It’s possible that within a year or perhaps two, we may be able to claim quite a victory in the Waitemata Ward. We could be glyphosate free.
Everything will depend on how quickly the Waitemata Board moves to eliminate its use. That partly depends on money - the cost of replacement methods of weed control.
Hana Blackmore of Weed Free Streets, who has been campaigning against ‘Roundup with Glyphosate’, use for years, told Ponsonby News she is delighted that Auckland Transport is relinquishing all weed and vegetation control operations to council.
Blackmore told us, “at last, after eight long years, all weed and vegetation control operations in the city will revert to one contract under council’s community facilities.” She confirmed that all berm mowing and weed management across the full road corridor (including the kerb and channel) will return to council.
Our local board chair, Pippa Coom, confirmed this.
The Waitemata Local Board is committed to eliminating glyphosate as soon as finances allow. They will begin with spray-free parks, Albert Park, Myers Park and Western Park - a good start. We must push the board to eliminate glyphosate in all Waitemata parks and reserves.
If citizens in large numbers call the council and ask for the berms outside their homes to be spray free, this will surely hasten the demise of glyphosate, and Pippa Coom admits that will aid their cause.
The agreement council has with contractor Ventia is critical to reduction and ultimately elimination of glyphosate use. They have established base lines, and are committed to reductions from those baselines. The board is confident they are on track. The 17 June final budget set aside $80,000 for spray-free parks. Mechanical edging is going ahead. That means digging out weeds instead of spraying them.
Hana Blackmore told us that “cutting out the AT middlemen and the savings we will get from integrated services and economies of scale, means at last we have the opportunity to reduce and finally eliminate all chemicals in our public spaces.”
Ponsonby News urges all readers to ask the council to record their street berms as spray free, and to continue to urge council to ban glyphosate in all Waitemata Ward parks, reserves and sports fields.How exciting if Waitemata could be first, with elimination following throughout Auckland and New Zealand.
Remember, Roundup with its poisonous ingredient, glyphosate, has been declared a ‘probable carcinogen’, by scientists from the World Health Organisation. We all used to use it (well I confess that I did, anyway), but now Monsanto’s billions of dollars should not be allowed to sway countries and courts around the world seeking to ban it in opposition to the world’s most eminent scientists.
Don't forget tio call Auckland Council on T: 09 301 0101 to get your berms added to the NO SPRAY register. Help make Auckland spray free.
Ban glyphosate NOW. (JOHN ELLIOTT)