Waikato Regional Council is next week hosting a visit by a Government minister from Vanuatu, which wants to tap into the council’s internationally renowned geothermal policy expertise as it seeks to develop its own geothermal energy potential.

Vanuatu’s Energy Minister Thomas Laken will be accompanied by three senior advisers and five land
owners.

Vanuatu is keen to harness its own geothermal energy resources for electricity so as to reduce its dependence on diesel and to provide better access to electricity for homes and businesses.

With some 70 per cent of New Zealand’s geothermal energy resources in the Waikato, the council has extensive experience in policy development and resource consent issues related to geothermal energy.

For example, the Wairakei, Rotokawa, Mokai, Ohaaki and Ngatamariki geothermal energy fields have been developed within the region. The council’s geothermal work has been recognized with a World Energy Globe Award, while officials from Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Iceland, Papua-New Guinea, Mexico and Switzerland have visited the Waikato to get council advice.

Principal policy advisor Blair Dickie said the council welcomed the opportunity to help a neighbouring nation such as Vanuatu.

"We can help them with advice on how to develop robust policy that helps give developers certainty whilst ensuring that appropriate environmental safeguards are in place.

"Getting things right will help contribute to improving living standards in Vanuatu while at the same time reducing carbon dioxide emissions from using diesel and protecting the environment generally in what is a significant tourist destination."

Fifty to 60 tyres have been dumped on a semi-rural Hamilton road – and Hamilton City Council staff would
like to know who did it.

The tyres were dumped on Saturday night on Peacockes Road.  Police have been informed.

“We have to deal with all sorts of illegal dumping around the city, usually bags of rubbish or furniture left out on the street, but this incident is a stand-out,” said Transportation Manager Phil Consedine.
The cost of collecting and disposing of the tyres falls on the Council.

“Someone must know where these tyres came from and who dumped them,” Mr Consedine said.
‘’It would have needed a truck to get them there. We have to pick them up and dispose of them and that’s a cost to the ratepayers. It would be nice to give the culprit the bill.’’

Anyone with information should call Hamilton Central Police Station on 07 858 6200 or Hamilton City Council.

Registrations are open for the Inaugural Kaharoa School Trolley Derby, to be held in Rotorua on Sunday 11 August.

-Rachael McGarvie

An Opotiki dairy farm company and its director have been fined $37,000 for discharging effluent from a pond where it entered a roadside drain.

The farm’s director has also been ordered to complete a dairy farm effluent management course within 12 months.

Riverlock Farms of Waioeka Road, Opotiki and farm manager Geoffrey Thomas Brown were sentenced in Rotorua District Court this week. The offences relate to effluent overflowing from an underpass effluent pond at the farm in July 2012.

The farm has been operating for more than 20 years, milking about 1450 cows. In December last year Riverlock Farms, Geoffrey Brown and his brother Ian were fined a total of $74,000 plus costs for discharging contaminated underpass liquid to waterways in October 2011. They were also convicted and discharged on a charge of breaching an enforcement order imposed as part of a 2010 offence.

While preparing evidence for last year’s defended hearing, a Council officer found the farm’s underpass pond overflowing into the roadside drain. Samples showed high bacterial (faecal coliform) readings.

High levels indicate the water is unsafe for most uses. The discharge entered one of the drains which flows to the Waioeka River and out to sea. The river is a habitat for indigenous fish species and blue duck, a whitebait spawning site and a regionally significant trout habitat and fishery.

The Court heard that there had been two previous prosecutions for effluent overflows at the farm.
The most recent offence occurred because of the defendant’s failure to adequately monitor the underpass pond and ensure levels were maintained to avoid overflow.
Judge Jeff Smith said the penalty would have been higher had the defendants not made significant improvements to the farm’s effluent system, including installing three new storage ponds.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Operations, Monitoring and Regulation Committee Chairman Malcolm Whitaker said the defendants should have been aware of the legal requirement to ensure dairy effluent did not get into waterways.

“This conviction and penalty is a clear message that discharges of this nature are not acceptable. As a Regional Council we are very concerned that some dairy farmers running large herds are not paying enough attention to effluent management, or recognising the harm they can do to the environment, he said.

“The defendants in this case were well aware of their previous compliance issues and they were well informed of the need for particular care in monitoring and managing their effluent pond levels. They failed to improve their vigilance to avoid the same problems recurring.

“Farmers have many sources of advice and information on effluent management, either through the Regional Council or from farming organisations, such as Fonterra and DairyNZ, so there is no excuse for continuing to have discharges of this nature happening in our region,” he said.

Don’t know where the water toby is on your property? As of next week you can find this and a whole lot of other service information online when Hamilton City Council launches the new City Waters Viewer.

Contractors, surveyors, plumbers and anyone with an interest in Council’s water, wastewater or stormwater services will be able to see what’s where by going to www.hamilton.co.nz/citywatersviewer from Wednesday 22 May.

