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NEWS<br />
14 <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>July</strong> <strong>23</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
More weather extremes ahead<br />
By SHELLEY TOPP<br />
Climate change will affectWaipara’s<br />
grapegrowing region, it was revealed<br />
last week.<br />
The potential impact of climate<br />
change on grapegrowing in <strong>Canterbury</strong><br />
was outlined at apublicmeeting<br />
at Amberley Schoollast week.<br />
The meeting, hosted by Resilient<br />
Hurunui, was held to announce<br />
findings from the 2019Climate<br />
Change Projectionsfor New Zealand<br />
Wine Regions research project<br />
carried out by the National Institute<br />
of Water and Atmospheric Research<br />
(Niwa).<br />
It was commissioned by the Bragato<br />
Research Institute,asubsidiary of<br />
New Zealand Winegrowers.<br />
Niwa was askedtoanalyse<br />
projectedclimate changesfor nine<br />
winegrowingregions including<br />
<strong>North</strong>land,Auckland,Gisborne,<br />
Hawke’s Bay,Wairarapa,<br />
Marlborough, NelsonTasman,<br />
<strong>Canterbury</strong>and Central Otago.<br />
The report’s leadauthor,Niwa’s<br />
climate, atmosphere and hazards<br />
manager PetraPearce, outlined the<br />
research at the meeting, explaining<br />
the climatic modelling used to make<br />
the projectionsand whatthey might<br />
meanfor growersinWaipara.<br />
The predictions included more<br />
extreme high temperatures and<br />
heatwaves, fewer extreme low<br />
temperatures, ageneral decrease in<br />
early spring and summer rainfall,<br />
withsome increases in late summer<br />
and autumn, largerextreme rainfall<br />
events, and minimal change to<br />
drought potential.<br />
Andrew Lorrey, Niwa’s principal<br />
scientist for climate and<br />
environmental applications, also<br />
addressedthe meeting.<br />
He spokeaboutdeveloping<br />
improved locallyrelevant seasonal<br />
forecastsfor New Zealand using<br />
Changes<br />
ahead ...<br />
Niwa’s climate,<br />
atmosphere<br />
and hazards<br />
manager, Petra<br />
Pearce,<br />
addresses a<br />
public meeting<br />
held by<br />
Resilient<br />
Hurunui in the<br />
Amberley<br />
School Hall on<br />
Thursday<br />
evening last<br />
week.<br />
PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP<br />
machine learning.<br />
Bragato’s principalresearch<br />
scientistfor grapevine improvement,<br />
Darrell Lizamore, alsoattended, but<br />
was not aguest speaker.<br />
He said climate research would<br />
help winegrowers make longterm<br />
plans to decide what grapevarieties<br />
would be most suitable in the future.<br />
The meetingattracted alarge<br />
crowd,including Omihi sheepand<br />
beef farmerNick Hamilton, whose<br />
farm is in Waipara’s grapegrowing<br />
country, nexttoBlack Estate Wines.<br />
He said the meeting was<br />
worthwhile.The projections were<br />
relevant for allfarmers, not just grape<br />
growers, and were ‘‘not as dramatic’’<br />
as he had feared.<br />
‘‘There wasn’tquiteasmuch detail<br />
as Ihad hoped, but there areno<br />
guarantees, no definite blueprint for<br />
what is goingtohappen. It is their<br />
best guessand we havetowork with<br />
that.’’<br />
Cust recycling<br />
trial extended<br />
By DAVID HILL<br />
Cust residents are<br />
relieved to see the<br />
return of their recycling<br />
service.<br />
The Waimakariri<br />
District Council recently<br />
agreed to reinstate the<br />
service for afurther sixmonthtrial<br />
in the spring,<br />
afteritwas put on hold<br />
because of the Covid19<br />
lockdown.<br />
Cust Community<br />
Network (CCN) secretary<br />
Yolande Lawrence says<br />
residents are pleased<br />
and relieved.<br />
The further six months<br />
will allow the original<br />
trialperiod of one year<br />
to be completed, to gauge<br />
interestinrural<br />
recyclinginCust.<br />
CCN received alot of<br />
feedback from residents<br />
wanting to know when<br />
the bins willreturn,she<br />
says.<br />
‘‘TheCust community<br />
is really keen to reduce<br />
our carbon footprint by<br />
recyclinglocally and<br />
reducing waste to<br />
landfill.<br />
‘‘CCNhopestorun a<br />
localeducation day in<br />
the spring to help<br />
encouragepeople to<br />
recycle correctly and<br />
promote recycling and<br />
bin use by rural<br />
residents.’’<br />
Cust’s recycling<br />
scheme was launched in<br />
<strong>July</strong>lastyear by former<br />
mayor David Ayers. It<br />
was putonhold as the<br />
countryprepared for<br />
lockdown.<br />
The council’s solid<br />
waste asset manager,<br />
Kitty Waghorn, says nine<br />
months of data has been<br />
gathered.<br />
While therewere<br />
someinitial ‘‘teething<br />
problems’’, therewas<br />
gooduse of the siteby<br />
locals,with 40.8tonnes<br />
of recyclingcollected<br />
during the trial period,<br />
she says.<br />
‘‘Ingeneral, the<br />
recycling was acceptable<br />
and there was alow level<br />
of contamination.<br />
‘‘However, we<br />
understand that there<br />
havebeen some issues<br />
withunacceptable<br />
materials being thrown<br />
intothe bins, and that<br />
the publicans have been<br />
removing these<br />
materials as well as<br />
keepingthe sitetidy.’’<br />
Somesealing work<br />
willberequiredbefore<br />
the facility could be reestablished<br />
after the<br />
winter, Ms Waghorn<br />
says.<br />
THE <strong>2020</strong> GENERAL ELECTION<br />
AND REFERENDUMS<br />
This year youcan vote<br />
in tworeferendums.<br />
Enrol. Vote.Beheard.<br />
vote.nz<br />
referendums.govt.nz<br />
0800 36 76 56
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