News in Brief: October 2019

ChCh mayor slams new Gun City signage

Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel has said that a giant Gun City logo at a major entrance to the city sends an “unintended message”.

Gun City opened its second store in the city by the Sockburn roundabout earlier in August with a 45sqm sign.

The mayor was reported as saying by Stuff that while councillors were not opposed to gun sales per se, “it is the scale of the scale of the signage at such a dominant gateway at this time, and the unintended message it would send.”

Trawling ban proposed to save sea lions

With the decline seen in the number of New Zealand sea lions–one of the rarest in the world–Forest and Bird is proposing a last-ditch plan to enforce a ban on trawling in a small area around the Auckland islands, 500km south of Bluff, which is the main breeding location for sea lions.

Bycatch is the only threat than can be tackled in the short-term, Katrina Goddard, marine conservation advocate was quoted as saying by Stuff.

The ban would be a temporary measure and will be in place until 2022.

Inaugural Water Safety Month kicks off

New Zealand’s first Water Safety Month was launched on 18 October 2019.

The Minister of Transport, Phil Twyford, joined representatives of the Safer Boating Forum in Auckland to launch the new initiative. The forum comprises 24 boating and water safety organisations, including Maritime NZ, Coastguard NZ, Surf Life Saving NZ, Drowning Prevention Auckland, harbourmasters, and the Marine Industry Association.

Water Safety Month is designed to get people thinking about preparing before they go in, on, or around the water. Marine NZ started the month with Safer Boating Week leading up to the Labour Day weekend.

All the organisations – government, volunteer and sports bodies – are increasing collaboration to get water safety messages to people.

The month will end at St Mary’s Bay with Drowning Prevention Auckland running a family, have-a-go Water Safety Day with all our organisations involved.

Boating and water safety organisations will then continue their safety programmes and events through summer.