Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Radio New Zealand

The battlelines have been drawn in Biosecurity New Zealand’s war against the yellow-legged hornet, but there’s some suggestion they should be widened before a population takes hold.

Currently, trapping has been extended out to a five kilometre radius around the concentration of the hornet detections in Auckland’s Glenfield and Birkdale, using a combination of carbohydrate and protein traps.

To date, there have been 29 confirmed queen hornets found (based on specimens), according to Biosecurity New Zealand.

The agency said 19 of the 29 confirmed queen hornets were found with either developed nests or evidence of nesting. 

Additionally, seven worker hornets were found in nests.

Northland conservationist Brad Windust said authorities need to look at casting the net wider to 30km ahead of summer.

He said the coming months were pivotal for the goal of eradication and the prevention of the hornets spreading to other regions.

“We need to give out thousands of traps to people in a 30km radius with clear instructions and bait.

“It will only take two queens to fly outside the current 5km radius monitoring area they have at the moment and we would have lost it because each queen after she makes her nest drops hundreds of queens in the autumn and they can disperse up to 28km.

“We also want them to give out Vespa catch traps to all the beekeepers and orchardists in the North Island as a monitoring tool, because there’s a real chance that some of these hornets got moved while they were hibernating in the winter last year.”

Biosecurity New Zealand north commissioner Mike Inglis said the fact they were finding more hornets showed surveillance efforts were working.

He said they’d adjust their hornet response activities, including extending the trapping radius, where required based on their technical advisory group (TAG) advice alongside the input of our own experts.

“The 5km tapping radius was decided on based on advice from the TAG. It is a multi-prong scientific approach to trapping, as guided by our international experts with actual on-the-ground experience managing the pest. However, our public awareness push extends throughout the country.

“We have a national advertising campaign in the market urging the public to report suspected sightings. We are asking residents to check their properties for any hornets or nests and providing information where to look, including how to make and monitor your own trap.

“We are also working closely with the bee industry, including enhanced hive surveillance and we have produced a series of key documents for beekeepers around trapping, surveillance and reporting. All of that information is also available on our website.”

Inglis said on-the-ground surveillance was an important tool for detecting hornets and had been expanded since the beginning of the response.

“We have increased the number of traps by more than five times from the early numbers, to more than 600 and we are adding additional traps as more hornets are found. We are also doing property-by-property searches within 200 metres of confirmed finds. We’ve done more than 2200 property checks for hornets and nests and that number grows every day,” he said.

Inglis said genetic testing indicated the hornets were closely related, suggesting a small, contained population.

Victoria University entomologist Phil Lester said Biosecurity New Zealand were acting appropriately with their action around trapping and searching areas for ground nests.

“I think the ground teams that are working from MPI are doing a really good job. So clearly they’re finding this, they’re putting a lot of effort into it.

“They’ve increased the amount of people that are on the task and are doing well, but I think we probably need to have more people out there, more boots on the ground to be able to look for these hornets and get them while we can.”

Lester said authorities will need to change tact ahead of the summer months.

“Having traps out, having people looking for nests and workers is awesome.

“In addition, at that stage let’s do the hunting for nests up the top of trees and that sort of thing where they’ll be at that time. So the tipping point really comes at, well, we’ve got to spend, hopefully get them all this summer.”

Lester said it was difficult to know just how far the pests may have travelled since arriving in Auckland.

He said the 5km radius advice at the moment is based on international advice that Biosecurity have had.

“There’s lots of work overseas that is looking at how quickly does an invasion front move, so that work is where the 30km to 80km to 100km comes from and that’s where you’ve got a whole bunch of nests that are sending out new queens every autumn that are going some distance.

“We’re not in that situation. So we’re in a situation where we’ve probably got one nest that sent out some queens last autumn.

“So how far have they moved? That’s the big sort of question that is kind of unknown.”

He said even if authorities were unable to complete eradication this summer, it’s not too late.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Relying on trees to offset New Zealand’s emissions years into the future is putting “a significant number of eggs in one basket”, the Climate Change Commission chair has warned politicians.

New trees would need to be “in the ground” within a couple of years and could still be destroyed by forest fire or extreme weather events – wiping out their carbon savings.

