Latest news with #Dig
Scoop
6 days ago
- General
- Scoop
Mangawhai Risks $100 Million Economic Disaster If Sandspit Fails: Warning
Mangawhai sandspit has recently been confirmed to have lost more than 420,000 tonnes of its locally-unique non-replenishing sand. Many in the community worry about its future as a result. Mangawhai sandspit is described as "a hotbed of coastal management considerations" by a University of Auckland academic. The rare landform is one of just five drumstick-shaped sandspits in New Zealand. Its sand was predominantly made hundreds of thousands of years ago from volcanic explosions in the central North Island, delivered by the Waikato River. It's at the epicentre of competing tensions between seabed sand mining, local and central government bureaucracy, New Zealand's rarest bird, community groups, conservation, harbour health, mana whenua, population growth, tourism, recreation and development. In the first of a two-part feature, Local Democracy Reporting Northland reporter Susan Botting looks at what sort of health report card those connected with the rare landform give it. New Zealand's fastest-growing coastal settlement risks a more than $100 million economic disaster if Mangawhai Sandspit fails, a community leader warns. The stark warning is from community group Mangawhai Matters member Dr Phil McDermott, a former Massey professor of resource and environmental planning. A second breach of the sandspit where sea washed in from the Pacific Ocean would hit the economy on many fronts, he says. McDermott was among a range of community leaders, councils, coastal experts and government organisations who raised their fears for the spit's future with Local Democracy Reporting Northland. They have overwhelmingly given the spit's health a bare pass of C report card, pointing to a range of reasons. Rising sea levels and intensifying storms are among the issues sounding warning bells. McDermott said the economic hit would be from plummeting property values, disappearing tourism, and fewer visitors. "There are so many pressures including significant development," McDermott said. Mangawhai Matters has successfully legally challenged unfettered Mangawhai development. The sandspit breached in 1978 after a huge storm. The resulting 600 metre channel split the three kilometre long, 3 square kilometre spit in half for more than a decade. The breach led to today's main northern harbour entrance filling up with sand as Mangawhai Harbour discharged via a new exit point to the sea. Renegade action by the local community known as "the Big Dig" opened the channel. The blockage led to stagnating harbour water. House prices fell and properties weren't selling. Banks in some cases did not want to provide mortgage lending. Work to open the blockage and close the breach finally started in 1991. Mangawhai Sandspit's at the epicentre of competing tensions between seabed sand mining, local and central government bureaucracy, New Zealand's rarest bird, community groups, conservation, harbour health, mana whenua, population growth, tourism, recreation and development. Mangawhai Matters community group chair Doug Lloyd said surveying showed the harbour and sandspit were rated the most important feature of their local area. When Lloyd arrived in Mangawhai in 1989 there were about 600 people there. Now there are up to 20,000 over the summer peak. And there are more than 2000 new houses on the cards in several big developments. Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society (MHRS)'s Peter Wethey chairs the community group credited by many as having had a key role in the spit surviving to the degree it has. The society runs New Zealand's only dredging operation of its type, sucking up sand blown into the sea from Mangawhai Sandspit and putting it back onto the rare coastal landform. Wethey said the dredging was about keeping the harbour's ever-filling navigation channels open and protecting the spit with an about 800 metre long harbourside bund - effectively a man-made sand dune strip edging to protect it from future breaching. Longtime MHRS dredge operator Mark Vercoe said the process of sustainably delivering sand from the harbour floor to the prescribed location, that continued to strengthen spit protection, was an exacting one. Just over 5000 Kaipara District Council (KDC) Mangawhai Harbour catchment ratepayers pay $80 annually towards the society for its work. Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson said that money was well spent to protect the spit, echoing many in the community by saying the group had to navigate significant bureaucracy to do its work. Jepson said he believed too much of the society's funds and time were being wasted on bureaucracy when they were better spent on taking action. Northland Regional Council (NRC) governs consenting for the dredge's sand extraction with up to 50,000 cubic metres of sand dredgings allowed annually. More recently that quantity was not fixed but instead dependent on location and dredging depth. Dredging must take place between April and December each year, depending on where it happens and the values of those locations - outside the fairy tern breeding season. DoC rules on where the dredgings can go on the spit. DoC acting operations manager - Whangārei Sarah Newman-Watt, said the Mangawhai government wildlife refuge reserve was protected for its ecological significance, particularly for its critical nesting habitat for New Zealand's fairy tern/tara-iti and northern dotterel. She said the sandspit was the country's largest tara-iti breeding site with fewer than 45 individuals left. Fairy Tern Trust convenor and Mangawhai property owner of three decades Heather Rogan said the spit was critical for the bird's future. It was currently home to all but one of New Zealand's tara-iti nesting sites. University of Auckland coastal geomorphologist Professor Dr Mark Dickson said it was about how well the spit would do its job of protecting the Mangawhai community. The work of the community was essential. Thousands of sand dune plants, kilometres of sand fencing to trap sand, pest control work and dredgings from the harbour going onto the sandspit towards maintaining its resilience are among this work. Dickson said the spit would undoubtedly breach again if left to its natural cycles without this community input. "The spit's not quite holding its own. It requires quite a level of intervention," Dickson said. Save Our Sands spokesperson Ken Rawyard gave the spit a D health report card. He said DoC was prohibiting the re-establishment of critical vegetation cover on the spit due to concerns about the fairy tern. Newman-Watt said this was not the case. It was actively encouraging the re-establishment of appropriate dune vegetation - where it supported the sandspit's health and resilience and did not conflict with conservation goals. Fairy terns needed open shell patches with very little to no vegetation for nesting. "At known nesting sites, DoC removes or limits vegetation to preserve these rare habitat conditions," Newman-Watts said. Mangawhai sandspit was a dynamic system that required careful, site-specific management. NRC local coastal south councillor Rick Stolwerk acknowledged there were processes that needed to be navigated before the dredging began. He said the spit was not faring as well as it could, but community members were doing great work. Te Uri o Hau Environs representative Cindy Hempsall did not want to comment on Mangawhai sandspit when approached by Local Democracy Reporting Northland.
Boston Globe
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Amy Poehler and Michael Schur have lined up a new project together
Since then, Schur and Poehler have gone their own ways in Hollywood. Schur created NBC's existential series ' Advertisement Probably knowing 'Dig' was already in the pipeline, Poehler has long been singing the praises of Myers' 'Excavations.' The paperback edition sports a quote from her on its cover ('funny, smart, and deeply delicious'), and she even highlighted it during her Advertisement Thankfully, Poehler didn't turn to one of those for her next TV project. Instead, she's doubling down on a story about a quartet of women who have to work together in the face of stodgy patriarchs who'd prefer to maintain the status quo at all costs. In that respect, 'Dig' could actually prove to be a very fitting way for Schur and Poehler to make their return to TV as a team. The most successful throughline of 'Parks and Recreation' — and, come to think of it, 'The Good Place' — was its pairing of relentless optimism with sharp criticism of bureaucratic structures that run on red tape and rancid vibes. Its weakest moments, meanwhile, came from straying too far from 'warmly big-hearted' into 'aggressively saccharine' territory. Given the premise of 'Dig,' and the fact that Schur and Poehler are adapting the script from someone else's writing, it'll be fascinating to see how much they go back to the wholesome well from whence 'Parks' came — and how much they push themselves to go beyond their familiar shared past to end up somewhere new. Caroline Framke is a media analyst who previously served as Variety's chief TV critic. Her other work can be found at The Atlantic, Vulture, Vox, and more. A Smith College graduate, Framke is currently based in New York City. Advertisement
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Parks and Recreation' Alums Amy Poehler, Mike Schur Reunite for Peacock Comedy Series ‘Dig'
Amy Poehler and Mike Schur are teaming up once again for a comedy series at Peacock, Variety has learned. The series is currently titled 'Dig,' which is based on the Kate Myers novel 'Excavations.' Poehler and Schur are co-writing the first episode with Poehler also set to star. More from Variety How to Watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby Online Without Cable Bowen Yang Proposes 'SNL' Cast Should Be Able to Say 'S--' and 'F--' On Air 'If We're Dismantling the FCC Because of Trump' WrestleMania 41 Livestream: How to Watch the Major WWE Event Online Without Cable The official logline states, 'Four women working at an archeological dig in Greece are at wildly different crossroads in their lives. When the team uncovers a long-buried secret with the potential to rewrite history, they find themselves at the center of a high-stakes international conspiracy.' Along with Poehler and Schur, J.J. Philbin ('Only Murders in the Building,' 'Single Parents') also serves as a writer on the series. All three are also executive producers, with Schur executive producing under his Fremulon banner. Morgan Sackett executive produces as well, along with Dave Becky and David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment, Sharon Jackson for Ocean Avenue, and Kate Arend and Jordan Grief for Poehler's Paper Kite. Myers is a co-executive producer. Universal Television — where Poehler, Schur, and Sackett are under overall deals — is the studio. Poehler and Schur famously collaborated on the beloved comedy series 'Parks and Recreation,' which aired for seven seasons on NBC from 2009-2015. Schur co-created the series with Greg Daniels, while Poehler starred as indefatigable government employee Leslie Knope. Poehler also co-wrote multiple episodes with Schur, including the series finale. Sackett was also an executive producer on the series, which received 14 Emmy nominations throughout its run. It won a Peabody Award in 2011 and remains highly popular nearly a decade since it ended. Poehler and Schur also worked together during their time at 'Saturday Night Live,' where Poehler was a cast member and Schur was a writer. Schur is repped by UTA, 3 Arts, and Hansen Jacobson. Poehler is repped by WME, 3 Arts, Ocean Avenue and Sloane Offer. Philbin is repped by UTA and Rise Management. Myers is repped by CAA and Inkwell Management. Best of Variety Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seth Meyers Shocks With Matt Lauer Joke at NBC Upfronts
