Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere

Tasman District Council - Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere Get news, events and information from Tasman District Council | Te Kaunihera o te tai o Aorere. We openly welcome your comments and encourage discussion.

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This also includes hijacking posts with repetitive and/or irrelevant comments. For example, the same or similar comments on multiple posts about different topics. We do not accept this as it takes away from the original intent of the post and can be distracting for other users. Comments must be related to the topic of the post being commented on. Our social media channels are not open to comments promoting or opposing any person campaigning for election to a political office. This includes any public comments made on our page during the election period by any political candidate. Promotion or advertisement of a business on our social media channels by a person or organisation within the community is not allowed. All content shared to our social media channels is monitored and recorded. Public comments that violate these terms of engagement will be hidden from our page. The user will not be advised that their content has been hidden. If a user breaches our Social Media Terms of Engagement for any of the above reasons, we may, at our discretion, issue one warning to users. If their behaviour continues, then we will block them from our page. We may pass material posted on our social media channels to any third party, including Netsafe and the New Zealand Police. Content shared or posted on our social media channels is also subject to the terms of service of the platform (i.e. Facebook). For more information on this, visit their terms of service.

You're invited to attend a tour of Bell Island on Saturday 3 October! We're opening our Bell Island wastewater treatment...
17/09/2026

You're invited to attend a tour of Bell Island on Saturday 3 October! We're opening our Bell Island wastewater treatment plant so you can see how we manage the region's waste.

The Bell Island wastewater treatment plant has the capacity to treat sewage equivalent to that generated by a domestic population of around 133,000 people

Register at https://shape.nelson.govt.nz/bell-island-visitor-sessions

We’re seeking community feedback on what is important to you, drawing on past and present experiences, challenges and op...
17/09/2026

We’re seeking community feedback on what is important to you, drawing on past and present experiences, challenges and opportunities within the Motueka Ward area.

This feedback will help shape a shared vision for the Ward and inform future planning processes, including regional spatial planning and adaptation planning.

Anyone with an interest in the Motueka Ward is welcome to take part, including residents from nearby communities outside the Ward such as Tasman Village and Ngātīmoti.

The current focus is ‘Our Shared Past’. What past experiences, opportunities or events have shaped the Motueka Ward? This early engagement is about starting conversations on planning themes such as growth, infrastructure, natural hazards and climate resilience, and environmental protection.

Our dedicated Shape Tasman page is open for your feedback until Saturday 31 October. The programme then continues into the ‘Our Shared Present’ phase.

While the website is a key source of information, providing updates and opportunities for you to get involved, there will be many more ways and places where you can participate in this important educational engagement programme.

For two weeks from Monday 14 September, we have a display and drop box at Te Noninga Kumu Motueka Library.

Want to chat to us in person? On Wednesday 23 September, between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm, we’ll be in the Motueka Library’s Community Room for a drop-in event. Come along to hear a short staff presentation (11.00 am and repeated at 12.00 pm), share your stories from the past, and contribute photos or voice recordings.

Got a question or want to contact the project team directly? Email us at [email protected]. Visit shape.tasman.govt.nz/motueka-engage to get involved.

Got a pesty issue? We can help! Come and see our Biosecurity folk at the Home and Garden Show this weekend at Saxton Sta...
16/09/2026

Got a pesty issue? We can help! Come and see our Biosecurity folk at the Home and Garden Show this weekend at Saxton Stadium.

They can provide pest management advice, answer those burning questions and highlight some of the challenges we are facing in protecting Nelson Tasman from invasive pests.

Motueka Repair Café is celebrating Repair Festival Aotearoa 2026 this month – and there’s plenty to celebrate, with hund...
16/09/2026

Motueka Repair Café is celebrating Repair Festival Aotearoa 2026 this month – and there’s plenty to celebrate, with hundreds of household items given a new lease of life instead of heading to landfill.

The volunteer-run Repair Café offers free repairs for everyday household items, with a koha welcome from those who can contribute. The group is supported by a grant from our Waste Minimisation Projects Grant scheme.

You can bring your own repair job to the next monthly session at Motueka Library, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on this Saturday 19 September.

Repair Festival Aotearoa celebrates the value of repairing and reusing things rather than throwing them away – something the Motueka volunteers are certainly putting into practice.

So far this year, they’ve repaired 392 items, keeping 405kg of waste out of landfill and avoiding an estimated 4,051kg of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s roughly equivalent to 60 return flights between Nelson and Wellington.

Lamps are the most repaired electrical item, while trousers top the list for non-electrical repairs. The team has tackled everything from shoes, bags, and toys to heaters, vacuum cleaners, chainsaws, and cameras. They can even give older computers a new lease of life with a Linux conversion.

And some repairs are certainly more unusual than others – the list includes mermaid flippers, a 75-year-old toy lamb and a damaged cat feeder!

If you’ve got something that’s broken but not quite ready for the rubbish bin, the Motueka Repair Café might be just the place to take it.