In City Waters Viewer you can search for properties, zoom in to street level to view asset locations and view aerial photography overlaid with asset information.

Council Acting City Waters Manager Eeva-Liisa Wright said the viewer would be a huge help to customers and a great time-saver.

"People will now have easy and instant access to water asset information instead of having to request it from council staff" she said.

"Anyone considering design or works is encouraged to make a physical check on all levels, locations and dimensions before starting.’’

A one-day conference in Rotorua this Thursday, supported by Federated Farmers, will take land owners through the economics of bioenergy, which could become a big part of New Zealand’s energy future.

"The biofuels versus food issue is not relevant to New Zealand. We are looking at biofuels, plus food. This can be a win-win for farmers," explains Anders Crofoot, Federated Farmers energy spokesperson.

"It is not about replacing sheep and cattle with biomass crops, but about growing these crops while also harnessing the organic waste of our sheep and cattle, or our wood harvest waste.

"Biofuels in Europe and the United States are generally produced from specifically grown crops, such as rapeseed oil or sugarcane, to produce bioethanol; in New Zealand we have the opportunities to extract usable energy from existing biological agricultural and horticultural waste.

"Federated Farmers supports the Bioenergy Association of New Zealand’s belief that waste biological matter from farming and forestry offers many opportunities to extract valuable energy.

"This one-day bioenergy conference is about is getting energy from horticultural and agricultural waste - something we are not exactly short of in New Zealand.

"While bioenergy can be used for biofuels, the focus is about harvesting the waste stream from current land uses for a range of energy products.

"The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand believes between 15-20 percent of the wood from harvested trees is left behind as waste. This waste, along with animal and horticultural waste, could become an invaluable new source of income for the primary industries.

"Wood for bioenergy uses could come from farm forests, shelter belts or even purpose grown tree crops.

"For pastoral farmers and horticulturalists, it is about integrating bioenergy solutions which turn waste into a resource into their daily farm management practices.

"In some situations, the opportunities for biomass-to energy are already economic where the economies of scale exist. Federated Farmers expects these economic scales to lower as technology advances.

"Federated Farmers will have staff at the conference and we are pleased to be one of its supporters. The conference aims to present practical solutions to farmers, horticulturalists, foresters and Maori Trusts.

ACT New Zealand Primary Industries Spokesman Don Nicolson called for an urgent inquiry into monopoly kiwifruit exporter ZESPRI International’s operations after allegations of dodgy business practices were exposed on TVNZ’s ‘One News’ last night.

It is alleged that ZESPRI had full knowledge of the actions of their importer in China and was complicit in their actions to defraud the Chinese Government by under declaring the Customs invoices and therefore under paying the correct duties.

"These are serious allegations and kiwifruit growers have the right to know the truth since they are being forced by the government to sell their products through this company," Mr Nicolson said.

"An independent inquiry is the only way to get a full and accurate picture.

"ACT recently questioned the Government’s continued support of ZESPRI International’s legislated and privileged status which prevents growers who value competition and freedom from exporting to destinations and customers of their choice. ACT believes ‘less is best’ when it comes to government involvement in business and in the lives of citizens. It should be a kiwifruit grower’s right to make to make their own export decisions.

"Last night’s revelations raise serious questions about ZESPRI’s operations and whether the government’s continued support of its monopoly status is really in the best interest of growers.

"ACT will be writing to the Minister of Primary Industries to push for an inquiry," Mr Nicolson said.

KiwiSaver members who stop contributing to their fund are far less likely to be confident of achieving their retirement goals, according to ANZ’s latest Retirement Savings Confidence Barometer.

The survey showed that 51 percent of those who are regular contributors to KiwiSaver were confident of achieving their retirement savings goals. However, when savers stopped contributing, this fell dramatically - to 29 percent.

The survey asked whether respondents were on a KiwiSaver contributions holiday or had stopped paying into their KiwiSaver account.

"We wanted to find out the effect that maintaining your savings habit was having on people’s confidence," said John Body, Managing Director ANZ Wealth, New Zealand.

"It’s encouraging to see that KiwiSaver appears to be making a difference to people’s confidence about achieving their preferred retirement income.

"But it’s concerning that such a large confidence gap is emerging between those who are sticking to their savings plans and those who have stopped paying into their KiwiSaver account," Mr Body said.

Overall confidence is measured among those who are saving, planning to save in the future or who expect to have an additional source of income in retirement above New Zealand Superannuation.

The quarterly survey asked 1,169 people, in February and March 2013, if they were saving for retirement. The 1,059 people that stated they are saving, plan to save, or who expect to have an additional source of income in retirement, were asked how much weekly income they would like in addition to New Zealand Superannuation when they retire, and how confident they were about reaching their savings goal.

