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Waikato Regional Council

817 posts | 48 images

Environment Waikato is the Regional Council for the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. 

Joined August 2007
27,489 profile views
News Images
Conservation 14 Apr 2010
Te Tapui possum control highly successful

MATAMATA — An Environment Waikato-managed possum control operation over 2,300 hectares near Matamata has achieved excellent results.

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Council 13 Apr 2010
Coromandel and Waiomu stream maintenance funding

COROMANDEL — Environment Waikato is seeking community feedback on a proposed change to the way stream channel maintenance is funded in Coromandel town and Waiomu.

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Agriculture 13 Apr 2010
Waikato Regional Drought Committee form

WAIKATO — A Waikato Regional Drought Committee has been officially formed at a meeting in Hamilton today to help co-ordinate relief to farmers and others affected by the drought conditions affecting the region.

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Motorsport 9 Apr 2010
Free buses available for ITM 400

HAMILTON — Promoters of the ITM 400 next weekend are again offering free Hamilton bus services to help reduce traffic congestion in the city and minimise the event’s carbon footprint.

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Marine 9 Apr 2010
Course to help boaties cross Raglan bar

RAGLAN — Coastguard Raglan, with support from Environment Waikato, is again offering to help boaties with information on how to cross the notorious Raglan bar and to be generally safer at sea.

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Agriculture 8 Apr 2010
EW chairman pledges council support after drought declaration

Environment Waikato chairman Peter Buckley says the regional council will work closely with the Government and other agencies to help support farmers through drought conditions in the region.

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Transport 7 Apr 2010
Orbiter overcrowding solutions sought

HAMILTON — Environment Waikato and its partners on the Regional Passenger Transport Committee are working on solutions to overcrowding on the increasingly popular Orbiter bus service in Hamilton.

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Transport 7 Apr 2010
Committee will monitor impact of heavy vehicle changes

WAIKATO — The chairman of the multi-agency Regional Transport Committee is welcoming the final shape of a new regime for heavy vehicles on New Zealand roads due to take effect from next month.

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Agriculture 1 Apr 2010
EW backs Fonterra farm checks

WAIKATO — Fonterra’s pilot programme to check the effluent management infrastructure on farms in the Waikato is well underway and receiving positive support and feedback from farmers and Environment Waikato, says Fonterra’s GM Milk Supply, Tim Deane.

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Agriculture 30 Mar 2010
Consider soil factors when applying effluent

WAIKATO — As farmers know well, dairy effluent can be a great resource for nutrients.

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Transport 30 Mar 2010
Big jump in Balloons bus use

HAMILTON — Environment Waikato is reporting a big jump in the numbers of people using the free Park and Ride bus service to the Balloons Over Waikato event at Waikato University.

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Council 30 Mar 2010
Environment Canterbury will work constructively to ensure smooth transition following decision on Creech Report

CANTERBURY — The Chairman of Environment Canterbury, Alec Neill, has said that Environment Canterbury will work constructively with commissioners following today’s government announcement that the council’s elected representatives will be replaced by commissioners from the expected date of May 1, 2010.

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Environment 30 Mar 2010
Report shows health of Kaimai catchments

TAURANGA — Environment Bay of Plenty, Environment Waikato, and the Department of Conservation, have released a state of the environment report on the health of the Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges and Waihou and Tauranga Harbour catchments.

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Transport 26 Mar 2010
Transport safety a key priority

NGARUAWAHIA — The multi-agency Regional Transport Committee says it is very grateful to the Government for helping fund security improvements at the Waikato River rail bridge at Ngaruawahia.

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Environment 25 Mar 2010
Environment Waikato supports urban paddock to forest project

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato will grant a total of $120,000 to help create a living museum at the Lake Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park (Horseshoe Lake) in Hamilton.

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Environment 24 Mar 2010
Tui mine clean-up consents lodged

WAIKATO — A major milestone in the remediation of one of New Zealand’s most contaminated sites has been reached today with the public notification of applications for consent to clean up the Tui Mine site near Te Aroha.

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Council 23 Mar 2010
Civil Defence appeals for tsunami footage and photos

WAIKATO — People who took video footage or photos of the Chilean tsunami surge on the Waikato region’s east coast on Sunday 28 February are being asked to share the images with the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.

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Electricity 22 Mar 2010
Regional councils sign geothermal agreement

WAIKATO — Regional councils Environment Bay of Plenty and Environment Waikato (EW) have agreed to explore collaborative management of the bulk of New Zealand’s geothermal resources.

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Agriculture 22 Mar 2010
Stock wintering field day

WAIKATO — An Environment Waikato field day designed to help livestock farmers reduce the environmental impact of animals during winter is being held near Te Kuiti on Friday 9 April.

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Agriculture 18 Mar 2010
Dairy accord report highlights need for improvement

WAIKATO — The latest snapshot of Waikato dairy farmer compliance with regional council effluent management rules shows the importance of the council working with farmers to improve the situation, says Environment Waikato.

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Disability 12 Mar 2010
Disabled experience bus buzz

HAMILTON — Helping disabled people understand how easy it is to use Hamilton buses was the aim of an information day held in the central city yesterday by CCS Disability Action and Environment Waikato, with help from Hamilton City Council.

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News 9 Mar 2010
Waikato CDEM Group looking to step up public education

WAIKATO — The chairman of the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group says new national statistics on natural disaster preparedness underline the need for more public education in the Waikato region.

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Environment 9 Mar 2010
New alligator weed outbreak

HAMILTON — Environment Waikato is working with landowners at a new subdivision in north Hamilton to deal with one of the largest infestations of alligator weed the city has seen.

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Environment 6 Mar 2010
EW considers stakeholder questions on hydrology report

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato says it will consider carefully points and questions raised by stakeholders about its new draft report looking at the potential impacts of pine-to-pasture conversions in the Upper Waikato River catchment.

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Transport 6 Mar 2010
RTC chair welcomes Expressway progress

WAIKATO — The chair of the multi-agency Waikato Regional Transport Committee says the Government’s announcement today of the contract for the Te Rapa section of the Waikato Expressway is great news for the regional economy and road safety.

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Environment 4 Mar 2010
Learn how to help protect the environment

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato, Waipa District Council and the Ngaroto Lake Care Group are joining forces to run a field day for people interested in, or already involved in, improving the environment in their local community.

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Transport 4 Mar 2010
RTC chair welcomes new national road safety strategy

WAIKATO — The chairman of the multi-agency Waikato Regional Transport Committee has today strongly welcomed a new ten-year Government Safer Journeys strategy aimed at reducing fatalities and serious injuries on New Zealand roads.

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Environment 2 Mar 2010
Consents granted for sand mining

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato and Waipa District Council have granted resource consents to a Ngahinapouri dairy farmer to extend an existing sand mining operation and undertake associated earthworks.

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Earthquakes 28 Feb 2010
Tsunami update from Waikato Civil Defence as at 12.30pm

WAIKATO — The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group has received reports of strong tidal currents at Whitianga and Tairua, but this could be more widespread, especially at harbour entrances.

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Earthquakes 28 Feb 2010
warning that a tsunami is due to hit from about 7am onwards

WAIKATO — Update as at 3.30am Residents of the Waikato region’s east coast are being urged to stay away from the ocean after a warning that a tsunami is due to hit from about 7am onwards on Sunday 28 February following an earthquake off Chile.

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Council 26 Feb 2010
Council proposes 1.86 per cent rates increase

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato has signed off its draft 2010/11 budgets based on a rates requirement of $68.83 million, an overall increase of 1.86 per cent to existing ratepayers.

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Environment 24 Feb 2010
Fish for the future

WAIKATO — Fish for the future is the theme of this year’s Seaweek, which will feature a series of free lectures and beach clean-ups in the Waikato.

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Council 22 Feb 2010
Waikato CDEM group studies Ministry report

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group chairman Peter Lee says he is very encouraged by the commitment shown by senior regional politicians to lifting the performance of Civil Defence in the Waikato.

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Environment 19 Feb 2010
Council optimistic about river partnership with Waikato-Tainui

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is looking forward to working with Waikato-Tainui and other iwi to achieve the shared vision of a clean and healthy Waikato River.

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Conservation 13 Feb 2010
'Batman' wins student scholarship

HAMILTON — New research into the echolocation, monitoring and conservation of Hamilton’s long-tailed bat species has earned Darren Le Roux the Environment Waikato and Department of Conservation jointly-sponsored Dr Stella Frances scholarship.

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Science 13 Feb 2010
Twice the encouragement for young scientists

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato’s annual prize in water science has been jointly awarded to Kohji Muraoka and Catherine Sturgeon.

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Weather 12 Feb 2010
Extra weather information for Raglan and Kawhia boaties

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is welcoming the extension of Coastguard’s Nowcasting services to the Raglan and Kawhia harbours.

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Council 12 Feb 2010
Committee signals 1.7 per cent rates increase

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato’s finance and audit committee today signalled a rates increase of 1.7 per cent to fund regional council services next financial year.

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Court 11 Feb 2010
Hillside fine appropriate says EW

HAMILTON — Environment Waikato says the $65,000 fine imposed today on the Crafar company Hillside Ltd is appropriate for the offending involved.