If you have a project that could reduce waste in Tasman, apply for a Waste Minimisation Projects Grant by Sunday 27 September at tasman.govt.nz/waste-minimisation-projects-grant.

It’s all go at Saxton Field, with spades in the ground and site preparation in full swing for the new regional play spac...
15/09/2026

It’s all go at Saxton Field, with spades in the ground and site preparation in full swing for the new regional play space. The $1.46 million project will create a place where people of all ages and abilities can play, explore, and enjoy the outdoors together.

The project grew from the two councils’ 10-Year Plans and is being funded through Richmond Reserve Financial Contributions, which cover just over 60% of the cost. The remainder is being divided equally by Tasman District and Nelson City Councils, reflecting Saxton Field’s status as a shared facility.

Located at Champion Green, behind Garin College, the new play space has been designed with inclusion and accessibility front and centre.

Plans include secure fencing, accessible paths for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and a mix of energetic play areas and quieter spaces where people can take a break, observe, or recharge.

Water play was another clear favourite during community consultation, so we’ve put together funding applications to external community grants providers to help bring additional play equipment and accessible water play to life.

There’s already enough funding to get the planned work underway, but we’re hoping the additional funding applications will help take this project to the next level. We expect to hear more about the additional funding grants later in the year.

And just to avoid any confusion – this project is separate from the proposed skatepark development elsewhere at Saxton Field.

What can the stories of Tasman’s past tell us about planning for its future? A new exhibition at Richmond Library invite...
14/09/2026

What can the stories of Tasman’s past tell us about planning for its future? A new exhibition at Richmond Library invites visitors to explore that question through the stories of the people, places, ports and industries that helped shape our region.

Legends of Mohua Aorere traces Tasman’s coastal history from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s, following the network of wharves and ports that connected communities with Nelson and markets around New Zealand and the world.

The coastal network was more than a collection of wharves. It was an interconnected system that moved fruit, timber, coal, iron, limestone, livestock and other goods, helping establish the economic foundations of the region.

Those stories offer a useful perspective as Tasman considers its own future.

New Zealand’s resource management system is changing, with a new planning framework placing greater emphasis on long-term, coordinated planning. At its centre will be Regional Spatial Plans – plans looking at least 30 years ahead to consider where communities grow, where infrastructure will be needed, and how natural and cultural values and risks are managed.

The Joint Regional Spatial Plan will look across Nelson and Tasman, considering future housing and business growth, infrastructure needs, environmental constraints and opportunities, and community and iwi aspirations. It will provide a long-term strategic direction rather than detailed rules.

In many ways, that is not a new challenge. The people featured in Legends of Mohua Aorere also had to think about how to connect communities, make use of natural resources, build infrastructure and create opportunities in a region where geography presented significant challenges.

The Legends of Mohua Aorere exhibition is on show now at the Richmond Library until Thursday 24 September.

Find out more about the Regional Spatial Plan at tasman.govt.nz/spatial-plan.

📸: A 1920s vision of what Onekaka could have been

13/09/2026

Kia tika te whakahua – learn to say our Tasman place names correctly! This week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week, so it's a great time to practice the pronunciation of our local place names.

Here are a couple of tips to get you started:
• ‘r’ is commonly called a ‘rolled’ r – the sound you should aim for is something similar to an English ‘d’ – but softer e.g. judder.
• The ‘ng’ is said as it sounds in the English word ‘singer’.
• ‘wh’ is usually pronounced as an English ‘f’ sound.
• If you can master the vowel sounds, then the rest will follow.

Here are 21 commonly mispronounced place names in our District, and how to say them correctly:
• Moutere: Forget “Mootree”, the correct pronunciation is Mow-teh-reh.
• Motueka: Move away from “Motchewayka”, say Maw-too-eh-kah.
• Mārahau: Instead of “Marrahow” try Mar-rar-hoe.
• Wharariki: Instead of “Far-ricky” practice saying Far-rar-ree-kee.
• Maruia: “Marra-where” ... is that? It’s actually pronounced Ma-roo-ee-ah.
• Pākawau: “Packer war”? Try Paar-kar-woe instead.
• Pōhara: Rather than “Poehara” it should be pronounced Paw-har-rar.
• Tōtaranui: Don’t say “Tote-chranui”. Say Taw-tar-rah-nui.
• Tapawera: There’s no need to shorten it to “Tap”, give Tar-par-weh-rah a go.
• Rangihaeata: Ever wondered how to say it correctly? It’s not “Rangy-hata”, it’s Rung-ee-high-ah-tar.
• Kahurangi: It’s not “rangy”, try saying Kar-who-rung-ee.
• Tarakohe: Forget “terra-ko-ee”, the correct way to pronounce it is Tar-rar-caw-heh.
• Te Waikoropupū: Don’t give up and say “pupu springs”, say Wai-caw-raw-poo-pooo Springs.
• Māpua: Say “Māpua” with a long vowel in the first “a” – Maa-poo-ah.
• Aorere: It’s not pronounced “Oh-rerry”, try saying Oww-reh-reh.
• Motupipi: Don’t say “Motchewpipi”, try Maw-too-pee-pee.
• Waiwhero: It’s not “Why-where-row”, try Wai-fear-raw instead.
• Tākaka: Say ‘Takaka’ with a long vowel in the first ‘a’ – Taa-kahkah.
• Mangarākau: Instead of manner-rack-cow, say Mar-nga-raar-coe.
• Riuwaka: Move away from saying “Rewalker” and instead try
Ree-ooh-wah-kah.
• Riwaka: Move away from saying “Rewalker” and instead try
Ree-wah-kah.

