Dedicated to democracy, enjoying and restoring the Mahurangi, meaningful climate action, and curiosity—
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Old school fence underlined the scale of sediment generation
Colin Hawken was sticking to his guns. Unless the ground was cut down, he insisted, the new fence he was about to erect would perch unsteadily on the edge of the bank. The bank had been formed, in the 100-odd years since the Mahurangi Heads West schoolyard was fenced,...
Well-spotted that big riverboat wheel
Master mariner Melvyn Bowen warmed up his audience with a quiz: ”Where am I?” he asked of the dozen or so who turned out on Friday evening to hear from the commercial sail aficionado. The first image of the presentation was of Melvyn stood…
Time to pay for that key advice
Key advice leading to the open-ground project came from a person with no interest in open-ground methods whatsoever. It began with a silver-bullet mission. Could harakeke, produced in bulk and planted at every opportunity, provide a nurse…
Is planning Rodney sprawling Rodney?
Planning Rodney looks like a plan. Much of the hydrological catchment is shown in a Kaipara–Mahurangi green buffer—the largest of three that would stretch from coast to coast. North of this green buffer is the northeastern mixed activity area, in a band that…
Sex politics and spaceflight at brainstorming breakfast
The ancient enjoinder—that guests should not discuss sex, politics or religion—should possibly be updated. I fear I have offended on more than one occasion by suggesting that spaceflight, henceforth, should be unmanned. Be that as it may…
Mahurangi Action Plan discussion beyond 2009
As you may be aware, we recently held a community workshop on the future of the Mahurangi Action Plan. We had a great turnout, with lots of engaged, lively discussion. The focus of that evening was on what the next phase of Mahurangi Action Plan might look like,...
Commercial sail – the way it could be
After thousands of years powered by sail, commercial navigation switched over completely to fossil fuels. Since then, the revival of commercial sail has proved to be a curiously elusive goal. But the same reason electric cars are making a stampeding…
Open-ground indigenous plants one-pager
Kim Morresey suggested a one-pager might be useful. Having attended the open-ground open day in Taupō, Ms Morresey, project leader of the Mahurangi Action Plan, was acutely aware that the concept of raising plants other than in containers…