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Events and activities

Our community engagement program has events and activities you can attend or take part in.

2020

December

Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao - Open Waters Aotearoa attending the NZ Freshwater Science Society (NZFSS) conference, 1-4 December

We will be hosting an information stand at the NZFSS conference in Invercargill.

Find out more about the conference

Social media Christmas campaign

Keep a look out on our social media channels for our Christmas campaign. This will include creative competitions, giveaways and tips to help you get through the silly season.

2021

January

We will be running a Safer Homes Summer Safety campaign to highlight human and environmental safety around chemicals over summer. You’ll also get to learn more about what’s in our waterways from our Open Waters Aotearoa team.

February

Safer Homes at Creekfest, Porirua, date TBC

Head along to Creekfest, a bi-cultural annual Wellington festival. Visit the Safer Homes stand for information and advice on everyday chemicals, plus kids activities and info packs. 

EPA Annual Update, date TBC

Each year the EPA makes a plan to guide the work that we do. Stakeholders and customers are invited to hear an update about our work, and our plan from our Chief Executive and other speakers.

March

Safer Homes at Southland A&P show, 6 March

Visit the Safer Homes stand for information, guidance, and activities on how to keep your whānau and the environment safe around everyday chemicals. 

May

Safer Homes at Healthy in the Hutt, Walter Nash Centre, Taita (date TBC)

Visit the Safer Homes stand for information, guidance, and activities on how to keep your whānau and the environment safe around everyday chemicals. 

June

EPA at Fieldays, Mystery Creek, Waikato, 16 to 19 June

The EPA is heading to Fieldays. Come and say hello and learn more about the work that we do as New Zealand’s environmental regulator.

July

EPA at Local Government NZ (LGNZ) conference, Blenheim, 15 to 17 July

We work with councils to ensure the rules to protect our environment are followed and understood. We will be taking part at the LGNZ conference to talk to councils about our shared work to protect the environment.

Public consultations

You can have your say on current and upcoming consultations.

We are proposing to amend the Hazardous Substances (Storage and Disposal of Persistent Organic Pollutants) Notice 2004.

Read more about amending the EPA Hazardous Substance Notice

Find out more about other consultations that are open for public submission

Previous events and activities Plus

2020 events

Women in Science Breakfast

6 March: In the lead up to International Women’s Day, we asked students from Wellington high schools to join us for breakfast at the Sustainability Trust. Following the theme of women in science, a selection of women from the EPA gave short presentations about their career paths. These included the challenges of study, career directions, and personal growth.

Many Connections, Forest and Bird Youth networking evening

9 March: We took part in Ngā Here: Many Connections, a networking event at Victoria University hosted by Forest and Bird Youth. The evening was designed to encourage students towards careers in the environmental sector. Keynote speakers were Hon James Shaw and Councillor Tamatha Paul. Staff from across the EPA talked to students about our work. 

Te Herenga Hui

11–12 March: The Te Herenga National Hui was held at the Takapūwāhia Marae, Porirua, jointly hosted by the EPA and Ngāti Toa. Te Herenga, our National Māori Network, is a forum for kaitiaki and environmental resource managers. The hui provided an opportunity for Te Herenga members from across Aotearoa to come together to discuss environmental issues relating to the EPA.

eDNA outreach Hui

18 to 19 March: Our Science Engagement staff joined Zealandia bi-cultural and kaitiaki rangers, Taranaki Whānui iwi, Wellington Harbour Islands kaitiaki and community members for an overnight hui on Matiu Somes Island.

Exploring ecosystems with eDNA webinar

30 June: Stream care groups were invited to take part in a webinar introducing the Open Waters Aotearoa/Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao programme and the basic principles of eDNA outreach.

Bright Brains on Wings

23 September: Dr Elodie Urlacher gave a talk at the War Memorial Library in Lower Hutt about the impact of bee research on our understanding of brains and neuroscience. Attendees were invited to uncover the wider scientific significance of how bees explore their environment to find food, what they learn, and how they communicate.

Safer Homes presentation

16 October: Our Safer Homes programme manager, alongside our EPA bee expert, gave a talk to Probus about safety around gardening chemicals, including how to keep our bees and environment safe too.

Mātauranga Framework webinar

21 October: Members of our Te Herenga network were invited to learn and kōrero about our Mātauranga Framework. This new tool has been designed to ensure Māori perspectives are properly considered in our decision making.

Open Waters Aotearoa / Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao at Wainuiomata Catchment Day

13 November: We took part in the Wainuiomata Catchment Day, an event coordinated by Greater Wellington Regional Council involving school groups gathering to learn about streamcare (including eDNA).

EcoMatters market day

15 November: We presented the Safer Homes and Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao programmes at the Eco Matters market day in Auckland. This involved hosting an information stand and running two workshops - ‘Healthy Homes on a Budget and Safer Homes’, and ‘Exploring Ecosystems with eDNA’.

Find out about the Eco Matters market day - EcoMatters website

Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao / Open Waters Aotearoa launch

24 November: We launched our Open Waters Aotearoa / Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao eDNA community outreach programme.

Find out more about the programme