Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

From the mayor's desk: The day our skies turned red

Sheryl Mai
By Sheryl Mai
Northern Advocate columnist·Northern Advocate·
19 Jan, 2020 10:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The orange skies made us all aware of how closely linked we are to our Australian neighbours Photo / Julia Czerwonatis

The orange skies made us all aware of how closely linked we are to our Australian neighbours Photo / Julia Czerwonatis

Where were you the day our skies turned red? On Sunday January 5 we received a stark reminder of how closely linked we are to our Australian neighbours. I was enjoying time at the Quarry Arts Centre that afternoon, when we noticed a change in the quality of light. It was bizarre being able to look directly at the sun and it was unsettling to realise what was causing the red haze.

Australia's plight may have seemed far from our shores but this physical manifestation certainly brought the reality home. We are all intertwined, our global resources, weather patterns and of course the impact of climate change. Our season for bush and scrub fires has only just begun, so it is an apt topic to discuss in my first column for 2020, and ties in closely with water management in our District.


READ MORE:• Premium - Vandals attack Northland avocado orchard as water tensions escalate

At the time I put pen to paper, water levels were sitting at 76 per cent for Wilsons Dam and 83 per cent for Whau Valley Dam. While it's tempting to interpret these numbers as positive for this time of the year, the reality is that our dry season has not yet truly kicked in. Teams from Whangārei District Council are in discussions with other Northland Councils on how best to manage what could be one of the hottest, driest summers on record. We all need to be on board with the situation, as it will impact every resident in some way. Even those who have bores or springs on their land need to be cautious with their usage. At this point we are asking all households to be thoughtful with their water use.

In our house, we make an effort to reuse our washing water for our garden, we use our taps as little as possible, and we regularly check our property for water pipe leaks. Bewaterwise.org.nz is the best online resource to find out our district's current water levels, and to learn tips and tricks for reducing your household water consumption. What water conservation measures do you use in your household?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Early prevention and preparedness is always better than dealing with consequences. Water is precious, sources are finite, weather patterns are changing and the fire risk is ever increasing. On Wednesday we had a brief respite from the dry conditions with some welcome rain – unfortunately (at the time of writing) not significant enough to impact our dam levels. We all need to keep using our water sensibly, to ensure supplies last the distance.

Water conservation will take a true community effort, and it is my hope that the red sky can serve as a reminder and a warning. It's important that we work together to get through the dry season safely.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

04 Jul 04:50 AM
Northern Advocate

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

04 Jul 02:57 AM
Northern Advocate

Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

04 Jul 01:57 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

04 Jul 04:50 AM

With over 9000 tickets sold, organisers are expecting big crowds at the double-header.

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

04 Jul 02:57 AM
Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

04 Jul 01:57 AM
Kaipara confirms 8.3% rates rise, including targeted fee for local museums

Kaipara confirms 8.3% rates rise, including targeted fee for local museums

04 Jul 12:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP