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Whittaker’s takes action to manage challenges in global cocoa supply
Whittaker’s takes action to manage challenges in global cocoa supply

While Whittaker’s has to date sourced only Ghanaian cocoa beans to make its chocolate, it is now supplementing this with cocoa beans that meet its quality and ethical standards from other parts of Africa. Whittaker’s Chocolate Lovers will see changes to its packaging to reflect the cocoa origin change from next month.​ 

New Zealand Fish & Game sees call to remove advocacy as misguided
New Zealand Fish & Game sees call to remove advocacy as misguided

Fish & Game manages trout, salmon, and game birds and helps New Zealanders to connect with nature and experience the many benefits fishing and hunting offers.  A call to completely remove Fish & Game’s advocacy function is misguided and fails to understand the role the organisation plays, says Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan. 

Recreational Fishing Nets Big Gains for Region - Hydro Canal Fishery Contributes $13.6 Million to Mackenzie Basin Economy
Recreational Fishing Nets Big Gains for Region - Hydro Canal Fishery Contributes $13.6 Million to Mackenzie Basin Economy

New research shows that recreational freshwater fishing contributes millions of dollars to the Mackenzie Basin and that local businesses and communities land the gains. Central South Island Fish & Game Council (CSIFGC) today released the results of a groundbreaking economic impact assessment conducted in partnership with the University of Otago and Meridian Energy. 

Urban BBQ Festival | Hastings
Urban BBQ Festival | Hastings

BBQ lovers are in for more meaty goodness in November when the Urban BBQ Festival returns to Tomoana Showgrounds, Hastings. Once again the Demo Stage hosts a full afternoon of demonstrations that will take your pitmaster skills to the next level. Butterfly a leg of lamb, serve some smokey cocktails and cheese, master ribs and brisket, and get that crackling crispy on a homemade porchetta.

Whittaker’s indulges fruit lovers with two new Artisan Collection flavours
Whittaker’s indulges fruit lovers with two new Artisan Collection flavours

Whittaker’s is delighted to bring back two fruit lovers’ favourites, Raspberry & New Zealand Strawberry 100g, and Gisborne Orange & Hazelnut 100g, now showcasing local ingredients, as part of its core New Zealand Artisan Collection.  

Ready, steady, fish! Freshwater season licenses now on sale
Ready, steady, fish! Freshwater season licenses now on sale

Fishing licences are on sale today as anticipation builds for the upcoming season. “Spring is on its way, and today marks a key date in the diary for keen anglers,” said Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan. “With the season starting on October 1, it’s a good idea for anglers to get in early and grab their licence so they can focus on sorting their gear and planning trips with friends.

Spawning monitoring – measuring to manage 
Spawning monitoring – measuring to manage 

Fish & Game staff throughout the country are busy conducting spawning surveys for trout and salmon to ensure there are sustainable fisheries for the future and to check up on stream and river health. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan said there were a range of ways to monitor spawning, from using fish traps to walking up a stream and counting. 

Featured Artist - Catherine Macdonald
Featured Artist - Catherine Macdonald

New Zealand artist Catherine Macdonald creates drawings & prints, makes & illustrates objects & furniture, and writes, illustrates & publishes books.

Artwork - Just as they fall (Catherine MacDonald)

Featured Artist - Kimbra Taylor
Featured Artist - Kimbra Taylor

Kimbra has a Diploma in Visual Communications from the Wellington School of Design and a teacher's certificate.

“I worked in an advertising agency as an illustrator and visualiser, The Evening Post as an illustrator and then became a freelance illustrator. I worked with Thomas Nelson publishing firm and illustrated many children's books. One of the paintings from a book I illustrated was given to the author for her birthday. I felt very honoured and delighted to be able to share this with her as a gift.” Kimbra shares

Appointments to the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board
Appointments to the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board

The Minister for Hunting and Fishing, Hon. Todd McClay, has appointed board members to the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust. The Game Bird Habitat Trust is an independent public entity established under the Wildlife Act 1953. Its functions include improving New Zealand’s game bird habitat and the habitat of other wildlife.

AI imaging tool to help Aotearoa become predator free

AI imaging tool to help Aotearoa become predator free

kip Brook
Make Lemonade

Te Whanganui-a-Tara - A collaborative project between kiwi companies Groundtruth, providers of the TrapNZ trapping data recording platform and Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research has resulted in the creation of an  online artificial intelligence (AI) software that is being released for free use. 

Funded by Predator Free 2050, the software is called CamTrapNZ and can identify up to 15 different species in camera trap images.   

Camera traps are already widely used and are extremely useful but processing the images can be time consuming and costly. We hope this will make it affordable and achievable to use camera traps at large scale, Manaaki Whenua researcher Al Glen says.

“Creating the AI was very challenging. One of the biggest hurdles we faced was accurately detecting if there was an animal in the image. Cracking that issue made all the difference.” 

Located on TrapNZ, users can upload up to 200 images and receive results within minutes, saving huge amounts of time and improving productivity.

As the technology continues to be developed the number of images capable of being loaded at any one time will increase and with the ability to self-learn the software will refine its accuracy and include more species. 

With more than 6000 registered camera traps on TrapNZ, CamTrapNZ now gives their owners a free tool to streamline predator detection and subsequent elimination. It can also be used to monitor the presence of pigs and goats. 

The software development required thousands of images in order to train the AI and were provided by the Department of Conservation, MPI, regional councils, Predator Free 2050 landscape predator eradication projects in Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Banks Peninsula and community groups across Aotearoa. 

Predator Free Wellington is using hundreds of camera traps to detect the last remaining ship rats on Miramar Peninsula and it’s using CamTrapNZ to confirm that areas that are clear of rats remain clear, and to detect any incursions.

Other predator free groups around the country are using it to measure trap efficacy and observe animal behaviour around traps. 

kip Brook
Make Lemonade
kip Brook

Kip Brook has more than 25 years’ international and national news media experience. He was appointed to London in 1997 to be New Zealand media’s UK-Europe Bureau Chief Correspondent. Kip has covered NZ Prime Minister overseas tours, world leaders’ summits, major disasters, All Black tours, NZ cricket team tours, Olympic Games and many international events. He has won three NZ journalist of the year media awards.

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Kiwis living in Australia have their rights restored

Kiwis living in Australia have their rights restored
Continuous and unprecedented advances of climate change, report

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