The survey continues to show there are pockets of confidence pushing through the 50 percent barrier, but this is mostly among men and those with higher incomes.

Mr Body said: "If you are in your twenties or thirties and take a five-year gap from paying into KiwiSaver then the impact on your final lump sum at retirement can run into tens of thousands of dollars. It could mean about 10 percent less in your nest egg."

At this time of year KiwiSaver members will be opening their annual statements and this is a good moment for people to take stock of their retirement savings plan. ANZ calculates that people who have been in the scheme since it started in 2007, earning around $800 per week, could have accumulated about $18,000 by now.

Mr Body said: "When you consider what you could have achieved already or what you have missed out on by not joining KiwiSaver, then it’s a good time to review the options available to you to help you reach your savings goals."

In April, fruit and vegetable prices increased 1.0 percent. "Tomato prices rose by about two-thirds to $4.60 a kilo in April, which is much the same as April last year, when they were $4.54 a kilo," prices manager Chris Pike said.

There were seasonal price falls for kiwifruit (down 24 percent).

Grocery food prices rose slightly (up 0.2 percent), influenced by yoghurt (up 7.8 percent, due to less discounting) and chocolate bars and blocks (up 4.4 percent).

Meat, poultry, and fish prices remained unchanged overall. There was more discounting for sausages (down 8.8 percent) and pork roast (down 15 percent), partly offset by less discounting on porterhouse/sirloin beef steak (up 6.2 percent).

Annual change in prices

For the year to April 2013, the food price index (FPI) decreased 0.1 percent.

Grocery food prices (down 1.8 percent) made the main downward contribution for the year. Fresh milk (down 7.4 percent), cheese (down 7.8 percent), and butter (down 23 percent) prices were all lower.

Meat, poultry, and fish prices also decreased, influenced by lower prices for lamb (down 17 percent) and ham (down 6.7 percent).

These decreases were offset by price increases for non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.5 percent), restaurant meals and ready-to-eat food (up 1.2 percent), and fruit and vegetables (up 2.0 percent). Avocados (up 48 percent), potatoes (up 12 percent), and bananas (up 9.1 percent) all made upward influences on food prices. There was a smaller crop of avocados in 2012, following a bumper season in 2011.

The FPI measures the rate of price change of food and food services purchased by households. Statistics NZ visits shops across New Zealand to collect prices for the FPI and check package sizes.

The Associate Minister for Primary Industries, Jo Goodhew, recently announced that a Sustainable Farming Fund grant of $180,000 had been approved for the network’s Project Pathfinder leadership programme.

As a partner of the network, DairyNZ is looking forward to supporting the organisation as it develops future leaders.

DairyNZ strategy and investment portfolio manager Dr Jenny Jago says strong leadership is needed as the dairy industry is faced with more complex issues and significant challenges.

"Women already make a very important contribution to the industry and increasing their leadership skills will allow them to make an even greater contribution that will be highly valued by the dairy industry and the wider community," says Dr Jago.

"The network has correctly identified that there is a gap between leadership at, for example, the school board of trustee level and the next level up.

"Women want to develop those leadership skills and use them to help grow the dairy industry and support our local communities.

"DairyNZ looks forward to working with the Dairy Women’s Network as it uses the funding to develop programmes to mentor and up-skill the many talented dairying women."

Fonterra is piloting a new ‘Guaranteed Milk Price’ (GMP) scheme that will provide farmers with the opportunity to have more certainty in their milk price.

A complex trough should approach New Zealand from the Tasman Sea on Saturday, with associated fronts

crossing the country during Saturday and Sunday. The trough is expected to move slowly over New Zealand during Monday and Tuesday.

Rain is expected in many areas during the weekend and early next week.

Periods of heavy rain are likely in a moist northeast flow in Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne, with rainfalls possible to reach warning criteria from Saturday through to Monday.

People in these areas are advised to keep upto date with the latest weather forecasts.

Organic, free-range, organic free-range, green, eco-friendly…if you think these terms mean food is healthier, you’re not alone. New research reveals that organic labels on food can make us believe it's healthier, tastier and has fewer kilojoules.

Scientists at Cornell University in New York discovered that labelling food as organic can significantly influence people's perceptions of taste, kilojoules and value. As part of their research, 115 people were recruited from a local shopping centre and asked to evaluate yogurts, cookies and potato chips.

Participants were offered two kinds of each food, one that was labelled organic, and one that was not, and were asked to rate the taste and kilojoule content of each item and how much they would be willing to pay for the food.

Despite the fact that each item was identical, the results, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, revealed the organic label greatly influenced people's perceptions.

Cookies and yogurt were thought to have fewer kilojoules when labelled organic with participants willing to pay up to 23 per cent more for them. The organic cookies and yogurt were also deemed to taste lower in fat than the regular variety and the organic crisps were considered more nutritious. The organic label even affected people's taste buds as chips and yoghurt labelled organic were considered more appetising.

