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Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Shady spots for sea lions created
More shady spots for sea lions are going to be created thanks to a Dunedin wildlife trust creating a coastal duneland forest for the marine mammals. On Saturday, the Tomahawk-Smaills Beachcare Trust planted 200 native trees in the dunes behind Tomahawk Beach The planting was part of their project to create a place for sea lions and their pups to rest as they make their way around the coast. Nursery manager Dr Nicole Bezemer said native birds and insects would also benefit from the foliage. Volunteers worked for about two hours to plant all the trees. "Two years ago, it was mulched, and we put in a couple hundred plants. "We have returned to get a bit more species diversity in the area." The local sea lion population was increasing and quite a few pups were being born at Smaills Beach, Dr Bezemer said. There was a lot of area that could serve as habitat. Nate Allen, 19, of Dunedin, plants a native māhoe at Tomahawk Beach on Saturday in order to help create a costal duneland forest. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH "What we're aiming for is a coastal duneland forest, which is prime habitat for our local sea lion population." Filling the area with trees would also hopefully keep them in the reserve and stop them going on to roads and backyards. Sea lions wanted a nice, shady canopy, "and the best trees for that is ngaio". "Totara trees are also something we'll add in as a longer-term investment, however they grow much, much slower than ngaio." Half the work had been clearing lupins and weed from the area to create space for the new trees. For years, the trust has been planting more to help create habitat, shelter and safe places for sea lions away from local roads. This year was their 25th year of operation, Dr Bezemer said. The trust had just exited a "funding slump" after being granted $48,200 over the next two years in this year's Otago Regional Council Eco Fund, as well as being granted $15,000 per year in the Dunedin City Council 9-year-plan process. "Thanks to the funding, we're picking up some momentum."
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Council hopefuls talk about climate change
Although nominations for local body elections do not open for another two weeks, some of Dunedin's early-bird candidates got the ball rolling by outlining their thoughts on climate-related issues. Dunedin mayoral candidates Sophie Baker and Andrew Simms, and city council candidates Marie Laufiso, Jim O'Malley and Lily Warring spoke at a meeting last night before fielding questions from the audience of about 50 people. Dunedin climate advocate Bruce Mahalski opened the meeting and said it was an opportunity for the candidates to share their thoughts on climate-related issues. The council hopefuls covered topics such as a commercial train service, the city's Zero Carbon 2030 goal and the working relationship between the Otago Regional and Dunedin City Councils. Cr Barker said the council's zero-carbon goals, which it was unlikely to meet, should have been better organised. Mr Simms said there needed to be advocacy for the environment and emission reduction, but it needed to be done without losing support from the wider community. "The DCC should not prioritise the cost of climate change initiatives ahead of essential climate change resilience, and nor should it use one to hide behind the other." Cr Laufiso said the climate crisis was not a single issue, but linked to generational struggles for Māori and Pasifika members of the community. Cr O'Malley said climate change was an existential threat and while he agreed the council should be acting on it, as local government, it was limited in what it could do. Ms Warring said the council should work the reduce "eco-anxiety" among residents and make decisions for the betterment of future generations.
