For the purposes of this report, our main focus is “Propane Gas Guns

HURUNUI DISTRICT COUNCIL SUBMISSION FORM (form 5)
CONTINUED FROM OFFICIAL FORM DUE TO LACK OF SPACE.
35 PAGES
SUBMISSION by
PHIL AND SANDRA COOKE
32 Mc Clellands Road, Hawarden
UNDER Proposed Hurunui District Plan 2015
CHAPTER 3 RURAL
SECTION 3.4 RULES
3.4.3. STANDARDS FOR PERMITED ACTIVITIES
SUB SECTION 9 NOISE LIMITED
(e) Audible Bird Scaring Devices
1.Introduction
Please watch the following clip before proceeding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LppB16Nms2g
For the purposes of this submission, our main focus is “Propane Gas Guns, or
Propane Gas Cannons”, specifically agricultural audible bird-scaring
equipment that is propane gas-driven and designed solely to scare birds by
means of repeated loud impact noise.
2. Our aims are:
(a)To evaluate the problems that gas guns noise emissions are posing to citizens
(b )To: protect those in the immediate environment…from potentially
harmful effects…”
3. Environmental Noise
We believe Propane Gas Guns contributes to environmental noise exposure
Propane gas guns are outdoor equipment whose design and function exist
entirely for the purpose of producing noise.
The use of gas guns in agriculture has become more widespread resulting in
significant increase in noise-nuisance related complaints from distressed affected
residents in rural areas.
A published and commissioned study into Auditory Bird Scarers entitled a Review
of International Research Literature regarding the Effectiveness of Auditory Bird
Scaring Techniques and Potential Alternatives”. Central Science Laboratory (CSL)
is now part of the Food and Environment Research Agency which is in turn part of
DEFRA (Wikipedia).
CSL produced a report on the effectiveness of auditory bird-scarers including gas
guns, and concluded that the effectiveness of these devices were very weak on
pests. They also mentioned that the most effective way of controlling large flocks
of birds was to cull them.
If gas guns continue to be deployed near inhabitants and remain unregulated and
unmonitored, potentially we could witness devastating social consequences in our
rural communities.
We feel this problem must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
4. Numbers of Gas Guns in operation :
From 1- 52 (2001-2015) firing together in wide variation of acreage.
5. Worst known case scenarios
In 2008-2009: 8 guns deployed simultaneously on a 64- acre paddock
belonging to one farmer; other land manager’s paddocks surrounding this area
also had gas guns firing at the same time
This has now increased as follows
In 2014-2015 :13 guns all day every day 7 days a week for the entire summer
months.
This scenario therefore if left unchecked just going to escalate
6. Noise levels; during harvest/growing season
Consistent daily loud blasting levels during and outside growing season
7.Duration of blasts
Each minute, hourly, daily. Up to 1,000 blasts per day when multiple guns are
used
2014 – 2015 season 288 bangs a HOUR that is over 1100 a DAY.
8. Details of Times
Ranges from 03.40 hrs - 22.15 hrs during the longest daylight hours Definitely
not sticking to the dawn to dusk rules already set with some continuing through
the entire night
9.Intervals of blasts
Depending on the number of gas guns deployed in a given area, the interval and
number of blasts can vary per minute (eg, 1-12 per min).
With over 720 bangs a day on average from just two bird scarers NEXT DOOR TO
US PERSONALLY this is NOT acceptable.
We know many people who suffer THIRTEEN guns all day every day 7 days a
week for months. They suffer 288 bangs a HOUR thats over 1100 a DAY This is
NOT ACCEPTABLE
10.Example in the Hawarden area
There were four areas of crops being grown on 133 Costellos Road, Hawarden for
instance and each area had its own sets of bird scarers
Area 1 the bangs ( the sound of a VERY loud 12 bore shotgun being discharged at
VERY close range) were happening every 5 seconds for a set of three repeated at
5 minute intervals. Areas 2 ,3 and 4 were similar except they were staggered so
as not to coincide with the Area 1 bangs. This meant that there was just about a
minutes silence in between if that.
If we wanted this scenario we would have moved to Syria or Iraq!! As it
would have been more peaceful
11. Disturbance
Apart from being jolted awake in a morning when you were sound asleep these
bangs could be heard indoors…. INSIDE a DOUBLE glazed house over the TV and
at a distance of almost THREE KILOMETERS!!! from the furthest machine.
The people for whom the seed is being grown do not live there so they don’t
care….. it does not disturb them!! And if it did this is THEIR choice not ours and
THEY are the ones that stand to make the money from the crop not us
.
We get NOTHING not even an apology for suffering with this incessant noise so
we should not have to put up with it.
This is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!
Also IF the grower Mr Ford lived there full time then surely they would have
known that the bangs were either going all night ( I don’t know many nocturnal
seed eating birds) and that was breaking the law or starting at 3am or the times
listed above.
If Mr Ford was there then he was deliberately flouting the law that allows
these machines to operate between dawn and dusk when in EVERYONE’S
OPINION they should not be allowed to operate ANYWHERE ANYTIME….
For this he should be brought to task as he has blatantly flouted the law if he
was indeed living there as he said or notand it seems that the HDC were lewss
than cop operative about bringing him to task over this.
12 Effect
Some people work nights and bought their properties in a tranquil location to be
able to sleep in the day. Others have young children whom are being frightened
by the sudden loud bangs which so early in the morning disturb the peace and
quiet as the sound ricochets off the surrounding mountains and around the entire
basin and is a shock to anyone’s mental state to say nothing of livestock that take
off across paddocks every day when the first shots are fired.
You find yourself counting constantly so you know when the next bang is coming
so that it isn’t such a shock.It REALLY impacts on you.
We know that they are not allowed to operate within a certain distance of a
RESIDENTIAL area. Well we RESIDE here….. just that there are not as many of
us as say Kaiapoi where there was a problem that was very quickly stopped by
the Waimak Council. However the people who complained went on to suffer
verbal abuse from the land owner for a long time. This should not happen
especially as a lot of them were elderly.
13. Rights of the Minority
So don’t we matter???? Don’t we have rights? Just because the numbers of
residents surrounding these rural gas guns are a lot fewer we still have the same
basic human rights.
Many people move from the noise polluted cities for PEACE AND QUIET to get
away from noisy parties and revving car engines barking dogs and we pay
dearly for our properties to have this QUIET enjoyment!!!.. which is in fact an
actual right… to enjoy your property in peace and quiet
Not EVERY person in the country is a farmer up at the crack of dawn every day,
there are a lot of retired people too.
It REALLY impacts on everyone even townies visiting the area.
(a) One family thought they were being shot at in the river bed one day and
they retreated hastily abandoning their hopes of a picnic and a swim..
(b) Another visiting person’s horse bolted.
(c) Someone else’s dogs bark at every shot and as these come in volleys of
three set anywhere from 5 to 9 seconds apart repeated every 2 to 5
minutes it is very annoying and disturbing. To have the bangs and the
dogs which we cant do anything about as they are only responding to the
guns.
And that’s just ONE bird scarer. There have been up to SIX going on each area
14. Future Predictions
The crops in question were grown on a very small area….. presumably as a trial
for more extensive cropping in the future.. when more water becomes available
perhaps through the planned Hurunui Water Project.
Imagine many more of these machines going off…. bang after BANG
after BANG after
BANG
after
BANG
This will then lead to more problems and more people affected as if this current
small crop required six sets of bird scarers then larger areas will require many
many more.
As stated 3 volleys a few seconds apart and then repeated a few minutes later
times six sets meant that there was hardly a minutes silence in between. If
someone sat in a car tooting their horn in such a fashion outside the council
offices someone would call the police very quickly to stop them!!
It would be quieter living on a firing range!!!!
15. Other similar anti social nuisances
If we personally were to cause some similar noise for this period other than a bird
scarer we would be closed down immediately.
For instance…
(a) If we were to start a Clay Pigeon shoot on our property we would have to
get a resource consent and in order to do that we would have to go around our
neighbours who would be affected and get their signatures that they agreed to it.
However we are quite sure that everyone would later complain if it went on day
after day after day non stop and sometimes through the night way beyond what
was agreed.
(b) If our cars were going along back firing even a few times the police would
pull us up and prosecute us. It would not be acceptable
(c)If it was a barking dog all day the police and noise control would act
immediately so why is the gas gun noise acceptable??
(d)Hoons doing doughnuts and burnouts that disturb people are soon dealt with.
(e)If it was a rowdy Saturday night party on just the ONE night it would have
been closed down immediately and music equipment confiscated so why are
these bangs allowed to GO ON AND ON AND ON for four months, un monitored
and measured even after our complaints and we had to make threats to get
someone to come out and hear what was happening.
(f)Bonfire night is fast being outlawed due to the noise factor and that’s just ONE
night in a year.
As this is not considered a “residential area” the bird scarers are allowed it
seems. A lot of us DO reside here and just because we don’t number in the
thousands we are not being heard
16.Action Taken
We have had lovely settled weather over the summer with hardly any wind so the
noise has been deafening, as it has not been dissipated in any way. We reported
this many weeks before…. whilst it was all going on…… but by the time anyone
was sent to measure this noise pollution ( for that is what it is) some crops had
been harvested and the nuisance was down to one bird scarer three shots a few
seconds apart every 10 to 12 minutes
17. HDC action taken
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL after months of complaints to the HDC
they finally employed an acoustic company to take some readings however
……… the day the readings were taken it was a RAGING NORWESTER so a true
reading was NOT ascertained as the one remaining machine that was measured
was the quietest one of all the machines. The others already having been
turned off as the crop had been harvested. This was therefore NOT an
accurate reflection of the problem
18. Readings of Noise Level
We have since had the results of the measurements that were taken by Marshall
Day Acoustics on 25th March 2013 which stated that the remaining machine (
which was the quietest one that had been in operation) was IN FACT 20 db over
the district plan limit.