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Transport 8 Feb 2010
Real growth in Hamilton bus passenger numbers

HAMILTON — Latest figures show significant annual growth in Hamilton bus passenger numbers is continuing even though few new services have come on stream in the past year.

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Traffic 8 Feb 2010
Waikato road toll bucks national trend in 2009

WAIKATO — The multi-agency Regional Transport Committee says it is encouraging that the Waikato region’s road toll dropped by seven to 67 last year, as driver education, improved roads and firmer policing all helped rein in the number of fatal crashes.

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Agriculture 5 Feb 2010
Hydrology report examines pine-to-pasture flood risk

WAIKATO — Future pine to pasture conversions in the Upper Waikato River catchment between Taupo and Karapiro could generally increase the risk of localised flooding of streams feeding the upper river.

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Council 4 Feb 2010
EW welcomes flow-on effect of carbon deal for Lake Taupo

TAUPO — A pioneering deal involving a farm-to-forestry conversion and the subsequent sale of carbon credits from the forests is being heralded as a major win for the Waikato economy and the environment.

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Conservation 4 Feb 2010
January tui sightings spark city nesting hopes

HAMILTON — More than a dozen tui sightings in Hamilton during January are sparking hopes that the birds may be returning to live and nest in the city as a result of Environment Waikato’s Halo project.

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Conservation 3 Feb 2010
EW hears community views on 1080

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is to encourage the use of a new 'low-sow' method of applying 1080 that cuts the amount of toxin used to control possums.

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Transport 26 Jan 2010
Night Rider numbers soar

HAMILTON — The ‘Plan B4 You Party’ message is clearly getting through to Hamiltonians, with a huge increase in passengers on the Night Rider.

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Council 26 Jan 2010
Decision may save ratepayers millions

WAIKATO — An Environment Waikato hearing committee’s decision may save ratepayers millions of dollars while still meeting environmental standards.

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Environment 22 Jan 2010
EW pitches in to help clean up air in Taupo, Tokoroa and Te Kuiti

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is pitching in $400,000 over the next 18 months to help stop health-threatening air pollution in Taupo, Tokoroa and Te Kuiti during winter.

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Environment 27 Dec 2009
No serious negative effect expected from Awakino spill

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is not expecting any significant environmental impact as a result of a whey spill after a truck and trailer unit left the road and crashed into the Awakino River this morning.

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Environment 27 Dec 2009
EW helping in aftermath of Awakino spill

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is to assist emergency services in dealing with a diesel and whey spill after a truck crash into the Awakino River, near the south-west corner of the regional council’s area, this morning.

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Transport 24 Dec 2009
EW announces new policy and transport group manager

WAIKATO — Vaughan Payne has been appointed as the new policy and transport group manager at Environment Waikato.

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Conservation 23 Dec 2009
Te Kowhai couple recognised for pest control work

WAIKATO — Maize farmers John and Margaret Hodge are the first people to be recognised under a new scheme designed to acknowledge people voluntarily doing excellent pest control work in the Waikato region.

Maize farmers John and Margaret Hodge

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Conservation 23 Dec 2009
Crimson Christmases to come

COROMANDEL — A thousand pohutukawa trees are being made available for planting on the Coromandel as part of efforts to get more of the iconic New Zealand trees flowering on the peninsula.

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Agriculture 22 Dec 2009
Fines and warnings for EW councillor over effluent management

WAIKATO — Fines totaling $1500 and formal warnings have been issued to Environment Waikato councillor John Fisher over breaches of the council’s effluent management rules on two dairy farms owned by him.

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Marine 22 Dec 2009
Stick to the five knot rule

WAIKATO — Boaties and jetskiers are reminded to stick to the five knot rule when they are out enjoying the Waikato region’s waterways this summer.

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Court 21 Dec 2009
Crafar company pleads guilty to effluent charges

WAIKATO — A Crafar dairying company Hillside Ltd has today pleaded guilty to four charges of unlawfully discharging effluent to land and breach of an abatement notice.

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Marine 18 Dec 2009
Kayak sinking a timely reminder

WHANGAMATA — Environment Waikato said today that the fatal accident at Whangamata on Wednesday evening when a sit-on kayak was swamped and sank was a timely reminder to all users of sit-on kayaks.

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Conservation 18 Dec 2009
EW open to pest control alternatives

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is always open to the idea of using pest control methods other than aerially applied 1080 and other toxins, says the council’s biosecurity group manager John Simmons.

