The guardians are a collection of fishery stakeholders from across the recreational, commercial, environmental and customary groups.  This is an achievement in itself as historically these diverse groups have struggled to sit around the same table. They now have a similar vision which is to be applauded: “A sustainable Hawke Bay fishery for our grandchildren, our mokopuna”.

They have nine key objectives of which I’ll cover just three where they are making genuine progress.

Firstly they have agreed to provide support for the collection of recreational catch history. Data in this area has been non existent but with improved technology and more recreational fishermen the recreational catch has become significant having a genuine impact on the numbers of fish. The Minister of Fisheries is required to set quota limits based on estimates of catch data from all sources. Accurate recreational data is critical going forward. For four years now, Collin Murray from the HB Gamefish Club and Guardian foundation member, has pioneered boat ramp surveys. The data collected is invaluable and will help MFish to set accurate quota numbers.

Secondly the Guardians have lodged an application for a 186 acre temporary fishing closure between the Napier Port and the start of Westshore Beach. The aim here is to rejuvinate the rocky shore fishery in this area. The closure is out for consultation as we speak. A great initiative right on our doorstep.

And thirdly the Guardians are championing a change to T90 net technology through member and commercial fishing legend Rick Burch. Rick has fished the Bay for 30 years and watched fish numbers fall over time. Rick aims to change the “cod end” of commercial nets (the “cod end” of the net where the fish are forced into during trawling) to ensure the maximum number of juvenile fish escape during trawling. Ultimately the aim is to insist that all trawlers in the Bay use this system. This is a great initiative and could have a huge impact on improving the fishery.

These are just a few of the initiatives being undertaken by your Guardians. I encourage anyone who would like to be involved with the Guardians to contact chairman Jonathon Dick jonathandick@clear.net.nz

Chris Tremain – MP for Napier

Last weekend I had the opportunity to join the Parliamentary Rugby Team on a trip to the Chatham Islands. My wife thinks I’m crazy still playing rugby but that’s another story.

The game in the Chathams was played in wind that was more hurricane than Zephyr. It featured a guy (legend) who’d had his arm removed by one of the local White Pointers, and another who played the whole game in his gumboots. He could run bloody fast for a guy in gumboots. It was a tough affair with the local side coming out victors 17 to 15. The after match featured a hangi with Weka, Crayfish, Eel, Blue Cod and other delicacies. Following the game we held an auction which raised $7,000 for the sports club. It was a great day. 

Eight MPs visited as part of the team and as a result we spent Saturday morning with the council being briefed on local issues. Locals face huge battles with transport and energy costs four times what we pay in the Bay. It’s great to see the Government coming to the party with funding for new energy generation from wave power.  With wind turbines that will cut diesel use in half.

The Chathams is an amazing place and one which I’d recommend anyone to visit. The people are fantastic, the landscape beautiful, the seafood incredible.

Speaking of seafood I’ve caught a fair few crays in my time but nothing compares to the Chathams. Check out the monster given to John Carter. Mornay anyone?

All things considered a great weekend of rugby and an excellent way to get to know Chathams locals and their issues in another part of our amazing country.

 Chris Tremain – MP for Napier

“Hawke’s Bay Environmental Awards recognises community projects and people showing leadership in caring for our wonderful environment of all that is our region; our cities, our towns, our reserves and our country areas, “ Craig added.

“I am 100% supportive of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier City Council and Hastings District Council who make this event possible,” Craig said. “And I’m proud of the people who are doing amazing things to care for our natural environment. I thank you all.”

The Hawke’s Bay Environmental Award 2010 ceremony will be on 9 October at Lindisfarne College.

For further information go to:

http://www.hbrc.govt.nz/Home/tabid/36/ctl/View/mid/4042/Id/82/Default.aspx

The Napier City Council and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council approached me to see what could be done.  I agreed that there needed to be air quality standards around New Zealand but thought that there had to be a way to implement the standards at minimal cost. At the time Napier had recorded just five exceedances per annum and given this small number of breaches it seemed ridiculous to force massive change so quickly.  This was especially so when it was predicted Napier would meet the standard as a City simply by requiring new home builds and home sales  to meet the standard over a longer time period.

As a result Craig Foss and I met with Minister Nick Smith and also asked him to meet with the respective councils to understand the issue we faced. Fact was that in cities like Christchurch, they’ve known they had a problem for decades and have had the chance to change.  Quite frankly Napier didn’t know we had an issue until we measured it (I certainly didn’t) and as a result the time frame given for us to meet the standard was unworkable.

Our meeting and others around the country convinced the Minister to review the standards.  The upshot of this is a discussion document proposing amendments to the National Air Quality Standards.  As the Minister rightly said “The existing standard of only one exceedance a year is unrealistic and would require banning home log burners and industries in communities where air quality is generally very good”.

The Technical Advisory Group has recommended the standard be increased from one to three exceedances a year, which is consistent with the World Health Organisation Air Quality Standard. In addition to this the group has recommended the period within which councils must comply be extended to 2018.

These changes are about improving air quality but in a pragmatic and realistic way. I am confident that under these changes Napier will be able to meet the standard within the timeframe and at a much smaller cost to our city.

Chris Tremain

No more so than last Friday. Leaving home early I first drove up to Raupunga and then down to Mohaka School at the mouth of the River. What a great school. I was welcomed with a Powhiri and then had the chance to reply and discuss parliament and the role of an MP. This is a school making a real difference to the lives of their kids. They teach strong values and expect big things of the children which was great to see. We spoke about the state of their classrooms as the hall has been condemned. I’ll be following up to see what the Ministry’s plans are for its replacement.

From Mohaka my Wairoa Electorate Agent, Mary Crarer, and I drove back to Raupunga and then up to Putere School. Once again a great little school but in this case wonderful new school buildings with all the mod cons. Putere are planning a trip to Parliament so once again I was able to talk to the children about Parliament and what to expect.

Driving back down the Putere Road we came across a QRS truck stuck in a ditch.  I had some rope but we broke that pretty quickly so went to one of the local farms and borrowed some chains.  Back to the truck and with a combined effort we had it pulled out quick smart.

Go the “Backing the Bay” Ford Ranger!

From Putere we headed to Wairoa on our way to Mahia. Called into the Northside Dairy to check on the owners after last week’ hold up. Good to hear that all involved are OK albeit still shaken by the event.

Upon arriving at Mahia we ducked in for a quick visit with a couple of constituents to chase up a complaint before heading to a public meeting at the school. Mahia residents are concerned about changes to the bus service particularly for services out to Onenui Station at the end of the peninsula. It’s all very well to front the good news (eg Matahoura Gorge) but it’s probably more important to front up at the tough meetings like this one so that locals can tell you exactly how they are feeling.

From Mahia school we grabbed a quick meal at the Sunset Bar. Fantastic fish and chips! The terakihi was superb and I can definitely recommend it.

Last on the agenda for the night was a trip to Frasertown for another public meeting with local farmers who are concerned about the impact of the ETS. It’s been tough for sheep and beef farmers over the past 4 to 5 years and the last thing they want is more costs added to their farms. This aside, I was able to explain the Governments position. I think many took heart from Minister of Agriculture, David Carter’, recent comments that it is unlikely that farmers will be brought directly into the scheme unless other nations (18) and US states (11) have done so. To date none have so the likelihood is low. There are reviews in 2011 and 2014 before farming directly enters the scheme in 2015 so there are plenty of opportunities to assess where the rest of the world is at.

Following the meeting it was great to enjoy a beer and a few games of pool with a couple of  young shepherds, Jeremy and Sam, from up Ohuka way. I smelt a rat when after Jeremy let me win the first game he thought it might be a good idea to put $100 on the next. He even said he’d accept a credit card! Good on ya mate!

I was home in Napier by 11.30pm. A good day at the office…

“Chris and I have worked very hard with the Minister for the Environment to make sure the Bays special circumstances were taken account of ” says Craig Foss.

“The announcement to extend the period by which Napier and Hastings must comply with the National Air Quality Standards to 2018 will save Hawke’s Bay tens of millions over what was initially proposed ” says Chris Tremain.

Under the initial proposal Napier and Hastings were going to have to comply by 2012. This timeframe would have forced thousands of Hawke’s Bay home owners  to change their current fireplace to meet the standard. Under the new proposal Napier is likely to meet the standard by only requiring new builds and sales of existing homes to comply.

“This would have been a huge cost imposition on Napier and Hastings rates payers” says Craig Foss. “Given the potential costs to Hawke’s Bay people this was something we really needed to go to bat for. It’s great to see such a positive result”.

“Given the recession both Craig and I were concerned about this large cost to Hawke’s Bay families and businesses” says Chris Tremain.” “With the combination of the Government Insulation package, the Clean Heat Package, and the positive result of this Air Quality Decision we will get a win for the environment without massive cost increases”.

JOINT COUNCIL HERETAUNGA PLAINS URBAN DEVELOPMENT STUDY

Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council are working together on the Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy (HPUDS) that will see a coordinated approach to urban development across the Heretaunga Plains.

Napier Mayor and HPUDS Governance Group Chair Barbara Arnott says “Over recent months the NCC, HDC and HBRC have been preparing for the growth strategy study and work has now formally commenced. It’s vital we have a coordinated approach to manage the plains resource and get community input on how we all want the region to look in future.”

The strategy will identify where growth will go from 2015 to 2045 and beyond, the desired density, what the sequence of development should be, the criteria for establishing the boundaries to urban growth and the infrastructure needed.

Work has already taken place on drawing together existing work done by the three Councils and what further research needs to be carried out.

Wasley Knell Ltd, regarded as national leaders in the development and implementation of growth strategies, have been engaged for process. They will lead the scenario development, evaluation, drafting of the strategy and consulting the public on the strategy.

Research on demographic and economic projections, market demand, transport and other infrastructure, the retirement sector, brownfields sites, mana whenua and climate change impacts on urban growth, has also commenced.

Feedback from various organisations stakeholders and the public will be fed into the development of scenarios. Once a plan is developed, in the first half of 2010, consultation with the wider community will be carried out.

For more information please visit www.hpuds.co.nz