Andrew von Dadelszen Former Regional Councillor

At a local government level it is interesting to see that our local city councillors have finally agreed to install Tsunami sirens.

However, the penny pinchers seem to have won again, with a shoddy attempt to appease the ratepayers. I don't profess to be an expert on this, but to limit the sirens to just 75 decibel's seems inadequate and just a token attempt to appease locals. Come on TCC – if you believe that you are finally doing the right thing, then do it properly.

Culling Black Swans

The 4000 to 5000 black swans that live on the Tauranga Harbour have both a positive and a negative environmental impact – they do eat sea lettuce, but they also foul the water's edge if their numbers get too high.

It could be argued that there should be a more humane way of culling excessive bird populations, but the likes of poison is too indiscriminate (both within and inter species). Fish and Game NZ is a very reputable organisation and a great ambassador for our environment. Their annual swan 'drive” on the Tauranga Harbour is designed to keep this environment in equilibrium. These game birds are managed under the Wildlife Act 1953. Under this Act, Fish and Game NZ are tasked with administering it by licensing recreational hunters and it also monitors their numbers to ensure sustainability. Fish and Game, contrary to some public commentary, do ensure that wounded and dead birds from these 'drives” are retrieved and dealt with humanely.

The regional council works closely with Fish and Game NZ, but any change to the population levels or methods of control is not a matter that the three councils can manage. Life is often about compromise and this is another example where pragmatism outweighs dogma, for better environmental outcomes.

If you have a view on these or any other local government issues, I invite you to email andrew@vond.co.nz