Climate change - We Are All In This Together

Kaipara District Council is enthusiastically promoting the message, “Climate change - We Are All In This Together “ at one of its biggest ever displays at the Northland Agricultural Field Days.

“With our agriculture and horticulture so dependent on climate and considering our coastline and harbour it is something everyone needs to be interested in,” says Mayor Neil Tiller, who is urging visitors to drop in to site 245 with its giant thermometer, and model icebergs flanked by polar bears, penguins and other species feeling the affects of global warming.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is joining Kaipara District Council with its display including information about projected changes in Northland’s climate out to 2090 and it will also have information from a recent Northland study to asses the potential for new high value crops in the region.
Council displays of climate’s impact on Kaipara include last year’s devastating “100 and 150 year” floods. These will be shown in a corrugated iron “bach”.

Al Gore’s controversial climate change movie, “An Inconvenient Truth”, will show continuously and anyone inspired to see the whole movie at leisure will be able to rent it from Dargaville Library after the Field Days.

Added local colour is being provided by Simon Gray’s innovative Farmlife project, featuring two full sized farm gates adorned with 200 ear tags bearing photographs taken on 15 Dargaville farms.

The project was funded by Creative New Zealand’s Creative Communities Funding Scheme which is distributed through Kaipara District Council.

The Council’s display will also depict Kaipara through the eyes of its primary school children who will stage a photographic display showing what they perceive as “the good, the bad and the ugly” in their district. Dargaville Primary, Selwyn Park, Tangowahine and Maungaturoto schools have expressed interest.

Customer Services staff will be on hand at site 245 to discuss Council services and Councillors have arranged a roster to ensure that elected representatives are also available.

The popular café will be back serving free refreshments and the Dargaville Library will again have books available in exchange for a gold coin donation.