24 October 2006

MEDIA RELEASE

Councils need to show leadership in tackling
climate change says Waitakere's Mayor Harvey

"Councils in New Zealand can and must take an effective lead on tackling greenhouse gases to reduce climate change, and the need for them to do so is urgent: very urgent," says Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey.

Mr Harvey was commenting on the value of New Zealand's first national forum for Communities for Climate Protection, NZ, (CCP-NZ), being held in Auckland today (Wednesday, 25 October).

The forum is being attended by 27 councils to discuss their role in tackling climate change.

"We are in a race against time as Al Gore's film 'An inconvenient truth' shows," says Mayor Harvey, who is speaking at the forum.

"Waitakere has been a pioneer since 1992, in this sort of work in New Zealand and we are very pleased to see that another 26 councils have also seen the need to take action," he says.

"Waitakere can be proud of its achievements to date. Our aim has been to direct the future planning of New Zealand's fifth biggest city, along the most environmentally friendly and sustainable lines possible.

"Our new Waitakere Central civic centre, for example, was deliberately located beside the rail to encourage more use of public transport and help get cars off the road," says Mayor Harvey.

"All our buildings minimise the energy we take from the national electricity grid, they use renewable timber and recycle their storm-water."

"Measures like this do make a difference. Every little saving multiplied many times, does make a difference, and this is where councils can take effective leadership in their community. The role we can take is to do these things ourselves and show the value of them for others to copy, " he says.

***ENDS***

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