It’s time for the annual Nelson Tasman Climate Action Festival from Friday 18 to Sunday 27 September.This year’s program...
10/09/2026

It’s time for the annual Nelson Tasman Climate Action Festival from Friday 18 to Sunday 27 September.

This year’s programme is packed with ways to have a good time while discovering what climate action looks like in our region. This year’s theme is ‘Our Place, Our Power’; there’s no better time to share advice, knowledge and inspiration for resilient living.

Take a spring edible w**d walk in Motueka, tour and learn about sustainable homes in Golden Bay, take a guided ‘4.6 billion year’ walk, enjoy live music and support a native reforestation project.

You can take part in a climate leadership workshop on a catamaran, connect with solar-powered homeowners, explore the future of rural insurance, get your hands dirty at a permaculture workshop – there’s an event every day.

The entire programme of more than 30 events, with full details and links to register for each event, is available at nelsontasmanclimateforum.nz/2026-climate-action-festival.

From hands-on workshops and inspiring talks to films and community gatherings, there’s something for everyone. Join in, try something new and discover your place in creating a climate-friendly future for Nelson Tasman.

Nothing sweet about pest plant chocolate vine! Chocolate vine (Akebia) is a sustained control pest in the Tasman-Nelson ...
09/09/2026

Nothing sweet about pest plant chocolate vine! Chocolate vine (Akebia) is a sustained control pest in the Tasman-Nelson Regional Pest Management Plan. While it is now too widespread to eradicate, the goal is to ensure that infestations don’t cause significant impacts to property and native habitats.

Chocolate vine fills a similar ecological niche to old man’s beard, and if left unchecked, it will spread to neighbouring properties, smothering other plants. It’s a fast-growing vine that mainly spreads by growth, but its seeds are also spread by birds.

Chocolate vine thrives in shady conditions. It can spread rapidly across the ground, forming dense mats that prevent new seedlings from growing and smothering native ground cover, shrubs and young trees.

You can see fragrant purple chocolate/vanilla smelling flowers from August to October. Seed pods contain white pulp and small black seeds that are spread by birds from October onwards.

Under the Plan, residents are responsible for chocolate vine control on their property. We recommend that vines are either dug out or sprayed.

If spraying, cut vines at waist height and then spray below this point with either 150 ml Glyphosate 360 and 10 ml of penetrant /10 litres, or 60 ml triclopyr 600 EC and 10 ml penetrant /10 litres. If foliar spray is unsuitable, glyphosate gels can be used. Cut vines near the ground and apply a small amount of gel to both sides of the cut.

Once under control, replant with native akakiore (parsonsia heterophylla), puawhananga (clematis paniculata) or one of the many non-w**dy, exotic climbers available in garden centres.

Waimea MenzShed Community E-recycling Hub is up and running – and already exceeding targets. Supported by a $5,000 contr...
08/09/2026

Waimea MenzShed Community E-recycling Hub is up and running – and already exceeding targets. Supported by a $5,000 contribution towards fitting-out costs from one of our Waste Minimisation Project Grants, the hub is based around a repurposed 40-foot container fitted out with specialist equipment for dismantling unwanted electronic items and recovering materials.

Up until last month, the hub had processed 5.46 tonnes of material, including steel, aluminium, copper, brass, iron, and circuit boards – all of which would otherwise have gone to landfill, which is already ahead of the original first-year target of five tonnes. Any revenue from the recovered materials has been reinvested into Waimea MenzShed facilities and community services.

The project is supported by a core team of three recycling members, with another three to five members regularly involved. Volunteers and participants from MenzShed’s community programmes, including its Trade Skills and Language Enhancement Programme for former refugees and migrants, also lend a hand.

The hub provides a practical local option for keeping useful materials out of landfill, while creating valuable opportunities for people to learn skills, volunteer, and contribute to their community.

What started as a new activity for them has now become an established part of their operations, helping turn unwanted items into reusable and recyclable materials while supporting MenzShed’s wider work.

Do you have a project that could support reducing waste in Tasman? Applications for grants are open until Sunday 27 September. Visit tasman.govt.nz/waste-minimisation-projects-grant.

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189 Queen Street, Richmond
Tasman
7050

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Friday 8am - 4:30pm

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