So WHY was Mr Ford allowed to continue on at that level? Nothing was done to
stop it!! and moreover again THAT machine was the quietest one that was
measured the others having already stopped due to harvesting.
We are annoyed that no one came out earlier to measure this after we
repeatedly complained and that nothing was done about it before it came to its
natural end when the crops were harvested.
19. Further action sought
We then had a meeting with HDC Marie Black whom after consulting the “bible” of
rules she brought with her said that IF this happened the following year then
quote” we can PING HIM” meaning Mr Ford the landowner. The same thing
happened the following season 2014/2025 and of course the council DID
NOTHING as we were told b Andrew Brown that he is ALLOWED to do it so there
was nothing the HDC could do. They ( the HDC) totally seem to ignore the fact
that again the noise was LOUD and if measured would have been at the same
lever as the previous two seasons and over the allowed decibel limit
Mr Ford therefore thinks that he has got away with it and he still needs to be
taken to task before he does it again next season. WE are not prepared to put
up with that again and are going to take this ineptidute of HDC to the
Ombudsman and employ a lawyer to take the matter to the Environment
Court
20. Other people affected in the area
Many more people would complain but in someway they are indebted to Mr Ford
…like for winter grazing/contracting etc.etc.so we are not only speaking for
ourselves here but for everyone else in the community that are affected but are
too afraid to speak out for fear or reprisals.
We have wives and husbands falling out as the wife is affected but the husband
says to put up with it for the sake of some dealings with either Mr Ford or the
seed company
We tried talking to Mr Ford but he is not a nice person and you can’t talk with
someone when they hang up the phone and then put on their ansaphone and
whilst we have visited on many occasons we can never find anyone home. A lot
of people have trouble with him in other ways and his stock are forever polluting
the Waitohi River bed which E Can should know about and as he does not have
good fences his stock are permanently wandering.
Just ask our neighbour Mark Zino who lost a saved paddock of grass to Fords
wandering sheep last year. Mark was beside himself with rage and could hardly
speak he was so cross with Mr Ford especially in drought conditions when stock
feed has been scarce.
21. Objective
We therefore would like to apply to change the district plan. You NEED to
outlaw the use of this method of pest control especially in an area that is trying to
attract tourists. No tourist in their right kind would want to stay anywhere
in the location with that constant noise !!!
22.Other options
People with vast acres of grapes in the Hurunui manage to stop birds eating their
crops using silent methods i.e. nets. Laser beams.If Mr Ford can’t stop the birds
in some other way other than disturbing the entire community then he needs to
change and grow something else that does not interfere with everyone’s lives.
We are entitled to a life and we personally ( being the closest) have been made
very ill during this time due to lack of sleep and ddisturbance. We sometimes
work nights getting in at 4am so to be woken at 7am ( at best) means we only
get a couple of hours sleep as it is impossible to sleep during the day with this
constant loud noise.
We are also farmers and understand the noises of the countryside ….natural
sounds that only happen infrequently and not ALL the time. like sileage
harvesting through the nights which we know will end in a day or two.
We quite understand that come 1st May the start of the duck shooting season
there are gun shot at dawn but that’s only for a short while on a couple of
Saturday or Sunday morning.. not all the time!!
23.Effects on Wildlife
We have also lost all our ducks that lived on our ponds and when it is especially
dry we had gained a lot from other places that had dried up. They have all gone
after being able to live here peacefully for the last 20 years. The paradise geese
have also left as have the hawks and quail and we no longer have any dawn
chorus.
We allow a good part of our farm as a wildlife reserve so that the poor
pressurised animals have somwhere they are not disturbed or shot at!!! However
that has all changed now since these noisy machines disturb everyone and
everything.
So much for 20 years work enhancing the environment planting trees fencing off
waterways and providing places for these animals and birds…. To be lost by this
endless barrage of bird scarers…………. they sure worked on OUR property
We had created a sanctuary here that was shared by both NZ Falcons and
Australasian Harriers, Keruru, Fantails,California Quails, large population of
endangered Mohua, Tui, Bellbird, Grey Warbler, Herons, Thrush, Blackbird, Spur
Winged Plover, Paradise Geese, Scaup, Mallard, Pukeko, Kingfisher, Riflemen,
Owls, Silver Eyes, Magpies as well as an abundance of hedgehogs, Dragonfly,
Beetles, lizards and a host of other insects They all used to live in peace and
harmony without disturbance, now they are all gone!!
We don’t want our birds scared off nor our sheep and horses and cattle. We don’t
want our dogs barking at every shot and we don’t want to be kept awake day and
night . We just want PEACE and QUIET like it has been for the last 100 years up
here.
Our farming practises and those of our other neighbours don’t disturb anyone
else so neither should his. We have taken legal advice that we are well within our
rights to complain about this and in actual fact as the law of the land states any
noise created in such circumstances as using bird scarers should not be heard
OFF the person using them’s property.. i.e. outside of his boundary
Mr Ford’s boundary fence (such as it is!!) and our property has very thick growth
of willows pine and native trees between and these loud bangs penetrate these
trees even in full leaf. It more like a military Howitzer going off than a bird
scarer.
24.Character of the noise
The noise ranges from very loud long BOOOMs to short sudden reports almost
identical to shotgun blasts firing at close range. Being exposed to multiple gas
guns all blasting at different times results in an effect not unlike close machinegun fire; it can be very disruptive and distressing to everyday life.
25.Typical surroundings affected
Commonly quiet, rural areas surrounded by open farmland
Typically small well-established townships built much before the advent of gas
guns; population range: 150 – 2,500. Can include sensitive inhabitants, e.g small
community hospitals.
26.Numbers of people affected:
No definitive written data really available other than a few brave souls who did
put their name on a petition but a significant proportion of sufferers do not
to want to identify themselves for fear of reprisal but were very happy to
make their comments known under the banner of the Bird Bangers
Begone group on Facebook. We will become an incorporated group tro
take this futher.
27. Duration
It is from dawn to dusk (03.40 hrs -22.15 hrs) on the longest days of the year.
They are exploding from December to April/May in most areas affected; however,
increasingly it has become continuous over a much longer time span and the
guns as deployed on crops like oil seed rape and crops grown for seed like Daikin
Radish to scare birds from germinating seeds to good sized plants, but more
recently in one particular area it is suspected they are used to antagonize,
intimidate and disrupt the community, because the crops are fully grown by April
each year and the deployment of gas guns would serve no purpose.
28. Changes in noise levels
Newer models of these canons are increasingly louder 90dBs in 1990 to 156 dBs
today. This appears to have become more of an issue since the manufacturers
have fine-tuned the devices to produce even louder noise emissions over the last
few years and propane gas gun noise levels have increased significantly, enabling
these machines to reach noise level emissions of 156 dBs. Noise levels in the
environment should be considerably lower (W.H.O recommendations) so as not to
cause detrimental impact on human health. There are also new and/or improved
auditory bird-scaring products (rockets, banger ropes) again much louder than
previous years. Gas guns emit up to 156 decibels (dBs) at source, louder than a
shotgun explosion.
29. Proposals for alternative pest control
BAN THEM NATION WIDE…….. PROBLEM SOLVED no need to mess around with
guidelines and registers as there are many alternative . effective but non
invasive options depending on crops being “protected!” that have no impact on
people’s lives
There are laser guns that are silent and automatic units that do a far better job.
(see links later on) A gun going off continually actually has the opposite effect
and attracts birds.. like a dinner gong going off!! There is research to prove it and
previous studies * have shown that starlings will learn within a matter of
hours to ignore even relatively elaborate bird scarers - these devices never
do what a real predator would, they don't actually chase the birds or present any
other signs of danger, so the birds quickly learn to ignore them."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3341156/Starlingsknow-if-you-are-watching-them.html
30 Guidelines
IF you are NOT intending making these illegal (which in the opinion of everyone
affected that we have spoken with they should be) there are ways in which
problems caused by gas gun noise emissions in the environment may be
improved:
If for some inane reason you don’t do the right thing and continue to allow one
person to affect SO MANY in the community then the following guidelines MUST
be instigated when gas guns are deployed
We would like the following considered for inclusion in the District Plan and put
into effect.
a) Strict maximum permissible sound power levels of each ―bang‖
b) Minimum time-interval between ―bangs‖
c) Minimum distance between location of each gas gun deployed, avoiding multiple
guns overlapping with neighbouring crop growers
d) Strict maximum number of daylight hours of use per day and per season
e) Strict limits on quantity of gas guns present per specific given area of farmland
f) Improved conforming procedures; an impartial external regulatory body is needed
to ensure manufacturers are prohibited from placing gas guns on the market if they do
not conform to noise limits
g) Measures to regulate the use of gas guns in situ by random checking and
monitoring by an approved body.
h) Duration of gas gun noise needs to be investigated. Some areas have experienced
months of unrelenting explosions without cessation from dawn until night all year
round.
i) No gas gun deployment in sensitive areas: - for instance, it is inappropriate to site
noisy equipment very close to schools, old people‘s care homes, hospitals and also
dwellings in more remote areas surrounded by agriculture just because not many
people live there!!
j) Gas guns are not to be deployed next to footpaths/walkways or routes taken by
horses. This is VERY dangerous. It has been known to cause equine fatalities This is
also a threat to the riders themselves if they are thrown by the horse when it's
suddenly frightened or startled by explosive noise. ( See comments later from the
horse fraternity)
We also propose:
1) Alternative methods of non-audible bird-scaring to be used eg, hawk kites,
balloons, scarecrows, helikites.. and silent non intrusive lasers such as the Agrilaser
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaAv_y7Bog or for those who want an
automatic solution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5fkixXNDVQ
before gas guns are used as a last resort
2) A ‗noise emission nuisance control‘ protocol to be created that is clear, measurable
and practical, using objective numerical standards that can be determined with
appropriate sound level meters, based on health and welfare studies. These principles
to be adopted at local levels
3) Clear channels of communication to be established between agricultural equipment
manufacturers and regulatory bodies. It is not acceptable that established noise
legislation requirements are not adhered to…… the countryside is NOT an industrial
area as per that of a city. That is nonsense and if that is the case why do people always
say they move to the country for peace and QUIET!! This is NOT Syria!
