Friends of Nelson Haven & Tasman Bay Inc.
ANNUAL REPORT July 2009 - June 2010
Activities - Field Trip to Marlborough Sounds
Image Gallery
Newsletter 2004 (PDF)
News & AGM
| [24 Jun 06] :: Chair's Report and Annual General Meeting 2006 |
| Wednesday, 7 June 2006, 7 pm. Fairfield House, top of Trafalgar Street followed by a public meeting at 8 pm Chairs Report 2006 in PDF format - (better formatting and printing) Public meeting with superb recent movies of dusky dolphins and orcas in Marlborough Sounds. They include underwater photos of a fish ball with thrasher shark, seals and seabirds. These pictures were made by Danny Boulton of French Pass and scientists from the University of Texas U.S.A. who are continuing their studies of dolphins world wide. These movies were shown recently in support of Friends’ and DOC’s submission on mid-bay marine farms in Admiralty Bay.[/b] Refreshments will be available after the AGM and after the public meeting. Please place the enclosed poster in a public place. Thank you. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 1. Ecofest stall at Trafalgar Centre, August 12 & 13. We plan to have a stall again this year since last year was such a success. 2. We need help in the inventory of our archival files in preparation for them to be stored at the Nelson Provincial Museum where they will be available for public use. Much of this work can be done at home. 3. New committee members are needed to share the work of coastal conservation. If you can help with any of the above please phone Gwen 548-3323, or Pam 545-9294. Please note that we have a new P.O.Box 365. (Our old Box number is still valid.) CHAIR’S REPORT JUNE 2005 – May 2006 We experienced some events worth celebrating and some not, and some just on-going. I’ll start with the successes. Here they are: 1. In August 2005, after 4 years of stalling, the Tasman District Council (TDC) began complying with the Environment Court order, resulting from Friends’ appeal, by releasing the Boffa Miskell Ltd report on Coastal Landscapes of Outstanding Character. Community consultation is occurring at present, but if the process is stalled then more inappropriate coastal development will occur, before the report is implemented. 2. Two Admiralty Bay Environment Court decisions for 42 ha mid bay marine farms were in our favour. Both farms had been declined by Marlboough (MDC) and Friends was in support. (We still have 4 more Admiralty Bay large farms applications to deal with, some of which have been approved by MDC.) 3. Bonne Point d’Urville Island marine farm Court decision also successful similar to Admiralty Bay above. 4. The Nelson Provincial Museum has taken the first consignment of our inventoried files. This is less than 10% of our files. We hope to prepare more files in the coming year. Help! 5. We produced a newsletter for our members, and got some helpful response. Thank you. 6. Michael North has completed the first draft of Friends’ 33 year history and it’s had input from past and present committee members and is being edited at present. 7. During the past decade, Friends has worked with many individuals and groups to keep marine farming in Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and Marlborough Sounds to a sustainable area. Of the twenty odd appeals to Environment Court we have never had a decision go against us, both when supporting and appealing Council decisions. Some cases have been settled by mediation, others have been withdrawn because of Court decisions. This is a remarkable record, since we are a small volunteer group challenging a multimillion dollar industry which is supported by both major political parties. We have only taken on the grossest applications so many bad (in our opinion) decisions have had to be ignored. Please look at the attached article by Steffan Browning entitled “End of Golden era of marine farm hearings in sight”. Now for the less satisfactory events of the year: 1. The Wetlands Working Party has been disbanded. This was an attempt to make the final wetland treatment of sewage at Nelson North site a community based effort by Maori and environment groups. 2. A Forsyth Bay farm proposed by the Oldham family went to negotiation. The farm was slightly reduced in size and $20,000 promised for king shag research. A disappointing result for amount of work. Ministry of Fisheries will now make final decision. 3. A marina development in Nelson Haven opposite Walters Bluff has been proposed. This is similar to the 400 acre marina planned for the Haven at Atawhai in 1973, which was dramatically stopped – and resulted in Friends being born. The absurdity of destroying estuarine tidal flats on which fish and birdlife of Tasman Bay and beyond depend, suggests nothing has been learned in 30 years. Nelson was settled by Polynesians and Europeans because of our estuary – and 900 hectares have already been infilled, making the remainder all the more precious. Do we really need a new boat and car parking lot? As Joni Mitchell sang: “Don’t it always seem to go, You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. They paved Paradise and they put up a parking lot” On-going events: 1. Admiralty Bay, again, we are in the midst of Environment Court hearings at present with 2 inappropriate medium-large marine farm applications, along with extensions of a large cumulative area (most of which have been approved by MDC). The fist stage has dealt with dolphins’ use of the Bay and some of the evidence will be shown on AGM night, Wednesday 7 June. The next stage will deal with other uses, such as navigation, amenity and landscape values. 2. Ten Collingwood marine farm applications are in mediation. One major concern is the bond issue, that is, who pays for the structure removal when a farm is abandoned ?? 3. Tasman Bay east 770 ha marine farm, applicant Wakatu Inc permit granted by MDC, appealed by Friends and negotiation resulted in approval of a trial of 2 experimental lines, sunken to not interfere with shipping. An Interim Decision by Ministry of Fisheries has declined the permit, since fishing would be stopped in farm area. 4. Submission consultation and hearing on the fisheries outfall at Port Nelson resulted in a 35 year consent with review every 5 years. The applicant was much better informed and environmentally aware than 30 years when the outfall pipe was first installed. 5. Submission and consultation on the Southern Scallop Draft Fisheries Plan is in process. 6. Submission made on the Abel Tasman Park Management Plan. 7. TDC plan reference from 2001, on pesticides and resultant discharges was signed off. 8. We continue to have representatives attending the Nelson Airport noise committee, Port Nelson Environment Consultative Committee, Mfish Fisheries Liaison committee, Monaco Residents Association and Marlborough Sounds Fisheries Management Group. 9. We have supported the Guardians of the Sounds at ferry wash hearings. We support the MDC 15 knot speed limit, but the issue also involves wave height formulae, ferry size and design. The new ferry owner, Toll Holdings, is playing hard ball with MDC. Thanks and Acknowledgements: 1. The committee, who make our coastal conservation activities happen. 2. The Ministry for the Environment for the grants, which directly fund legal and expert witnesses in Environment Court cases. 3. The Community Trust has given invaluable support, making it possible for the committee to concentrate on coastal conservation matters. 4. We have received crucial help from: Nimbus Software, N.Z. Nature Co. Maruia Nature catalogue, www.nznature.co.nz, 49 Collingwood St. Konika-Minolta who give us photocopying access. 5. Lottery Environment & Heritage, which funded research on our history and work on our archival files in preparation for transfer to the Nelson Provincial Museum. 6. Our legal counsels Warwick Heal, Julian Ironside, Kate Mitchell and Lauren Wallace. 7. We work cooperatively, on some projects, with the Department of Conservation and the local Forest & Bird group. 8. Supportive membership is essential. We are registered as a charitable group and therefore donations are tax deductible to a total of $1890. Can we suggest that as a gift to someone, for whom you can’t think of a gift, you make a donation to Friends in their name ? Respectfully submitted, (Dr.) Gwen Stuik, co-chair |
| posted on 24 Jun 06 @ 18:06 Show all news |