According to researchers, some participants were more likely to be fooled by food labels than others. Their questionnaire revealed that people who read food labels regularly, practice environmentally friendly habits like recycling and regularly buy organic are less likely to think that organic food is tastier and healthier.

In Australia, food that is certified as organic is grown and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilisers, with a focus on environmentally sustainable practices. But whether organic food is in fact healthier is a hot topic. A review of studies by scientists at Stanford University found that most organically grown food is not more nutritious than non-organic food, and the only benefits to eating organic food is less exposure to antibiotics and pesticides.

The Tauranga based TrustPower TECT Rescue helicopter was called to the East cape settlement of Hawai yesterday afternoon after a 58 year old local man was unwell with a serious medical condition. 

 Opotiki St John ambulance paramedics attended to the man initially and were concerned for his health so called for the helicopter to transport him to Tauranga hospital. 

His condition improved to moderate.

Photo / Cameron Avery 

Rotorua District Council (RDC) is lifting the area’s total fire ban but a restricted fire season for rural Rotorua comes into effect from Monday (15 April).

The total fire ban has been in place across the entire Rotorua District since late January because of the extreme fire risk from the very dry conditions.

RDC acting principle rural fire officer Richard Horn said the total fire ban was being lifted as the current weather meant fire conditions were no longer extreme.

“However during the restricted fire period a fire permit is required in rural areas for all outdoor fires, such as vegetation, hangi and brazier fires.”

The restricted fire season runs through until the end of April.

Fire permits could be applied for at Rotorua District Council’s Civic Centre or by calling the council on 07 348 4199.

“A small incinerator, drum fire, hangi or brazier fire is allowed in urban areas during this time as long as they are used safely and considerately.”

Mr Horn thanked residents and visitors for their cooperation over the last few months. He said without this support there would have been many more fire related calls, more damage to property and potential risk to the population.

“As a result of residents’ cooperation during the last few very dry months it’s been a relatively safe period for everyone, so we’re appreciative that people have played their part. Well done Rotorua.”

The comments from Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy re-confirming the government’s commitment to

supporting large scale irrigation projects are exactly what drought-stricken farmers needed to hear, Federated Farmers national president Bruce Wills says.

“It is great to see Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy publically reiterating the Government’s commitment to investing up to $400 million to encourage third-party capital investment in regional water storage projects to better insure farmers against droughts such as the one currently ravaging the North Island,” Wills says.

“We need these schemes because no matter how many on-farm water dams farmers build, they will never have enough capacity to see us through droughts like this one.

“It is not just farmers who will feel the effects of the prolonged dry season. The entire New Zealand economy is set to take a $2 billion hit, which will affect everyone, from all walks of life, everywhere in the country.

“Minister Guy has hit the nail on the head when he says improved water storage capacity would be good for the economy and the environment.

“Imagine the good which could be done if, through the better water allocation which water storage projects would allow, we could boost exports by $4 billion a year by 2026.

“More wealth coming into this country means more jobs and higher wages for all New Zealanders and farmers who are doing well financially have more money available to spend on environmental protection.

“Federated Farmers is delighted with these continued signals that the Government continues to see this issue as a matter of national importance,” Wills concluded.

farming areas affected by drought.

Confusion amongst customers and the hospitality industry could leave consumers disappointed this Easter, this message from Adam Cunningham, President of Hospitality New Zealand. 

From a sale of liquor perspective the special days are Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This means that on those days bars and restaurants are only open for the purpose of dining (if at all).

 It also means that they must shut from midnight on the Thursday before Easter and midnight on Easter Saturday.

Mr Cunningham said the midnight closures may well leave Breakers fans being unable to celebrate semi-final success tonight, and similarly Highlanders fans celebrating their success on Good Friday.

The added confusion is that while Easter Sunday is a special day from a sale of liquor perspective, it is not a statutory day from a Holidays Act perspective.

 Hospitality businesses incur significant costs on Good Friday and Easter Monday and as a result on these days some decide not to open at all, again leaving customers potentially disappointed

.It is very sad that on a weekend of relaxation bars and restaurants, who are at the heart of how New Zealanders relax, are unable to meet the legitimate expectations of their customers.

Parliament had the opportunity to correct these anomalies when they debated the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act last year but failed to do so.

The hospitality industry is asking that its customers are tolerant of the restrictions as they are not of the industry’s making, concluded Mr Cunningham.

With 14 unfilled vacancies on Federated Farmers’ own ruraljobs.co.nz website and with almost 150 more listed on other websites, things may be tough on-farm but farmers are still recruiting.

per kilogram of milk solids as drought pushed up global dairy prices and the cooperative lifted first half profit by a third.