Looking beyond the frame
THE theme at this year’s apiculture conference “looking beyond the frame” reflected current uncertainty in the sector, while referencing resilience and opportunities, Apiculture NZ communications co-ordinator Karen Allan says.
The conference and trade exhibition at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre on June 29 and 30 will feature keynote speakers on bee health – Dr David Tarpy (North Carolina, USA) and Dr Peter Neumann (Bern, Switzerland).
“Also joining us will be Danny Le Feuvre, chief executive of the Australia Honey Bee Industry Council who will share insights into how Australia is dealing with the arrival of Varroa mite,” Karen said.
The conference programme will also include a range of presentations and practical sessions including market insights, prospects for the 2023 election and what they may mean for the sector, and thoughts on running a beekeeping business in tough times.
A conference highlight is the National Honey Competition, where the best honeys in the country are named. Successes in innovation, sustainability, research and photography in the apiculture industry will also be celebrated.
Regional environmental dissatisfaction emerges
WAIKATO Regional Council has taken a hit over its environmental management and communication in its latest Your Environment – What Matters? survey.
Nearly half (40%) of respondents disagreed that the public had enough say in the way the environment had been managed, and more than half (53%) felt there were insufficient opportunities for communities to be involved in activities to protect the environment.
The most common suggestions for improving community involvement were more events (18%), improved awareness and education (16%) and community activities (11%).
Other key findings included changes to residents’ perceptions of the state of their local environment. Just 16% felt it had improved – down from 23% in 2019 and 55% in 1998.
A report on the three-yearly survey to understand community perspectives on environmental issues relevant to the council, was presented at the recent Strategy and Policy Committee meeting.
The survey of 1206 residents took place in March and April 2022. Analysis contributes towards policy development and evaluation and the development of education programmes, social scientist Dr Melissa Hackell said.
Water quality was considered the most important environmental issue facing the Waikato region today by 42 per cent of those surveyed, followed by climate change (14%), waste (13%), urban and population growth (4%), and air quality (2%).
Concerns over water quality, climate change, population and urban growth, and consequential pressures on infrastructure and air quality were identified as most important for the region in five years’ time. However, many respondents saw the issues as linked.
“For example, concern was expressed that climate change and urban and population growth are placing increasing pressure on water quality and supply,” Melissa said.
Regarding climate change, which is one of the council’s strategic priorities, 75 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about its effects, with 73 per cent saying they have undertaken activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The full report is available online at waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/TR202248.pdf.
Hill country interviews
THE Hill Country Futures is a five-year programme aiming to understand what farmers, decision-makers and influencers think are the best outcomes for the future of hill country farming, and what can be done to achieve these outcomes.
As part of the programme 298 people were interviewed between July 2019 and March 2020, with the initial findings from those interviews recently published.
The study found on average around 90% of emissions were being absorbed.
Interviews revealed most farmers were passionate about what they did and took pride in their work, however many had concerns around Government initiatives such as One Billion Trees and the Emission Trading Scheme. Constant new regulations were also found to be “confusing and overwhelming”.
Meanwhile, high rural land prices were identified as a major threat to the economic viability of hill country farming.