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Environment 14 Dec 2009
TCDC reclamation and landfill consents granted

COROMANDEL — Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) has been granted a range of consents to reclaim land so as to protect Thames from coastal flooding, and to help rehabilitate an old landfill site.

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Traffic 14 Dec 2009
Campaign has drink and drugs in its sights

WAIKATO — A hard-hitting road safety campaign across the Waikato this month is targeting people who may drive after drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

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Agriculture 14 Dec 2009
Variation 5 charges overstated

TAUPO — Some media coverage of indicative consent-related charges for Taupo farmers has incorrectly stated that farmers could face annual charges of up to $6000 for monitoring of rules designed to protect Lake Taupo from nutrient leaching.

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Conservation 12 Dec 2009
Joint media statement from Taupo District Council and Environment Waikato

TAUPO — A strategy designed to protect Lake Taupo’s foreshore from the effects of erosion and to help manage flood risk around the lake has now been agreed to by both the Taupo District Council (TDC) and the regional council Environment Waikato (EW).

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Agriculture 10 Dec 2009
EW outlines Variation 5 consent charges

TAUPO — Environment Waikato is announcing details of the indicative charges farmers will face for new consents in the Lake Taupo catchment.

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Transport 8 Dec 2009
Night Rider promotes 'Plan B4 You Party' safety message

Students Against Drink Driving (SADD) and Environment Waikato are teaming up in a new effort to keep Hamiltonians and visitors safe while having a good time this coming holiday season.

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Weather 4 Dec 2009
Coromandel warned to be on alert for weather impacts

COROMANDEL — Residents of the Coromandel are being urged to be alert for severe thunderstorm warnings, rapidly rising river levels and surface flooding as heavy rain hits the region today and overnight.

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Conservation 3 Dec 2009
Halo on show at Heritage Day

HAMILTON — The Hamilton Halo project, aimed at bringing native birds starting with tui back to Hamilton.

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Transport 3 Dec 2009
Buses back on holiday menu for the Coromandel

COROMANDEL — Buses from Ferry Landing to Hot Water Beach and from Hahei to Cathedral Cove are back on the holiday menu this summer after a highly successful shuttle service trial last holiday season.

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Waste 27 Nov 2009
MPDC granted new consents for Morrinsville wastewater plant

MORRINSVILLE — An Environment Waikato hearing committee has granted new resource consents to Matamata-Piako District Council (MPDC), allowing the operation of an upgraded wastewater treatment plant at Morrinsville for another 15 years.

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Conservation 27 Nov 2009
EW welcomes progress on Crown pest management obligations

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is welcoming significant progress towards having the Crown recognise its obligations to act as a “good neighbour” under regional pest management strategies.

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Traffic 25 Nov 2009
Hard hitting campaign targets risk-takers

WAIKATO — A hard hitting road safety campaign targeting drivers who take risks is being launched this week across the Waikato region.

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Environment 24 Nov 2009
Public invited to Tui Mine information day

WAIKATO — The clean up of one of New Zealand’s most contaminated sites, the Tui Mine at Te Aroha, is about to get underway.

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Agriculture 24 Nov 2009
Poultry farm manager ordered to clean up

PUKEKOHE — A Pukekohe poultry farm manager has been sentenced to 360 hours community work after pleading guilty to unlawfully discharging chicken effluent to land and breaching an abatement notice requiring him to stop unlawful practices.

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Council 20 Nov 2009
EW welcomes commission's proposed Auckland boundaries

AUCKLAND — Environment Waikato has welcomed the Local Government Commission’s proposal to adjust Auckland’s southern boundary to enable better management of the Waikato River and the Firth of Thames.

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Agriculture 20 Nov 2009
Tokanui farm will help spread best farming practice

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato has praised AgResearch for the vision and energy involved in the creation of a new model dairy farm at Tokanui, south of Hamilton.

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Agriculture 19 Nov 2009
Farms look like they will cope with new Lake Taupo rules

TAUPO — Many farms around Lake Taupo look as though they will cope comfortably with new Environment Waikato rules aimed at protecting water quality in the iconic lake, a key national tourist attraction.

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Environment 19 Nov 2009
River settlement could lead to tighter EW regulatory processes

WAIKATO — The signing of the Waikato-Tainui Raupatu Claim River Settlement Bill is likely to mean Environment Waikato will need to tighten its regulatory processes to protect water quality in the Waikato River, says EW chairman Peter Buckley.

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Council 19 Nov 2009
'Specialness' of Kawhia and Aotea to be preserved

WAIKATO — The special qualities of Kawhia and Aotea harbours are now a step closer to being preserved, with a number of actions to manage change in these catchments to be implemented.

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Council 12 Nov 2009
Help shape the future

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is strongly encouraging people to have their say over how development occurs in the Future Proof area of Hamilton city and Waipa and Waikato districts.

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Water 11 Nov 2009
EW floats ideas for protecting water quality

WAIKATO — Ideas for new water quality objectives in a working draft on Environment Waikato’s next Regional Policy Statement (RPS) reflect community expectations for the health of the region’s lakes and waterways.

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Marine 9 Nov 2009
Course to help boaties cross the bar

RAGLAN — Coastguard Raglan, with support from Environment Waikato, is helping to educate boaties on how to cross the notorious Raglan bar and to be generally safer at sea.

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Conservation 21 Oct 2009
Tui sightings soar

WAIKATO — Tui sightings in and around Hamilton have soared over the past month.

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Agriculture 21 Oct 2009
Getting the best out of paddocks

WAIKATO — By Bala Tikkisetty The post-Winter period is a time when farmers are cultivating their paddocks to ensure they can best provide fresh pasture or the next crop.

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Marine 21 Oct 2009
EW signals firmer stance on boat safety

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato has announced it will be taking a firmer line on enforcing boat safety rules this summer, a move which could result in more fines being issued by the region’s harbourmasters.

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Agriculture 21 Oct 2009
Judge orders farmer to apologise publicly and attend field days

WAIKATO — A dairy farmer found guilty of effluent management offences has been ordered to speak of his experiences at a series of dairy effluent field days in a bid to avert offending by others.

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Flooding 16 Oct 2009
EW remains watchful over rain

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato’s flood management staff will continue to monitor regional river levels closely despite the cancellation of a heavy rain warning for the Waikato.

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Transport 15 Oct 2009
Bus fares set to rise after funding shortfall

HAMILTON — Hamilton bus fares are set to rise 10 to 50 cents from December to help cover funding shortfalls and bring fares more into line with those in other main centres.

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Agriculture 15 Oct 2009
EW convenes second Waikato Agriculture Summit

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato has called a second Waikato Agriculture Summit so that farmer representatives, the agriculture industry and the council can do further joint work on the development of sustainable agriculture in the region.

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Flooding 15 Oct 2009
EW remains on alert due to heavy rain warning

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato’s flood management staff remain on alert due to a heavy rain warning for parts of the Waikato.

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Flooding 14 Oct 2009
EW on alert as heavy rain forecast over Waikato

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato’s flood management staff are on alert following a heavy rain warning for parts of the Waikato over 30 hours from 2pm Wednesday.

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Agriculture 14 Oct 2009
Soil sustainability is crucial

WAIKATO — By Bala Tikkisetty Managing our soils sustainably is crucial for the Waikato environment and the regional economy.

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Flooding 9 Oct 2009
Waikato people warned to watch for rising rivers

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato is advising people to keep a close eye on river levels across Waikato over the weekend as rain continues to fall on already saturated catchments.

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Earthquakes 8 Oct 2009
Cancellation of tsunami threat

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management says the tsunami warning for the region's coasts has been cancelled, following advice from national agencies.

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Earthquakes 8 Oct 2009
Potential tsunami threat

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management is urging people living or working on the region’s coasts to be on high alert for tsunami warning information.

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Flooding 5 Oct 2009
River systems coping with steady rain

WAIKATO — Environment Waikato will be monitoring river levels across the region as steady rain is forecast to continue all week.

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Agriculture 1 Oct 2009
Learning winters lessons

WAIKATO — Farmers whose operations have been negatively affected by this year’s winter weather are being urged to apply the lessons learned next winter to help protect profits and the environment.

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Earthquakes 30 Sep 2009
Waikato Civil Defence chairman comments on tsunami response

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management chairman Peter Lee says regional officials have responded well to today’s tsunami alert.

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Earthquakes 30 Sep 2009
Waikato tsunami alert over

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management says the tsunami warning on the region's east and west coasts has now (11.05am) been cancelled following advice from national agencies.

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Earthquakes 30 Sep 2009
Update re Waikato tsunami threat

WAIKATO — Waikato Civil Defence and Emergency Management has revised the times it expects a tsunami to affect the region.

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Earthquakes 30 Sep 2009
URGENT - Waikato West Coast warning

WAIKATO — Residents on the Waikato region's WEST coast are also being urged to move away from low lying areas due to the threat of a tsunami after the earthquake in Samoa.

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Earthquakes 30 Sep 2009
Tsunami warning update - URGENT

COROMANDEL — Residents in low-lying areas of the Coromandel coast are being urged to move to higher ground NOW because of a potential one-metre high tsunami due to hit shortly (at approx 9.45am NZ time).

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