Appearing before Parliament’s environment select committee on Monday, commission chief executive Jo Hendy was questioned about the “significant risks” the commission identified earlier this year when it came to meeting the country’s emissions budgets.

Emissions budgets are set by the government, taking into account advice from the commission.

They establish the total net emissions the country can produce over a five-year period and still keep its domestic and international climate goals on track.

In its annual emissions monitoring report released earlier this year, the commission said there were risks to meeting the second budget (2026-30) and third budget (2031-35).

One of those risks was relying on forest removals of carbon dioxide to meet nearly half of the 2031-35 emissions budget.

In response to questioning from Green Party climate change spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick, Hendy said there were two main implications of that approach.

“The first implication is you need those forests in the ground quickly for that carbon to then start sequestering,” she said.

“The other is risks around things like fires and storms – you know, another Cyclone Gabrielle taking a big hit out of that forestry. Then you’ll be faced with a difficult situation where you might not be able to meet the budget.”

Researchers have started to warn that many of the natural carbon sinks that society relies on to soak up emissions are now sometimes releasing more carbon than they absorb.

Swarbrick asked Hendy if she could explain the commission’s remarks that “the reliance on forests for a large proportion of emissions reduction is likely to increase the long-term cost of meeting the 2050 target and increase impacts on future generations”.

That was because using forestry to offset emissions created less of an incentive for businesses and communities to limit the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the first place, Hendy said.

“As a result, we don’t get as much decarbonisation in the economy.

“When you don’t get as much decarbonisation in the economy – what we’re talking about is electrification of industry, for example – you are missing out on those economic benefits of reduced costs.”

The commission has long recommended that New Zealand “decarbonise where possible”.

“Relying heavily on forestry might help Aotearoa meet its 2050 emissions reduction targets but it would make maintaining net zero long-lived emissions beyond that date more difficult,” it told the previous government in 2021.

“It would delay people taking actions that reduce gross emissions, lead to higher cumulative emissions and push the burden of addressing gross emissions on to future generations.”

Tougher methane target was feasible, affordable, achievable

The committee also asked Hendy about the government’s decision to revise New Zealand’s 2050 methane emissions target.

In October, the government said it would scrap previous plans to introduce agricultural emissions pricing by 2030, and would pass legislation to lower the 2050 methane target from a 24-47 percent reduction from 2017 levels, to a 14-24 percent reduction, in line with a ‘no additional warming’ policy.

National MP Grant McCallum, a Northland beef and dairy farmer, asked what the impact would be on the rural sector if the current target was retained, if there was no technology available to help farmers reduce their methane emissions.

“One of the key considerations when we do our scenario work for emissions budgets is impact on rural communities,” Hendy said.

“We found that it was a feasible and affordable and technically achievable, in our previous emissions budget advice at the end of last year.”

The upper end of the range could be achieved with new technologies, while the 24 percent low end of the range was based on technology that was already available, and changes to farming practices.

There was a “good pipeline” of methane-inhibiting technology, she said.

“The key point will be making sure that it can be deployed on farms.

“Not necessarily every tool will work on every farm. It’s really about making sure that farmers are enabled to work with the tools that work for them.”

McCallum asked Hendy and commission chair Dame Patsy Reddy twice about whether New Zealand should remain a signatory to the Paris Agreement.

“Does the commission have a view or has it given any consideration to the cause of some people who think we should pull out of the Paris Accord [sic]?”

Part of the commission’s mandate was based on the agreement, Dame Patsy said.

“It’s not our place to have a view.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has repeatedly said the government was committed to the Paris Agreement and New Zealand’s emissions targets, despite a push from coalition partner ACT to leave the pact.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lawyers representing a charity calling for more protection for the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, have criticised advice on set net fishing given to the fisheries minister.

In October the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) filed High Court proceedings against the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones over the set net ban, which it said failed to protect hoiho from the risk of extinction.

Jones announced in mid-September the set net fishery around the Otago Peninsula would close for three months, with public consultation on long-term bycatch measures to protect hoiho carried out during the closure period.

The three-month emergency closure extended the existing four nautical mile set net ban, which was in place to protect dolphins, out to eight nautical miles.