(4) Random monitoring of equipment (while in use) by an authorised body is put into
immediate effect. If users are on a register with stated hours duration number of
explosions and numbers of guns then this should be easy to monitor.
5) An assessment of the effects of gas gun noise on nearby populations. This is very
urgently needed in the Hurunui Marlborough and Waimak.areas as these directives
which have no continuity between council areas are commonly ignored by farmers
who use audible bird- scarers. Currently the noise control officers are saying they are
powerless to do anything as there is no sensible legislation. THIS MUST CHANGE!
31. FIRE RISK
One observation that carries potentially lethal consequences is the “Flame out”
fault of gas guns. Some have been seen to throw out flames 1 metre long before
an even louder than usual explosion is heard. Scorching around some gas guns
has been noted, and the potential for ignition of OSR (oil- seed crop) to occur is
high when these devices are left very close, or even in amongst 2 metre high
OSR crops. With the nature of the oil- seed crop this eventuality could cause
catastrophic damage to a highly inflammable product and again a threat to
human life.
We already have proof that these guns have started fires in the Marlborough area
in 2010
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/3403685/Fire-sparks-birdscarer-alert
And again in March 2012 quote…
A grass fire on Dillons Point Rd has reignited concerns about the risk posed by gaspowered bird scarers. Marlborough Rural Fire Forces and the Blenheim Volunteer
Fire Brigade were called to the blaze at Kerseley Vineyard The fire burned across
about one hectare of farmland, threatening a farm shed and damaging about 40 vines
in a neighbouring vineyard.
Marlborough South deputy principal rural fire officer John Foley said he suspected
the fire had been started by one of two gas-gun bird scarers at the property.
The incident was reminiscent of another, more severe fire in 2007 which started after
a bird scarer was knocked over by the wind. The blaze ravaged 48ha of farmland in
the hills south of Blenheim.
Mr Foley said vineyard owners needed to be aware of the fire risk bird scarers posed.
"They need to be up off the ground and fixed down," he said.
We also have information on at least another four instances where gas guns have been
proven to have started fires
The above incidents were documented as they made the news headlines but it
seems that many other fires have been started in this way but as a rule the fire
service only documents the fire as started by “farm equipment” rather than a
SPECIFIC piece of equipment so we have no real definitive numbers of fires that
were as a result of a malfunctioning gas gun. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE in the fact
that fire call outs need to document any such fire that is found to be caused by a
gas gun as such and not be a general farm equipment documentation.
This fire risk aspect is particularly dangerous in normal summers let alone
drought conditions in the North Canterbury and Marlborough areas like this year
as they are also subject to strong Nor Wester winds which could create a
devastating fire in a region and time of year when there is a lack of water for fire
fighting purposes.
32. Fire Bans
When we have a total fire ban in the normal North Canterbury summers this
poses a grave risk, one that had NOT been noted separately by the Fire Service…
fires caused by such devices having in the past been noted under “farm fire” and
not specifically classified as being as a result of a gas gun.
In our opinion if there is a total fire ban or restricted fire season then these gas
guns should NOT be used as the risk is too high.
Leaving your property to even go into town shopping brings the added concern of
“what if” a gas gun starts a fire and we are away. As many of these guns operate
on properties where no one actually lives rapid intervention may not be available
and untold damage could result especially if this coincides with a Nor Wester day
which are common at that time of year.
33. Drought Conditions
With the lack of water in the area where several of these guns could start a fire if
this happened on such a windy day then the consequences would be dire as a fire
would spread very quickly and threaten huge swathes of land forestry and homes.
34. Fire Safety
The possibility of these guns being blown over in such Nor West wind conditions
is also an issue. When a 2 ton pump shed that was anchored with reinforced steel
into a concrete slab blows away in one nor west gust (on our farm see photo 3
below) then this poses a real danger for these gas guns which could then be laid
on the ground in long dry grass as we see no evidence that these guns are sited
safely and indeed there seems to be no guide lines regarding such a matter.
The ones on the farm next to us have the actual gas cylinder swinging in the
breeze from the tripod that the cannon is sited on. so are hardly stable and safe,
and as you can see it is in amongst long dry grass (see photo 1) There were also
birds in amongst the crops feeding (see photo 2) although it is hard to make
them out in this photo they totally ignored the canon going off and we watched
them for three cycles of the canon going off which was sited just a few metres
from the road used by horse riders and pointing right at our house We note that it
was NOT pointing towards the landowner Mr Ford’s house!!
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
35. Proposed Fire Safety Regulations
As these devices detonate a flammable gas to create a noise to scare the birds, in
Australia where they are well aware of this risk. they have strict precautions that
must be adhered to and gas guns must not be used unless…
• The space immediately around and above the device is cleared of all flammable material to a distance
of at least 4m;
• The device is constructed to prevent the escape of fire or burning material, and is clean and in good
working order, so as to avoid a malfunction that could cause a fire;
• The person using the bird scarer takes all reasonable precautions to ensure the bird scarer cannot
fall over or be knocked over or otherwise interfered with by animals.
If these conditions are not met, an expiation notice can be issued with a fee of $315; if offenders are
prosecuted in court, maximum penalties of $5,000 for the first offence and $10,000
for a second or subsequent offence can be imposed.
They also have to adhere to the following
There should not be more than 6 shots per hour from a gas gun.
• An audible bird scaring device should only be used in conjunction with other methods of
bird control.
Primary producers should have a written bird management plan that outlines the various
methods of bird control being implemented on the property and also contact details on the farm
gate where these guns are being used as so often the landowners are absent and therefore are never
affected by this noise themselves and are unaware that they have been going off all night
We also need to point out that they don’t have such powerful winds like we get
here in Canterbury
In summary
a)….visual bird-scaring methods should be used as a first resort and gas guns as
a LAST resort.
This is not happening.
b) Gas guns should not be used on Sundays or Statutory Holidays.
This is not happening.
c) Gas guns are ONLY effective for approx 2 weeks as a pest scarer so there is
little advantage in having them going for longer periods where the only thing that
are antagonised are the local human population.
35. Impact noise on citizens
Computer chips of gas guns can be very easily altered. This can lead to deliberate
anti-social noise-making.
Gas guns have a night-time option to fire; they should NEVER be exploding in
dark hours.
There is poor acknowledgement by Local Authorities of the effect of impact noise
on populations where numerous gas guns are deployed simultaneously in the
same area.
Gas gun noise emissions cause mental ill health; they are erratic, unpredictable
and frightening; they can be intense in volume and long in duration from dawn
throughout daylight hours, up to 18 hours per day in the summer.
Gas gun noise and the complaints made to Government Authorities have to be
declared to Real Estate Agents and prospective buyers of property. Selling houses
in these noise-polluted areas is now proving extremely difficult. Tourist trade can
also be affected
There are many citizens who have grown up in the countryside and some who
relocated to rural areas three/four decades ago or more, who never experienced
gas gun noise saturating their premises until relatively recently.
36.Limitations of current monitoring and enforcement procedures:
At present, in New Zealand control of Noise Nuisance outdoors is handled by local
councils noise compliance officers.. There is enormous variation in Authorities’
investigative procedures when responding to noise complaints from citizens.
Furthermore, Authorities can only resort to limited powers provided under these
Acts and we have experienced Authorities actively ignoring WHO and EU noise
guidelines and recommendations, and claim the Human Rights Act 1998 does not
apply.
Environmental noise nuisance investigations are poorly funded and woefully
inadequate. Arbitrary and subjective judgments are made with no supporting
scientific basis; Environmental Health Officers and councils do not seem to use
sound level meters, for instance, so invariably no action is taken to reduce noise
and this nuisance remains.
37.Conclusion
While noise emissions are increasing and no clear noise regulations exist to
control gas gun use in NZ we ask that Audible Outdoor Bird-Scaring equipment
(propane gas guns, rockets, banger-ropes) be added to any outdoor noise
directives, so that it can be implemented in any noise emission in the
environment by equipment for use outdoors regulations.
If it is determined that propane gas guns do not qualify for inclusion in the main
body of any directive, then, as a matter of urgency, we propose a new or
supplemental classification is created for these pieces of Audible Outdoor BirdScaring Equipment, to ensure the public is protected by the safeguarding
privileges that any outdoor directive encompasses and penalties for noncompliance.
This unregulated, constant anti-social noise disruption has increased to such an
extent that the serious impact on some citizens’ health and well-being is a cause
for great concern.
This is EVERY day ...... day in day out including Sundays from dawn till
dusk. ..... for months. This is Not acceptable. No resource consent is required
for the use of these gas guns and they SHOULD be issued under a permit IF they
have to be used.
38.Health Issues
It IS sending people mad and is a real health issue It is amazing that in every
case we have come across the owner of the gas gun does not LIVE there!!!! so
they dont give a dam. We personally have a family member who can no longer
live with us in the summer when these guns are going off . They cant even visit
anymore!!! well at least not in daylight hours!! This is Not acceptable
This gunfire stirs in you the fight or flight instinct and constant stimulation of this
reaction causes untold damage to say nothing of lack of sleep!! This is Not
acceptable
It is not acceptable either to live in what amounts to the same as a battlefield or
war zone when no other noise pollution would be tolerated.
No one wants to hear it at all!!!!...... let alone enough to go cause a jarring pain across the top
of your brain!!! We KNOW when a bang is coming as we get the brain pain from the
shockwave that is felt everytime BEFORE you hear the bang This is Not acceptable.
What is happening at our neighbouring farm is once again the grower of the seeds does not
live on site and it, seems out of spite for our complaints to council last year added an
exorbitant number of guns to the small acreage he grew radish seed on this last season….
especially when there are other ways that a better result can be achieved.
Now don’t get us wrong we don’t have anything against anyone making a living
and doing what they want on THEIR OWN property but why should WE the
greater community in this area SUFFER for some else’s gain.
We didn’t gain from being kept awake all night some nights
We didn’t gain from being awoken at 3.45am on a Sunday morning in the
summer
We didn’t gain from being awoken at 5am
We didn’t gain from being awoken at 6am
We didn’t gain from being awoken at 7 am and very soon with Daylight Saving
ending it will be light again in the mornings and we will be back to being awoken
at 6am.
If we wanted to wake up at those times we would buy an alarm clock!!
And if we want to sleep in in our OWN properties even one morning a
week we should be allowed to!!!
We have worked hard all our life with very early morning starts ourselves over
the years. We now are fortunate enough to NOT to have to get up quite so early
as 5am every day at long last so we are certainly not going to be dictated to by
and be woken by someone else .!!
Why should our neighbourhoods little kiddies not be able to get to sleep during
the day if young enough or when they go to bed early evening cant get to sleep
because of the noise still going on until dusk….. and much later at one time until
we complained of night time bangs that are against the law .
Why should the little ones be woken frightened in the early hours of the morning
( which again is against the law) day after day after day and then at best the
crack of dawn (after we had had words with Mr Ford it was reduced to not
starting until dawn which was at the time around 5.30am)
Why should one visiting lady almost drop a tray of food one lunchtime as she
carried it outside to lunch guests as a loud bang made her jump so much?
Why are we forced to stay indoors on a lovely sunny mornings or evenings when
we usually eat breakfast/lunch/dinner outside…….. because the almost constant
noise is driving us to distraction.
Some people work nights so need to sleep in the day. As this loud banging can
be heard above the TV in a double glazed house sleep doesn’t come easily!
Why are we putting up with this? Well we are NOT prepared to anymore
We are not going to go through that again for anything.. especially as those
affected do not gain ANYTHING from the inconvenience and constant disturbance.
THESE MACHINES NEED BANNING NOW PLEASE. Another ten years before things
can be altered in the District Plan is far too long to continue suffering as we all
are doing.
An attempt had been made to ban these devices some years ago in the
Marlborough region…. which obviously failed. We were told this by an actual MDC
councillor who was extremely bothered by the noise. However instead of
pursuing the problem he eventually shifted house to get away from the noise.!!!
That is not an option for some people!!.. and more to the point why SHOULD we!!
40. The Future and the Environment
Our quality of life and that of those people who have contributed to our Bird Bangers
Begone group also KNOW that their quality of life and peace and quiet is shattered for
the best part of every summer and it can ONLY get WORSE
With the Hurunui Water Project intending bringing in more irrigation in the area bringing
in more intensive farming practises including cropping gas guns needs to be outlawed
now and more suitable devices implemented before we drive away what few tourists do
venture into the Hurunui area
We have some wonderful countryside in the Hurunui ( which is not just the Hanmer hot
pools and I bet THEY would soon have something to day about any such noise near
them!!) but people who come from overseas do not want more of what they left their
homelands to get away from!!
No one is going to want to stay at a B & B or farmstay in the area with gunfire going off all
the time. You can go to Tunisia on holiday to get shot at.!! lets at least offer one country
in the world where people can enjoy peace and QUIET and feel and are safe!!
41. Indifferent MP
Interesting, too, that our local MP Stuart Smith is now talking about the environment
needing a social or quality of life aspect to it.!!!!
We personally met with Mr Smith in March at the Hawarden show and despite having
being fully briefed on the communities concerns prior to our meeting he came across as
totally bored and indifferent.
In fact I thought that he was down right rude and might as well have walked off as his
attention was totally elsewhere and whilst he may have listened he certainly was not
hearing our concerns and certainly not taking any interest as to how he could help and
suggested nothing.
He basically said that it was nothing to do with him/central government and was a local
issue to be taken up with the relevant councils. He had no intention whatsoever in
helping the cause in anyway and washed his hands of the matter
As I later saw him talking to “the big farmers” I can only surmise that his indifference was
due to the fact that the “big farmers” are “in” and the little dirt farmers who “don’t count”
are “out”.
We are really sick and tired of being pushed around and walked over by the larger
farmers in our area. They think they can ride rough shod over everyone on every issue.
There are a lot of people on the Waitohi River who have spent the entire summer from
Nov 2014 to May 2015 without water for their houses and stock because a “few” have it
all for their “big farms” but that’s a different issue!!
As water battles ensue between these large farmers and the “rest” of the community
who don’t have the luxury of mains water… Ecan is getting involved and it has become
quite apparent through talking with the community over water issues that people are also
very worried about the future where more farms will become irrigated with the Hurunui
Water Project thus more crops are likely to be grown and that therefore is more than
likely to bring an influx of more of these bird bangers into the once quiet and peaceful
area.
THAT is what the countryside is know for …..peace and QUIET where people come from
the noisy cities to relax and unwind and enjoy the serenity .. as Stuart Smith is now
talking about as per his above statement. To call it an “industrial area” is in the realms of
lunacy!!.
We also spoke with the Human Rights people about uninterrupted sleep; they tended to
agree that it was a Right -but that it didn't 'fit' with their current priorities so they put us
onto the office of the Ombudsman again….where another lady who thought it fitted into
their bailiwick agreed to take a look at our complaints and was going to look at it from the
perspective of non-action by the local councils. We are currently awaiting a reply!
Since then NOTHING has been done by the HDC to amend the rules and again we
are faced with the same situation. Since December 2014 sometime we have had
the CONSTANT barrage of noise IN our home. These gun shots ECHO round so
every shot has one or two repercussions that are not heard at a closer range.
We know people who came to view a property for sale at Masons Flat and decided
against it as they could hear the bangs right over there so it is affecting property
values/ sales
At the risk of repeating what we said last year NOTHING has changed.
ESPECIALLY not the District Plan nor the HDC ability to enforce current
regulations for what they are worth.
Oh yes one thing HAS changed… Mr Ford now has a much larger area under this
crop and now he does not have any nets on them. He did net them but the nets
blew off in a Norwester. Talk about incompetence !!
The main thing that HAS changed is our health. With three months of constant
noise that affects our sleep we are at the end of our tether and this has GOT TO
BE STOPPED.
Just because we live in a rural area does not make it ok for this sort of noise
pollution.
It is not tolerated in towns purely because of the sheer numbers of people
that complain and are affected.
It is NO DIFFERENT here.. we are humans too and we need peace and quiet and
sleep like anyone else. It is why we worked hard to buy a property in the peace
and quiet of the country.. Yeah right!!
Look at any real estate agents descriptions of rural properties and you find the
words peace and quiet, tranquillity, bird song, far from the madding
crowd describing some remote dwelling that when you have bought it turns out
to have a seed crop growing next door that you were unaware of at the time was
going to require CANONS going off to defend.
The countryside is noted for its supposed peace and quiet. No one in their right
minds would buy a property if they heard these canons going off all the time
We doubt any council member lives within earshot any gas canons
We doubt any MP lives within earshot of any gas canons
We doubt any council member (or those who MAKE the rules) are affected by this
problem. Because IF they were THEY would have done something to alter the
plan years ago. .. those with the power to change are not suffering
We are ABSOLUTELTY SURE that if the land that surrounds Sian Elias’ beautiful
Lake Shepherd property were to start having these canons on it SHE would have
it stopped IMMEDIATELY. Her location is exactly the same as ours is, in a
beautiful location that tourists could enjoy, in a basin surrounded with mountains
…..which these explosions ricochet off
So to try and get the people who are reading this that maybe the ones setting the
rules governing their use and who presumably are NOT affected by any such
noise lets try and set the scene……….
Lets take a scenario. This of course is in reverse as we work nights but you need
to APPLY this to your and whoever else is reading this daytime jobs to appreciate
where we am coming from.
If you have ever been awoken at say 4am by something and been unable to get
back to sleep until your normal awakening time of sat 7.30am then imagine that
happening even earlier in the morning.. EVERY day including weekends, day after
day after day after week after week after week after month after month after
month.. for at least FOUR months throughout the whole of a lovely summer that
SHOULD be able to be enjoyed outside on your own property then read on
We are not in prison
We have rights to stay asleep.
We DO NOT wish to be woken up when SOMEONE ELSE dictates.
That is NOT FREEDOM That alone choose how it is being brought about is
a breach of civil rights.
JUST IMAGINE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO….
You work in an office 9am till 5pm You get up at 7.30am out of choice (yours)
You go to work all day come home and ENJOY your property peacefully. You go
to bed at 11pm.to get your needed 8 hours sleep.All good so far.
Now keep imagining next morning you do the same and so on. Then one
morning you are forcibly awoken at 3am by a loud bang that continues
intermittently.. just far apart enough to wake you up again just as you dropped
back to sleep. You can only go back to sleep so many times before you are wide
awake. Trust me we know! So….
You cant get back to sleep. You get up at 7am being 4 hours short on sleep and
have to go to work as usual.
