http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.ppcc.org.nz en-us Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:12:35 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/167649/bonfires-burn-for-matariki-at-akitio/ Seven bonfires signifying the seven stars of Matariki burned on Akitio Beach on Friday, as the community came together for an afternoon of food, family and connection to celebrate the national holiday marking the start of the Māori New Year.Organised by the Lower Akitio Catchment Group, which is a member of the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective, the event drew a large crowd, despite the inclement weather.The event was opened at 1pm by Carl Cowley, chairperson of the Te Hika O Pāpāum... Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:40:41 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post167649 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/166673/three-possums-down/ New pest traps have been set in the Pongaroa Village bush walk, and within 24 hours had registered their first catch.Led by Owahanga Catchment Group leader, Mark Wheeler, and ably assisted by Pongaroa School students as part of their Enviroschools programme, the traps were installed in the bush walk on Monday. Mark has also installed auto traps at 4 Mile Bush.We want to give a big shout out to Tararua District Council (TDC), who owns both the village bush and 4 Mile Bush, for their generous dona... Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:13:57 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post166673 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/164074/restoring-a-thriving-coastline-at-wainui/ Herbertville farmer Mark Speedy is on a mission to restore bird and marine mammal life to the Wainui Beach coastline where his family has farmed since 1856.At Pipi Bank Sation, so named for the tasty shellfish found on the sandy beach, Mark is the fifth generation of Speedys to run the extensive, coastal hill country sheep and beef farm, which has six kilometres of beach on its boundary.Due to coastal erosion, the station boundary extends out into the sea, he explains.The sand dunes at Wainui Be... Fri, 01 May 2026 09:25:05 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post164074 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/162940/pesky-plants-how-to-deal-with-old-mans-beard/ Old Man’s Beard, a deciduous climbing vine that smothers and kills desirable trees and shrubs, is a plant no one wants to see in our catchment. Now is a great time to deal to it before it loses its leaves and goes dormant for winter.Thanks to Owahanga Catchment Group leader, Mark Wheeler, for compiling this ‘dummies guide to Old Man’s Beard’.Photo 1: Below is a young plant, bright green with a characteristic leaf shape with a serrated edge. It’s easiest to pull these out and hang them ... Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:51:54 +1300 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post162940 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/156812/ppcc-bingo-event/ Our recent Bingo wellbeing event was a huge success. Thanks to our witty and entertaining caller, Te Radar, and especially to June and Lynda for pulling a great evening event together. It was great to see so many people from our community enjoying themselves.And, of course, a massive thank you to our incredible sponsors, who put up some very generous prizes: Ministry for Primary Industries, Wai Connection, Nateva, Dannevirke Mitre 10, Dannevirke Pharmacy, Vet Services Dannevirke, The HIGH ST Bis... Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:10:45 +1300 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post156812 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/156348/riparian-planting-on-your-farm/ Riparian planting is a great way to help filter nutrient run off and create biodiversity habitat on your farm. We spoke to Horizons Regional Council (HRC) Freshwater Advisor, Sarah Falloon, to find out more about what it entails.Why riparian planting?Riparian planting involves planting any kind of trees within the margins of a waterway to help filter nutrient run off and create biodiversity habitat, Sarah explains.“Most people equate it to just being native plants, but it doesn’t have to be.... Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:31:42 +1300 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post156348 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/154303/abundance-of-life-on-the-owahanga-river/ Tracey Sorensen grew up on her family’s sheep and beef farm, Cathill, beside the Owahanga River, but she had never fully appreciated the abundance of aquatic life co-existing right beside them until a fish monitoring project run by Horizons Regional Council (HRC).With support from the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective, the HRC fish passage team carried out a spotlighting survey on a 150-metre reach of the river at their farm on the Coast Road, Pongaroa, back in March.The results were... Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:40:14 +1300 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post154303 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/152600/native-tree-establishment/ Give Your Plants the Best Start... Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:01:23 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post152600 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/152295/predator-control-101/ what you need to know about making a plan for your farm... Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:14:10 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post152295 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/post/147718/ag-innovations-day/ A big thank you to everyone who came along to the Upper Akitio Ag Innovations Day — both the presenters who shared their knowledge and the farmers who took the time to be part of the afternoon. The one-on-one conversations at the end of the day were particularly valuable, with some great connections made.The afternoon covered a range of topics — from new trapping technology and drone spray applications, to satellite communications through Starlink and One New Zealand, and virtual fencing usi... Wed, 25 Jun 2025 13:08:18 +1200 http://www.ppcc.org.nz/blog/#post147718