste minimisation via print, radio, and social media.
The project runs through to 2020.
"I know that there is a big task ahead in leading Kaipara towards my zero-waste vision, but we all need a vision," said del la Varis-Woodcock.
"Children are my inspiration. Working for a better future for the generations to come is my philosophy."
A number of people have received $500 infringement notices from MPI for taking, possessing and disturbing toheroa recently.
There are also about 10 people facing prosecution in the near future - some found with up to 280 toheroa.
Visit http://www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/fishing/fishing-rules/auckland-kermadec-fishing-rules/#twistie for the shellfish gathering rules in the upper North Island.
World Smokefree Day Celebrated at NorthTec World Smokefree day was celebrated at North Tec in Dargaville exactly one year on from the launch of its smoke-free policy with a range of activities, a sausage sizzle, music and giveaways.
Te Ha Oranga staff member Cara Donaldson and musician Vera Rapana.
The day was supported and celebrated by students and teachers as well as Te Ha Oranga who provided smokefree advice and supported along with More FM and musician Vera Rapana.
Through Te Ha Oranga, Toki Rau offers a quit smoking programme to the Northland community, to prevent smoking-related sickness.
