Could Kerikeri become New Zealand's first carbon neutral town?
Updated: Sep 17, 2020
During his address to a well attended AGM, Vision Kerikeri Chairman Rod Brown outlined this aspirational goal as one of the actions that Vision Kerikeri has on it's to-do list for 2017. Rod indicated that such a project was beyond the resources of Vision Kerikeri alone and he was seeking interest from others who felt that, by making whatever contribution we can to reduce our personal and community carbon footprints, we may help to inspire others and other communities to follow suit. By helping to drive 'grassroots' action we may start to see some real initiatives being implemented at local and national Government level. Rod pointed out that there were community models in-play in towns overseas and while they may not be entirely suited to Kerikeri they could provide a starting template for further action.
Rod also outlined the considerable progress that has been made on the Wairoa stream projects over the last 12 months with 3.28km of walking track now largely completed and over 12,000 native plants in the ground along the river banks acheived through 3,800 hours of voluntary labour. He pointed to this collaborative effort as an example of what can be achieved when an initiative is started by the community rather waiting for authorities to lead the way.
The guest speaker, Kennedy Warne, provided an inspiring and timely address on 'Tipping points, Carbon Challenges and Community Solutions". He gave examples off both negative and positive tipping points but the message was clear, once reached, these 'tipping points' lead to rapid, often unexpected and usually irreversible outcomes. Kennedy's talk had been delivered in a largely 'off-the-cuff" format but he had come armed with one visual; a triangle showing the relationship between: The Economy, The Environment and Social Outcomes. You cannot focus on one without there being consequences for the others and sustainable outcomes will only be achievable when all three are factored into policy and actions.
The meeting concluded after a number of the audience had added local elements to Kennedy's address.
If you want to get involved in any of our initiatives we would love to hear from you.
The video below outlines the collaborative effort along the Wairoa Stream over the last 12 months.