Throughout the day you are tired but not too bad. You go home and go to bed
maybe a little earlier to try and make up for the lack of sleep. Again in the
middle of the night you are woken up at 2am by bangs that continues thus
disturbing your ability to get that all important sleep. Now keep imagining
(because this is THE ONLY WAY we are going to get through to you). By7am
when it is time to get up you have had not much sleep and feel sick and dizzy
when you stand up. All you want to do is sleep but you are now overtired and
anyway you HAVE to go to work and deal nicely with people when all you feel like
doing is biting their heads off.
You are at work and are like a zombie all day and are yawning all the time in
meetings. You again return home in the evening and go to bed even earlier.
Again in the night after only three or four hours sleep you are awoken by the
neighbour making this noise… and you challenge him… BUT….he says he is
allowed to!!
By now we will guarantee you are GRUMPY you feel ill and are sleep deprived.
You start to have headaches that pills don’t remove as the constant banging only
stops when you have gone to work for some respite. Thing is you cant sleep at
work you have to WORK.
Imagine now after THREE MONTHS none stop of this day in day out you are
feeling like punching someone’s lights out and the people there to protect you
from this noise don’t give a damn as they are not affected by it. They DON’T
KNOW
Only YOU know how that feels and being so tired puts you at risk of making
mistakes to other people’s detriment in whatever way that happens to be.
NO CROP IS WORTH ANYONE LOSING THEIR LIFE OVER.
Now we certainly don’t mean that we are going out with any intention to berate
the persons causing this noise although goodness knows there have been times
when we are woken up and feel so sick with tiredness that it seemed like a good
idea! Everyone has limits and we are at the end of out tether with this… mentally
and physically.
Rest assured we are not about to physically damage anyone or anything… we are
actually nice people!!!, our guests from all over the world tell us so on websites
where you can make comments on our business etc.
We are farmers also with stock but none of OUR farming or business practices
impinge on anyone else in the community.
We run our business and farm all fine and well until December when Mr Ford
comes along and starts waking us at 5am after having only had two hours sleep
in the summer (which is our busiest time of the year when we maybe driving until
the early hours of the morning to get home) By now March.. ( 2015) we are at
the end of our tethers. We are sleep deprived and we are ill with constant
headaches and migraines from lack of sleep. Because the CONSTANT noise ALL
DAY EVERY DAY does not let up we can not catch up on sleep and start to
decline physically and mentally.
We meet tourists all the time with jet lag… we have permanent jet lag thanks to
Mr Ford and it is a terrible thing.
This is affecting our health and having had enough bangs to monitor this for
months now we can state categorically that these loud bangs are causing
us physical pain. When there is a bang before we hear the noise in our ears
we feel a pain shoot through our heads followed a split second later by the bang.
There are shock waves from these canons that are hitting us BEFORE the sound.
We spoke with a neurologist regarding what damage is being done here for we
had a permanent headache that has been checked out by MRI to make sure we
don’t have a brain tumours etc. That cost a lot of money and the conclusion was
the headaches are caused by the constant noise.. as we don’t have them the rest
of the year when the guns are silent.!!!!!!
My husband is also being made sick by these bangs in a different way. He is in
triple AF.. that means three of the four chambers of his heart are out of sync. He
has died twice and been resuscitated to try and rectify this but as yet he needs
more rest and relaxation and a stress free environment for his heart to recover
and settle down. He is taking many pills and under a heart specialist in
Christchurch whom has written to Andrew Brown HDC Noise Control officer
regarding the noise these guns are making and the stress they are causing him.
If he has a heart attack and dies whilst these guns are going I will hold Mr Ford
responsible as my husbands problems first started during last summers barrage
when we were unable to rest and relax between the tours we do.
Whilst there seems to be only a few people prepared to speak out in the area
(everyone else too frightened to stand up and be counted for various reasons) we
have taken the opportunity to talk with people all around the area and get their
opinions on these gas guns
If the use of these gas cannons for they emit MUCH more than a bang!!
are not stopped then very soon the one thing that we all prize about living in the
Hurunui countryside will be lost.. Most country dwellers live where they do for the
peace and quiet that this area affords.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In fact the very rules of the HDC as follows are not being implemented in this
case…
3.4 Rules
3.4.8 Assessment criteria When considering an application and whether or not it can
be granted pursuant to Part 2 of the RMA, the Council will have regard to the relevant
assessment criteria:
Subsection 4. Noise:
(d) That the proposed noise levels will not adversely affect the health and
safety of any person;
It also seems that we have a conflict here with what the HDC are saying as this except
taken from /www.hurunui.govt.nz/assets/Documents/District%20Plan/1-107%20Environmental%20Quality.pdf implies ………
Adverse effects
17 Duty to avoid, remedy, or mitigate adverse effects

(1)Every person has a duty to avoid, remedy, or mitigate any adverse
effect on the environment arising from an activity carried on by or on
behalf of the person, whether or not the activity is carried on in
accordance with—
o (a)any of sections 10, 10A, 10B, and 20A; or
o (b)a national environmental standard, a rule, a resource consent,
or a designation.
Protection & enhancement of environmental quality
―Environmental quality‖ refers to the character and condition of the District‘s
environment which influences people‘s attitudes about the community as a place to
live in and enjoy.
The purpose of the Act (section 5) provides for the protection and enhancement of
environmental quality by directing that natural and physical resources be managed in
a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social,
economic, and cultural wellbeing and for their health and safety.
Sections 7(c) and (f) also require that particular regard be had to the maintenance and
enhancement of amenity values and the quality of the environment. Environmental
quality is affected by tangible things such as landscapes, buildings, air, water and soil.
It is also affected by intangible things such as the social and cultural aspects of our
environment, and a community‘s sense of place. Poor levels of environmental quality,
such as air pollution, litter, badly designed buildings, inadequate open space and
overly dense settlement can degrade the quality of life.
Hurunui enjoys high standards of environmental quality which should be preserved
and protected. The aim is therefore to sustain the existing high level of environmental
quality in the District by protecting those amenity values and aspects of the
environment which are presently of excellent standard, and to enhance those aspects
which are not currently at an acceptable level.
The key issues for the District in relation to protecting and enhancing environmental
quality are: (a) The quality of life for residents in the District is dependent on a
number of aspects about our environment which, together, contribute to that quality –
without adequate management to maintain or enhance a level of amenity appropriate
to each area, the environmental quality of the District could be reduced.
(b) Proximity of residential activities to certain intensive land uses – in particular,
hard rock quarrying, sewage treatment, and intensive farming – can lead to either
adverse effects on residential activity, or ―reverse sensitivity‖ effects producing
complaints and constraints around economically beneficial land uses.
Issue 10 – Environmental amenity
The particular issue of the District relating to environmental amenity is that
inappropriate development or inadequate protection could reduce the District‘s high
standard of environmental amenity. There are many factors that contribute to
environmental health or the level of amenity (those aspects of the environment which
enhance it or make it more pleasant) within the District: lack of pollution, the design
of buildings, the amount of open space, privacy, sunlight, landscaping and visual
quality. Environmental amenity can also be linked to features within our environment
such as important public places, parks and reserves. Activities which can adversely
affect the quality of the environment or the health and safety of people need to be
controlled without unduly constraining the rights of individuals to use their own
properties. Other factors which have a significant impact on environmental
health and amenity values include ambient (surrounding) noise levels and air
quality (dust and odour nuisance). Environmental amenity varies across the District
according to a combination of factors, including differing levels of existing amenity
and differing levels of acceptability to the local community. The rural environment
has characteristics and amenity values that differ from the acceptable amenity 60
Management strategy – Part 1 Last amended 12/06/2012 values in urban areas.
In rural areas, the environment is both a working resource, in terms of land based
activities such as farming, forestry and other rural industries, and a living environment
for its residents. Some intensive land uses have effects that can be seldom wholly
internalized on the site. These include hard rock quarrying, intensive farming, sewage
treatment facilities, or vineyards in the Waipara Winegrowing Area. Intensive land
uses can have significant adverse effects on residential activities. ―Reverse
sensitivity‖ issues can also arise. The term ―reverse sensitivity‖ refers to the effects of
the existence of sensitive activities on other activities in their vicinity, particularly by
leading to restraints in the carrying on of those activities. This is of particular concern
where rural and/or residential dwellers move to sites close to intensive land uses such
as quarries and mines or the Waipara Winegrowing Area and seek to place restraints
on the existing lawfully established activity. The District Plan seeks to minimise all of
these factors and to promote a high level of environmental amenity within the District
by way of appropriately managing the use, development and protection of natural and
physical resources.
Objective 10
A healthy and safe environment within the District and maintenance and/or
enhancement of amenity values which the community wishes to protect. Policies
Policy 10.1 To foster environmental health for the wellbeing of the District‘s
residents.
Explanation
The environment must be maintained in such a way that people’s health is not
adversely affected by land use activities.
: – District Plan rules including environmental standards relating to transportation,
utilities, and environmental amenity (refer to the rules in Section A1 – Environmental
Amenity A5 – Transportation and A6 – Utilities, and Rule B1.2.6) – Use of Council‘s
other powers and functions for protecting and enhancing environmental health and
quality – Inter-agency consultation and advocacy at the regional and national level
Council has a range of powers and responsibilities through other legislation for
maintaining and enhancing the District‘s environmental health and quality, which
supplement its powers under the Resource Management Act. Coordination with other
agencies with responsibilities in this area of environmental management is also
required
Policy 10.5 To avoid, remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of activities on amenity
values.
10.5b– Work with landowners and land users and relevant organisations to promote
sound land use practices to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects of land use on
amenity values –
Explanation
The level of amenity in the District is important to the quality of life enjoyed by
people living and working in the area. Amenity values which may be adversely
affected by activities include: the standard of air quality, building design, the
adequacy and distribution of open spaces, privacy, access to sunlight, peace and
tranquility
The management approach of the District Plan focuses on the amenities identified by
the community as being most important. In most cases environmental standards in the
Plan can be applied as the most effective method to protect those amenities. Where
thresholds cannot be met, the resource consent process shall be used to demonstrate
that an activity will not be detrimental to the level of environmental amenity
considered acceptable for a particular site, or to ensure that environmental
compensation is provided in exchange for a reduction in amenity. For example, an
activity which generates noise above the level identified as being acceptable may be
permitted if mitigation measures such as extra tree plantings are implemented
Noise standards to protect residential areas in particular from noisy activities –
Standards to provide for temporary activities which may generate more than minor
adverse environmental effects (for example, building construction), but where such
effects are normally tolerated by the community because: 064 Management strategy –
Part 1 Last amended 12/06/2012 – the activity provides a special service or fulfils a
necessary function – the activity is a one-off or infrequent event – the effect is only of
a short-term duration
Policy 10.6 To manage intensive land uses so that: (a) The activity avoids or mitigates
cross-boundary adverse effects on amenity values; (b) A separation between those
activities and residential type activities is maintained in most cases; (c) The continued
use and development of existing productive rural land uses is not unreasonably
inhibited. Policy 10.6(a) To avoid reverse sensitivity effects, residential activities
should not locate close to intensive land use (y property was one of the first in the
area in 1860 and I have lived there 20 years before this new to the area farmer came in
a caused all this disturbance so there is now way reverse sensitivity comes into this
scenario!)
Policy 10.6(a) To avoid reverse sensitivity effects, residential activities should not
locate close to intensive land uses. Methods Policies 10.6 and 10.6(a) shall be
implemented through: – District Plan rules including standards for separation
distances between residential activities and other potentially incompatible activities –
Resource consent decision-making consistent with the above policy – Monitoring the
effects of intensification of rural land uses – On-going education about potential
effects with landowners and other relevant groups – Promotion of the development
and use of guidelines and industry codes of practice in managing effects of rural use –
District Plan changes
Explanation
Policies 10.6 and 10.6(a) address two situations. The first is the extent to which the
environment should be protected from the adverse effects of particular intensive uses.
Hard rock quarrying, intensive farming and sewage facility operators are expected
to make all reasonable efforts to contain the adverse effects of their activities on
site. What is reasonable depends on careful consideration of the practicality and
economics of the mitigation measures available. But due to the special nature of those
activities, those reasonable efforts are unlikely to internalize all effects.
Quarrying and mining, for example, generally creates adverse traffic, dust, noise,
vibration and visual effects that are more than minor. All reasonably practical
mitigation measures intended to internalize the effects may still fail to stop those
effects from being experienced outside the boundary of the property. Those
effects are experienced most acutely in residential areas
The adverse effects of hard rock quarrying include blasting, noise, vibration, and
explosive sounds of rocks being crushed. These effects are generally qualitatively
worse than the effects of mining that is limited to sand extraction activities. The
separation distance from residential areas for hard rock quarrying should generally be
greater than that required for sand and gravel extraction activities.(and this should
aply to bird canons)
A method to implement these policies is a Plan rule that requires, as a permitted
activity standard, a separation distance between residential and other activities that are
known to be potentially environmentally incompatible. This requirement acts as a
threshold, which, if it cannot be met, will trigger a resource consent application for
the siting of the proposed residence or other specified activities. The decision making
process will provide a means of assessing the potential for adverse effects on either
activity, and determining appropriate standards through conditions. Another method is
to assess such issues in making decisions on the creation of new lots adjacent to
potentially environmentally incompatible activities.( This is what has happened in the
Waimak Swananoa area with new lifestyle blocks coming into contact with large
landowners crops)
Policy 10.9 To control noise emissions at levels acceptable to the community and
where they exceed those levels, generally maintain a separation distance between
those noiseemitting activities and sensitive activities.
Policy 10.9(a) To provide for frost control fans as part of primary production
activities, while avoiding the generation of unnecessary or unreasonably high noise
levels. Methods Policies 10.9 and 10.9(a) shall be implemented through: – District
Plan rules to provide environmental standards for noise (refer to Rule A1.2.9) –
Abatement and enforcement procedures – Research and consultation to determine
noise levels in different parts of the District and to establish noise performance
standards to protect the environmental quality, within 2 years of the Plan becoming
operative
Explanation
Noise (including vibration) is a significant health and environmental issue, and an
important facet in the District‘s level of amenity. Noise emissions which are
acceptable to the general public are those levels which do not conflict with normal
daily activities, including sleep. Occasional noise is tolerated at much higher levels
than is continuous noise. The Resource Management Act requires that the emission of
noise from premises does not exceed a reasonable level. Council has the responsibility
for the control of emissions of noise and the mitigation of the effects of noise in the
District, although the Regional Council has some limited responsibility, specifically in
the coastal marine area. The most effective method is to implement performance
standards by way of the District Plan rules. Such standards are based on community
derived values, rather than individuals‘ perceptions. For example, the emission of
noise from activities which have a legitimate function in an area, such as tractor noise
in a farming area, noise from agricultural activities which are of limited duration, such
as seasonal harvesting, or noise from motor vehicles using roads, may be deemed to
be ―acceptable‖. Conversely, noise from activities which provide little benefit to an
area or which is not an accepted part of the character and functioning of an area can
be considered to be unacceptable. Therefore, certain activities will be exempt from the
noise limits. Noise limits will be less restrictive during the day and become more
restrictive at night. Noise controls within the rural area will apply in proximity of
rural dwellings by utilising the notional boundary approach. The notional
boundary is defined as a line 20 metres from the facade of any rural dwelling or
the legal boundary where this is closer to the dwelling. All other activities shall
be conducted so as to ensure that they do not exceed noise limits at, or outside
the legal boundary. Activities which exceed noise limits will require resource
consent. The New Zealand Standard for Environmental Sound (NZS 6802:1991)
―Assessment of Environmental Sound‖ provides a reasonable basis for assessment of
most environmental noise and promotes the use of up-to-date information on local
levels of intrusive sounds and background noise before deciding on the specific
standards for the District. The setting of noise performance standards specifically
designed for Hurunui District will require further research and consultation.
Until this is undertaken, noise limits are based on the guidelines in NZS 6802:1991.
This Standard outlines the desirable upper limit of exposure to environmental noise
for the reasonable protection of community health and amenity. Measurement of
sound is to be in accordance with the provisions of NZS 6801:1991 ―Measurement of
Sound‖
Quarries within the District regularly use explosives to extract their materials. The
New Zealand standard for the storage, handling, and use of explosives NZS
4403:1976, recognises the need for controls on noise levels of blasting near to
buildings and structures, and in particular the vibrations which are caused. As people
can be extremely sensitive to vibration, New Zealand standards have been set with a
bias towards comfort. Limits are included on over-pressure and vibration. However,
airblast over pressure limits in the Plan are based on the revised limits recommended
by ANZEC now the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation
Council. The noise (including vibration) emitted by quarries and mines and some
other activities ( and you can add gas canons here) does at times exceed levels
acceptable to the community even if it is below the standards referred to above
Some machines and devices used in primary production activities have the potential
to generate noise levels which can create a nuisance to residential activities in the
rural area. Bird scaring devices and frost control fans are two forms of equipment
used by primary producers to protect crops from damage that can generate
significant off-site noise emissions. Generally, these machines and devices are used
on a seasonal basis, and therefore have a limited period in which the potentially
high noise levels in the rural environment can be expected. Given the important
role of primary production and the growing importance of viticulture and
horticulture activities to the District, these periods of higher noise levels are
appropriate. However, these higher noise levels can conflict with the typically quiet
rural environment at night time and early morning. Accordingly, limits are used on
the establishment and operation of these machines and devices to ensure the noise
levels do not result in unreasonable or unnecessary noise, but not to an extent
which diminishes the effectiveness of these devices in serving the purpose for which
they are designed.
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All this seems to count for NOTHING in the case of these Gas Guns!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So WHY are they still allowed or is all the above just hot air?
It is not only the Hurunui and Waimakariri Councils that are getting reports of gas guns being a
nuisance and people wanting them banned
Marlborough District Council is warning all vineyard owners not to shoot gas guns at night to scare off
birds.Seddon resident Eric Driver complained to the council that he was becoming increasingly
frustrated as gas guns, were being fired in the middle of the night in breach of council bylaws.The guns are used to scare away starlings and other birds that feed on grapes.Council by-laws
state gas guns are banned from being shot between the hours of 8pm and 7am (during daylight
savings).Mr Driver said vineyards owners in the Awatere Valley who didn't live on site had not changed
the timing mechanism on their guns.The guns were being fired every 20 minutes throughout the night,
he said."It is very frustrating," he said. "My partner is a light sleeper. When the guns go off she
has great difficulty getting back to sleep again."Mr Driver alerted the council's noise control
department, but he said they couldn't do anything unless he pinpointed a specific address."This
happens year in, year out. We don't know who the vineyard owners are. Trying to triangulate sound is
very tough because the Awatere Valley echoes. Council create these by-laws but nobody actually
enforces them."I want them banned. There are alternative methods such as netting, which
good vineyard owners use. In Wairau a vineyard owner puts small meat bones on the top of yard posts
to attract harriers who scare off starlings."A Marlborough District Council spokeswoman said the council
asked Wine Marlborough to distribute to their members the rules before bird scaring season each
year.The advice had been published in Wine Marlborough's February newsletter, she said."Where a gas
gun is going off outside allowed hours and a property is identified by a complainant, the council writes to
that property owner to advise them of the complaint and asks them to check their equipment."
Again this is too little being done. It is not the councillors who are being kept awake
or disturbed all day nor the vineyard owners as they most of the time they don‘t live
on site.
Action taken on 11th March 2015
After yesterday reaching the end of our tethers it took some serious words
to bring about some action. We finally got to speak with South Pacific
Seed company who run the growing of the crop in the Hawarden area.
(They NEVER return your calls!) They after much heated exchange agreed
to turn off TWO of the three guns that are blighting our life. When we said
we wanted ALL guns they finally agreed saying they were about to harvest
the crop anyway next week. Whilst this was a respite a week early this is
not good enough, not a permanent solution and it will be the same again
next year!!
We have been here before. This time last year we were told that the District Plan
could be amended and we duly awaited to be informed WHEN submission could
be made. We never heard anymore and of course the noise had abated…. For
THAT season. BUT here we are again in the SAME position.. ill health..
exhaustion… District Plan not amended in any way.
As we go no action from HDC we are going to take their ineptitude up with the
Ombudsman and these gas guns don’t just want regulating they want
BANNING New Zealand wide as they are the curse of a LOT of people’s lives
and this will get more so if people are allowed to get away with it as more land is
turned into arable production countrywide.
Hopefully whoever makes the rules for this country will all have a think and do
the right thing for NZ.
There ARE other bird control methods that are not so ANTI SOCIAL and we DO
understand where crop growers are coming from but to be honest the area
around us it NOT cropping country nor is it dairy country even with water.
The climatic conditions of too hot too cold too wet too dry too windy means this
is early country more suited to sheep and beef cattle as has been the tradition for
the last 100 years. Intensive farming on this land choose what is not going to
work every year and as more climatic variances cause more droughts followed by
floods a return to the traditional land use will come to fruition.
Our dairying neighbour despite irrigation is this year struggling with the dry
conditions which was also another MAJOR factor in the stress that these gas
canons posed. It was like living with Russian Roulette… as these devices are
known to start fires EVERY bang was a potential source or ignition and that also
played on our already frayed nerves. This was especially so as we personally had
no water. We only have a bore hole which was all but dry by November and we
had used all our stored emergency water that we had saved for fire fighting
emergencies to water our stock so it has been an enormous extra potential fire
risk worry
This needs actioning NOW so that potential crop growers know where they stand
before the start of the next growing season which will give them time to find
alternative methods of crop protection or find a crop that is not bird affected to
grow on their property. There are plenty if they want to go down that road. We
are trying to be as fair as we can here but NO ONES LIFE is worth ANY crop and I
fear for not only my family’ health but for everyone else that WILL be affected in
the future.
I am therefore speaking out on behalf of the entire community and indeed
New Zealand and for those that can not or dare not and as such have joined a
campaigner in the Marlborough area who has the same problem and who set up
the Facebook Bird Banger Be Gone page for people to air their views.
AS shown today on the news ONE person can make a difference and it only takes
one to get out there what everyone is thinking but too afraid to say.(Reference
the young man who climbed the Auckland Kauri tree to stop it being chopped
down) I sincerely hope that he is not charged with anything. He should be given a
medal !!
On a totally personal note…
I am furious that my mother can no longer live with us and has had to be put into
care…. WHY???.. she suffers from Post Traumatic Stress from being bombed in
the Second World War in England where she was a nurse tending the troops.
She deserves better than this to be chased out of her home with us as she cant
stand the banging. That’s NOT right especially as for the whole of the summer
Dec through to March she cant even visit us unless it is before daylight or after
dark.!!!!
Without people like my father and mother we all would not have the freedom of
choice that we enjoy today. However that freedom of choice HAS been taken
away.
WE cant choose to have a lie in bed in a morning anymore
WE cant choose to sit peacefully outside and have an afternoon nap if we so
desire.
We know a hospice nurse in Marlborough who for years worked nights and TRIED
to sleep in the daytime but found it IMPOSSIBLE. I don’t know ANYONE nicer than
hospice nurses having just met a lot with my fathers death. This lovely lady is
driven to distraction.. you can hear it in her voice that she also it a breaking point
We know HOW she feels and this again is still going on for her and her family day
in day out and the Marlborough DC wont do a thing for her plus she also has to
put up with frost fans droning all night long as well as helicopters spraying up
and down the vineyards all night long. CONSTANT NOISE.. Day AND night….
This is enough to drive people to take the law into their own hands and
something HAS to be done as until you have experienced this suffering you can
NOT understand how it impacts every facet of your lives.
I wont be bullied by anyone and I am not afraid of anyone .
I will take this to the highest court in the land until we get these Bird Bangers
Banned…
As an addition to our personal submissions what follows is the feelings of
others……….
In just a couple of months we have been told by people the following comments
most of whom wanted to remain anonymous which we have respected here………
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BIRD BANGERS BEGONE
THESE GAS CANNONS ARE BEING USED ALL OVER NEW ZEALAND
AND ARE MAKING PEOPLES LIFE’S A MISERY. THEY MAY AFFECT
YOU NEXT YEAR!! Please HELP us get these banned as there are
other methods less anti-social that can be used.
We are seeking to get these banned but need those affected or who
could be affected in the future to speak out. We understand that a
lot want to remain anonymous the interest of neighbourly relations
so we have started a group called Bird Bangers Begone and we will
be forming an Incorporated Company and under that banner all
those who want to have a say can without fear of reprisals Please
make any comment you like. You don’t have to put your name you
can put your initials or no name if you prefer as we will be typing
out all comments to forward with our own personal submission.
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We have let a local farmer concerned have the opening comment!!!....
 If you don't like the country noise and farming - just piss off back to the
town.!!!
You can guess from whom that came from!!! ( We are NOT townies and were
born and brought up in the country so we take the first very rude comment personally
which was of course from a farmer with a gas gun!!!......)
but what follows is what
the rest of the communities that DON’T use a gas cannon have to say)
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We have lived here for 20 years and this last three years has been a
nightmare as we work nights sometimes and bought our farm so we would
have peace and quiet in the day to sleep and that’s just NOT possible for
the whole of the summer and that’s when we are at our busiest. We are
afraid that we might kill someone over this due to lack of sleep as we drive
tourists for a living and often drive home through the night from opposite
ends of the country having dropped off guests so we need to be able to
sleep in the daytime. WE cant be falling asleep at the wheel!!! We had a
house in Rangiora where we used to be able to GO to for some sleep but
having now sold that this next year if this continues is going to see us
more sleep deprived than normal. This is just not on and if our farming
practises or even our tourist business made any such continuous noise
then we would be shut down by the council. Phil Cooke
This noise really affects me as having just driven upwards of 600 kms
through the night I need to be able to sleep in the daytime and now that is
not possible due to the incessant bangs that jar you awake.. that’s IF you
managed to fall asleep in the few seconds between these bangs! I am also
upset that for the whole for the summer my mother can’t even visit us as
she cant stand the noise as it upsets her. She has PTSD from being
bombed in World War 2 in England so she has had to move out into a rest
home away from the noise. Sandra Cooke
I used to live with my daughter and son in law on their farm but last year I just could
not stand the banging all the time from the bird scarers. It makes me jump just so
much that it jangles my nerves. I wear a hearing aid so the bangs are amplified and
having lived through the Blitz in England it has left me with anxiety and loud noises
just upset me so I have had to go to live in a rest home where I can enjoy peace and
quiet. I miss being out on the farm in the summer. I used to animal sit whilst my
daughter was away so now they have to always be trying to find someone to farm sit
when they are away with the adventure tours they do.
Marjorie Cotton
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Yes they drive us nuts!!!!!! We have lived here 10 years and it's the same
guy who owns a lot of land. We have complained to noise control and the
council when they have gone through the night but they don't seem to
care. The owners do not live on the land, just farm it. A & G H
It scares my two dogs so much that if they are outside when the guns start they
scratch and bang at the house or garage doors to get inside and they wont go
out until the noise stops.. which can be quite late at night in summer. It is not
fair that the dogs have to suffer like this and be locked in the house when they
could be outside in the fresh air. I am at work during the main part of the day
thank goodness but we have had quite a few puddles and worse from the dogs
on the carpets because of this damned noise. It is worse at weekends of course
when we are at home and it also sets off other dogs barking which then set of
more dogs barking so it is continual noise of one sort or the other. We cant
complain about the other people‘s dogs barking as they are only barking
because of the guns going off. We don‘t have the barking problem in the
winter as we don‘t have the guns going off then but summer is terrible you
cant sit outside in the sunshine as it is just too noisy. These guns should be
stopped as surely in this day and age there are better methods especially in an
area where people live.
T. D.R.
We are told because we live in the country we are supposed to put up with the
noise from gas guns as with many other practices conducted by farmers. We
are then told if we don't like this type of activity we should not live in the
country.
The countryside is part of the heritage of our country and as such its beauty
and viability is appreciated and maintained by many of us who are not a part
of the farming community. We have lived at our present address for 35 years.
We have managed our garden so that it is a suitable and sustainable sanctuary
for birds and wild life. Unfortunately, mainly I believe, due to modern
methods of farming, including the use of gas guns, the bird population has
decreased considerably. T C.
I work on a farm close to these guns and it is terrible. It blasts your ears all day
everyday and I am glad to go home at the end of the day and be away from the
noise. CM
Yes I also work on a farm that is over 3 kms away from where the guns are
sited and the noise is terrible. Talk about the peace and quiet of the
countryside!!! On quiet days it is worse and it makes you all on edge and on
windy days depending on the wind direction it is either quieter or MUCH
louder and should not be allowed. I feel sorry for the people that live there at
least I can go home to Sefton at the end of the day and I only work a couple of
days a week. If I lived there all the day it would drive you crazy!! MK
It does not bother me. MZ
It bothers me and the kids and especially when one of them is sick and trying
to sleep during the day RZ
Whilst it does not affect us where we live it is only a matter of time before
more irrigated land sees more of these machines. I contract in the area
and hear these damned guns and I am glad that I can go home to get away
from the noise which drives you mad.. and that’s from someone who
operates a tractor thumping in posts!! I wear ear defenders and can still
hear the canons going off all the time WB
 I can no longer take my kids horse riding along Costellos Road as
the bangs are so loud and close to the road that it frightens the
horses. Yet another instance of an incomer to the area stopping us
from doing what we have done for years. Not on. B.B
 I am a regular visitor, and due to the inconsiderate use
of these gas guns by surrounding farmers, the place is
like a War Zone for the majority of the summer months.