Seth Meyers scored the rare advertiser groan-and-laugh during NBCUniversal's upfront presentation on Monday. The joke came after Meyers introduced Amy Poehler and Michael Schur's upcoming Peacock comedy. ''Dig' follows four women who work at an archeological dig in Greece who uncover a long-buried secret. Well, if it's a long-buried secret at NBC, I'm guessing it's Matt Lauer,' Meyers said before adding. 'I've been told to wrap it up there.' Lauer was the co-anchor for 'Today' starting in 1997. His contract was then terminated in 2017 after NBC received a detailed complaint from one of Lauer's colleagues about inappropriate sexual behavior. Meyers started off his bit by offering to AirDrop the 'Wicked: For Good' trailer to anyone who wanted it and for blatantly begging for money, which are truly what the upfronts are all about. 'I'm Seth Meyers, or for the right price, Tostitos Presents: Seth Meyers. I host the 12:30 slot. I'm open to anything,' Meyers said on Monday morning. 'If I could sell the naming rights to my kids, I would. Verizon would be a great name for my seven-year-old considering how often I scream at him, 'Can you hear me now?' My daughter's name? Maybe it's Adelaide. Maybe it's Maybelline. Maybe it's Ford F-150. I'm not picky. You guys, everything is for sale. For example, the second part of 'Wicked' is set to premiere later this year. And I'm just saying for the right price, she could fly a Swiffer.' However, the bulk of Meyers' routine was devoted to mocking Versant, the recently announced name of Comcast and NBCUniversal's new spinoff company. The venture will include programming from USA Network, Oxygen True Crime, E! and Syfy and will be run by CEO Mark Lazarus. 'Remember to ask your doctor if Versant is right for you,' Meyers joked. 'When I heard the company was called Versant, I thought it's official. There are no good names left. Imagine being jealous that someone beat you to Tubi.' The late night host also had a couple of digs in store for his parent company. After noting that NBC will be 100 years old next year, Meyers quipped 'that's something you can sell the 18-to-49 demo on, right?' He then joked that NBC 'hasn't really been funny since the first season,' a nod to a common criticism about 'Saturday Night Live.' Meyers was one of two comedians to perform during NBCUniversal's upfronts. But whereas Seth MacFarlane's song and dance number mostly focused on mocking the company's competition, Meyers' performance was more of a good old-fashioned roast of his parent company. The post Seth Meyers Shocks With Matt Lauer Joke at NBC Upfronts appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Dig' Comedy From Amy Poehler & Mike Schur Picked Up To Series By Peacock
Peacock has given a series pickup to Dig, a new comedy that will reunite Amy Poehler with her Parks and Recreation pal Mike Schur. Schur and Poehler will co-write the pilot episode and executive produce the series, with Poehler set to star. The series marks the first collaboration between the pair since Parks and Rec, which aired its series finale in 2015. More from Deadline Hugh Laurie Headlines Drama Series 'The Wanted Man' Ordered By Apple TV+; Thandiwe Newton, Fionn Whitehead, Elliott Heffernan & More Also Cast 'The Valley' Lands Spinoff, 'Ladies Of London' Returns & 'Wife Swap' Heads Into 'The Real Housewives' Universe As Bravo Unveils Slate 'Love Island USA' Season 7 Gets Premiere Date On Peacock; Watch First Teaser With Ariana Madix As Host The series is an adaptation of Kate Myers' bestseller Excavations and follows four women who work at an archeological dig in Greece. When the team uncovers a long-buried secret with the potential to rewrite history, they find themselves at the center of a high-stakes international conspiracy. J.J. Philbin (Only Murders in the Building) also serves as a writer and executive producer on the series. Morgan Sackett (Parks and Recreation) is executive producing, along with Dave Becky (Loot) and David Miner (Parks and Recreation) for 3 Arts, Sharon Jackson (Life & Beth) for Ocean Avenue, and Kate Arend (Russian Doll) and Jordan Grief (Lucy and Desi) for Paper Kite. Author Myers is co-executive producer. Studio is Universal Television. Schur and Poehler are both based at Universal Television with overall deals. Schur is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Hansen Jacobson. Poehler is repped by WME, 3 Arts, Ocean Avenue and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern. Philbin is repped by UTA and Rise Management. Myers is repped by CAA and Claire Friedman at Inkwell Management. Best of Deadline Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025 TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Everything We Know About 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 So Far