However, the extension only applied to waters surrounding the Otago Peninsula, leaving other key hoiho habitats unprotected, ELI argued.

Those habitats included North Otago and Stewart Island.

Monday’s judicial review at the High Court in Wellington came in the wake of a hoiho being caught near Stewart Island over the weekend.

David Bullock, representing the charity, said the nub of his case was that the minister was not told about limitations with the studies given to him by officials when considering the September ban.

Bullock made the argument officials could have told Jones that whilst they had focused on the Otago Peninsula, he may wish to consider a wider area due to a lack of data and given it was known the hoiho had been caught in other areas.

Justice David Boldt noted the government workers had to give their advice in a condensed time period and the minister made the decision when he did in September because it was the hoiho’s breeding season.

The crown was represented by Nicholai Anderson, who told the court that the ban was put in place in a hurry and was a temporary measure while a long-term solution was sorted out.

He said the modelling the minister did recieve was highly sophisticated and was limited only because it related to adult penguins and not juvenile birds.

The hearing continues.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

In Auckland, businesses near the new Ikea store are steeling themselves for a stampeed to the homeware giant’s opening on Thursday.

Traffic experts have run their numbers and expect crowds of up to 20,000 a day, with a 40-minute crawl on the nearby motorway and another 40 to find a car park.

Ikea’s three-storey blue box consumes a whole block at Mt Wellington, with 544 carparks, close to 37 bike racks and 28 motorbike bays – for those not taking home the flat packs.

Just a few doors down, Cloud 777 Cafe manager Vicky John is expecting local roads to be a jam.

“I know it’s going to be hectic around this little area, it’s already crazy as it is. With Ikea opening it’s just going to create more traffic jams.”

She starts work at 5am and is worried traffic will be bad when she finishes mid-afternoon.

They’re already serving customers who work at Ikea, who describe the 34,000 square metre store as gigantic.

“It’s next level off the charts. A lot of the staff that are working in there are my customers, so the builders, the electricians are coming in and they’re already telling me it’s next level.”

A strip of retailers across the road from the new-comer are preparing to guard their customer carparks – Ikea’s carpark opens at 8.30am on Thursday, the store opens at 11am.

An extra carpark will be available to manage overflows in Ikea’s parking lot to accommodate another 400 vehicles nearby, on Carbine Road.

Ikea said it’s not possible to camp in their carpark and anyone attempting an overnighter will be moved on.

Computer Lounge sales director Alex van der Linde said he’ll be leaving home at least an hour earlier than usual to try to beat traffic.

“We’re all prepared to be coming in early and just accounting for the additional traffic, I anticipate that the majority of Carbine Road is going to be on gridlock for most of the day.”

He said they hope to get a boost in business from Ikea customers.

“We expect that we’ll have a lot more eyes on our business as people are driving past, even though they’re obviously going to Ikea. We’re doing what we can to expose ourselves a little bit more to the street, working on signage, that sort of thing.”

Next door, Rock Shop branch manager Michael Greenwood said he’ll still drive to work.

“I’ll be allowing myself quite a bit of extra time to get to work, especially in the first week of it opening when there will be a lot of people wanting to go have a look, everybody at the same time.

“In terms of how it will effect our business, we don’t really know. It may impact us for a period of time but it will also, in the longer term, benefit us.”

Auckland Transport’s operations centre will be a hive of activity when Ikea opens and manager Claire Howard said anyone heading to Ikea’s opening should expect delays.

“Around that Mt Wellington area it is already a very busy area. We’ve been planning for a large amount of congestion and traffic delays around that Mt Wellington Highway, and around Ikea especially where people are coming into the car parking and coming out.”

The motorway interchange at Mt Wellington will be a pinch point.

“Worst case scenario we’re looking at potentially 40 minutes to get off the motorway… and people could spend up to an hour trying to get parking.”

She said they’ve learned from Costco’s opening – and expect Saturdays to be busiest.

Even though she’s a few doors down, John said she won’t be going near Ikea this week.

“It’s just going to be too crazy and being a Thursday, one of our busiest days, and with that opening next door to me there’s just no way we’re going to go.”

Auckland Transport is encouraging people to bus or train to Ikea to avoid traffic delays.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand