State of our environment

Council has the responsibility to monitor the state of the local environment.  An update of the information collected is made available each year to keep you better informed and enable effective participation in the decision-making process.  A great deal of information is available, some is collected by Council, and we make use of material available through other agencies.

2003-04      |      2005-06      |      2007-08     |     2009-10

2009 and 2010 state of our environment report 

Biosecurity

principal findings were:

• 2 dry hot summers resulted in increases in the populations of pest animals
• Active rookeries were poisoned in 2009 and 2010
• Argentine ants have increased their range beyond properties identified in 2007/08
• Over 42,000 possums, 5,600 rabbits and 5,000 hares were killed during this reporting period

Coastal environment

principal findings were:

• The new wastewater treatment plant was commissioned on time and under budget
• The Wainui Stream study used advanced technology to investigate pollution sources
• some coastal and marine water samples failed quality testing at times when there was sediment and debris in the water, and following significant rainfall; this was as expected
• Gisborne surf breaks are enshrined in the revised Coastal Policy Statement

Fresh water resources

principal findings were:

• current use of surface and groundwater in Gisborne district appears to be sustainable
• more information is needed for long term planning
• far more water is allocated “on paper” than is needed for irrigation
• initial steps have been made towards development of a Freshwater Plan for Gisborne district
• water quality in rivers is generally acceptable,though sediment loads can be excessive
• Ground water quality is in general good,with the exception of some saline bores or excessive hardness
• it is anticipated that intensive forms of farming involving high nutrient loadings will increase in Gisborne district, and this may adversely affect water quality unless managed

Land and soil

principal findings were:

• the Poplar Nursery Project, begun in 2006, has come to fruition, with 6,000 poles planted from privately owned nurseries in 2009, and 10,600 poles in 2010
• the preceding dry years resulted in a downturn in farm profits, and slowed soil conservation works in 2009. In 2010 the situation picked up significantly
• development of works plans for planting Overlay 3A land are well underway
• exotic forest harvesting increased significantly in 2009
• earthworks associated with residential housing development were significant in 2009 and earthworks associated with farming increased in 2010
• numbers of beef cattle and sheep continue to decline in Gisborne district, and dairy grazing has increased significantly.

Waste, recycling and air

principal findings were:

• Gisborne residents have achieved favourable reductions in solid waste; better than most other cities
•  “eDays” resulted in the collection of 58 tonnes of electronic goods for recycling
• 16 recycling bins have been installed in Gisborne’s CBD
• There are now 8 Enviroschools in Gisborne district
• Council staff responded to 84 pollution incidents
• Air quality in Gisborne remains good; well within MfE air quality guidelines
• Environmental heath requirements are now typically included in resource consents,and are monitored; the reactive approach,of responding to complaints, is no longer adequate.

2007and 2008 state of our environment reports 

The state of our environment report for 2007 and 2008

Animal & Plant Pests 400kb
Fresh Water Resources 527kb
Land & Soil 542kb
The Coast 432kb
Waste, Recycling & Air 724kb

2005 and 2006 state of our environment reports 

Animal and Plant Pests 540kb
Fresh Water 510kb
Land, Soil and Biodiversity 570kb
The Coast317kb
Waste, Recycling, Air 500kb 

2003 and 2004 state of our environment report 

Land, Soil and Biodiversity806kb
Fresh Water Resources923kb
The Coast559kb
Animal and Plant Pest745 kb
Rubbish and Recycling588 kb