I’d be happier even more if I could enjoy the
countryside without inconsiderate farmers causing
such a highly stressful noise nuisance to their
neighbours.
 Ban the use of gas powered "cannons" used by farmers, Other bird
deterrents are available and should be used instead. These guns
make living in rural areas a misery They are affecting the use and
enjoyment of our homes. We cannot sit outside in the summer,
instead we have to remain indoors with the windows closed but
even that doesn't drown out the bangs which often start at 4.30 to 5
in the morning and go on dusk which in the summer months can be
9 or10pm
 The government needs to ban these devices as current
guidelines are unacceptable and ignored and we're written
by farmers!!!!!
 You can call them human scarers , in my house it makes me jump
and our birds in the garden too ,the famer makes sure they not near
him .
 FARMERS are a law unto themselves, and it seems they care not
for wildlife or their neighbourly relations
 Dreadful noise all day 7 days a week dawn until dusk Scaring
humans, dogs and other animals. Like a canon going off every 15
minutes.
 . The farmers that don't use them, don't seem to be losing crops
anymore than those that do. As for the code of practice, written by
farmers for farmers.
 We have lived rurally for the last 35 years, and this year its the
worst that it has ever been.
 District Council are useless all they can do is make the landowners
aware of the noise issue; these contraptions are about as effective
as the proverbial chocolate teapot but still the ignorant farmers use
them
 I agree it`s disgusting. I moved to the country because it is
supposed to be wildlife friendly, and purchased bird tables and
feeders only to have the birds obliterated from sight due to this
horrendous noise, which goes off all the time, 7 days a week, 10
times in 40 minutes! It wakes you up in the morning and doesn`t
let up all day. They should be banned
 .Council are a bunch of jobsworths who will do NOTHING. Find
the gas gun, cut the pipe off and throw the bu**ger in the nearest
muddy ditch. Anyone that uses these devices is an antisocial,
selfish pr*ck who hates their neighbours.
 Our lives are made a misery by the use of these devices, we have one
opposite our house going off every ten minutes from 6.am-9.pm seven
days a week. We are now into our eighth week. The farmer lives miles
away so is not disturbed. No one should have to put up with this.
 Codes of practice are out of date. Currently these devices are
causing distress and I am not able function at work safely from
extreme tiredness as I work nights and therefore sleep during the
day. The impact of these guns is enormous. I have recently
complained to the council office but nothing will come of it I
know. My complaint is that the farmer is not complying as they
go off from 06:00hrs to 21:00 hrs and 60 times an hour approx.
They cause ill health to people and should be banned for a number
of reasons.
 Farmers will not abide by their own guidelines.
 These gas guns are making people's lives a living hell.
 Does anyone know if there has ever been a farmer prosecuted for
using gas guns ? (Sandi Cooke)
 Have been blighted by gas-guns since September 2012-every 15 minutes, 2 of
them, every single day. weekends, too; poor little dog is now terrified of
stepping out of the front door! Councils next to useless. Refused to investigate
Sunday noise because they couldn't work out where the bangs were coming
from! Our main problem is that not enough people are willing to phone to
complain..
 I go onto the paddock where the offending bird scarer is operating
and cut the gas pipe At worst it's petty vandalism. It will take
months to get to court IF you are caught or identified. You could
easily do this several times before the owner can get a court order
sorted out.
 Woke up this morning at 6am by gas bird scarer. Contacted the farmer
who lives 10 kms away. Our conversation was very amicable and he sent
a farm worker out to hopefully change the timer on the scarer to go off
later in the morning. Will see how it works out. The scarers should be
banned there is far too much noise pollution already
 Please ban these awful machines that affect the health of us
humans and animals or bring in a law restricting the use to certain
hours so that we all can get enough noise free hours of sleep
 Useless devices and the only way we can stop this is by getting
residents where we live to understand what they are and how the
are blighting our lives - most people are naive to it and don't know
what they are! in the Hawarden area some though it was someone
out shooting rabbits all the time !!
 These things are a damned nuisance. One was recently
set up and it can be heard over 2 kms away People
made complaints and all it did was to get the farmer
to not use it before 8am. They keep going on about
how birds scarers are not illegal, but seem to forget
that while legal, there are restrictions to prevent them
becoming a statutory nuisance.
 Keep on tackling the Councils where you live, make them fed up
with you.....it does take a lot of time and effort, however, if we all
keep the pressure on throughout the Country we WILL SUCCEED
But we need A TOTAL BAN of the PROPANE GAS
CANNON/GUN.....BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP
COMPLAINING.....
 The Councils and their Environmental Health Teams are suppose
to be safeguarding people from harm within the Environment in
which they reside. Whether it's physiological or psychological,
they are both of equal importance for the human body to function
harmoniously
 The Councils should update themselves on Propane Gas
Cannons/Guns and the detrimental affects they have on health and
well being of so many people across the whole country
 Totally agree: disturbing the quiet enjoyment of rural life with
loud explosions, from dusk until dawn
 There has to be a better way of keeping birds off the crops.
 Councils are powerless, lets ban these things
 They are "the bane of peoples lives"
 Daybreak can be as early as 4.30am I would suggest therefore you
(the council‘s noise officer and an acoustic measuring device
company) come out to monitor then when it is all quiet and you
will hear HOW noisy they are at this time in a morning because
again today it has been the same, incessant from daybreak, this is
not acceptable behaviour by the land owner…If it was someone
playing loud music at this time of the day, affecting other citizens
this would soon be stomped on by the authorities.
 It can only be viewed that when a Gas Gun is going off this
frequently, this device is being used as a tool of antagonism,
and not a supposed Bird Scaring tool.
 Gas Guns are being put in place to supposedly
scare away pests, and when some are deployed
they are left unattended for months on end with
no let up of the Noise/unwanted sound. Gas Guns
lose their effectiveness within days of being
deployed.
 Unfortunately there have been many folk made very ill by
these Gas Cannons/Guns over the last few years, and many
many of these folk have lived in these rural areas that are
affected, for 40yrs or more, or all their lives….the noise
saturation/pollution from these devices is immense in many
areas now, (in small areas) and has increased in the last ten
years, in the height of the summer this can quate to 5500
shots in daylight hours, it is like living in a war zone…
 Tell the bloody council..Apologies… but if you and your
team find the idea of Safeguarding Citizens Health and Well
Being offensive then you are in the wrong job and policy
needs to be amended to ban the use of these TOTALLY
as there are many other noiseless methods available now as
to many Citizens, this has caused much ill health and
sorrow, caused nervous breakdowns, broke apart
marriages/partnerships, and caused failure to sell properties
 Just wanted to say how pleased I am to come across your
Facebook page. We have been plagued by gas propelled scarers
for a few years now.The farmers seem to have no respect at all for
us residents and I now view our local farmers as hooligans rather
than my old view of them as caretakers of the countryside.
We are woken every morning anywhere from 4.30 to 7am by a
cacophany of booms in all directions. The week isn't so bad as I
am at work all day elsewhere but the weekend especially Sundays
is just awful. I haven't had a lie in for months!
 Nothing will happen as you cannot complain as you have to live
with the people causing the noise, and the miserable life they give
they can always make it a lot worse out of spite by adding more
guns than needed.
 What can be done?? Not a lot I suspect in terms of getting rid
of these useless and sleep-shattering devices
 Previous studies have shown that starlings will learn within a
matter of hours to ignore even relatively elaborate bird
scarers - these devices never do what a real predator would,
they don't actually chase the birds or present any other signs
of danger, so the birds quickly learn to ignore them."
 John Key would not put up with this if it was near him and
nor should we
 I agree …..that Sian Elias lives up the Hurunui doesn’t
she? I bet SHE would not stand for this sort of racket in
her back yard. No way not in HER backyard so no not
OURS either!!!
 We looked at buying a property locally Masons Flat for a luxury bed
and breakfast but were put off by the constant bangings going
somewhere nearby. Who would want to come for a luxury stay in
peace and quiet in the summer months when that noise is ongoing.
Shame because the property was just what we were looking for. I
feel sorry for the sellers as they wont be able to sell it whilst ever
that noise is ricocheting around the basin
 The bird scarers going off are more like the
dinner gong ringing as it alerts birds to a feast
nearby and after a few days of watching and
waiting the birds ignore the guns and carry on
anyway so they become ineffective so what is
the point as the only things being deprived are
the locals of their peace and quiet.
Other countryside users that are affected badly by these guns are horse riders.. This is
some of what they had to say..
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From the horse riders
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A local rider was riding a young horse and a bird scarer suddenly exploded several
times causing the horse to take fright, unseat the rider and bolt on to a road were the
horse was in collision with a car. Sadly the horse was so seriously injured that it had to
be put down. The rider was injured, the car damaged beyond repair and the car driver
also injured.
The rider was not aware that there was a gas gun bird scarer as it was hidden behind a
hedge
These devices can cause accidents and need to be banned
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The one next to our paddock is driving us all mad - except the pigeons who ignore it!!
I don't think they actually work on scaring birds just innocent passers by!
We passed one that was sited about 10 metres from the road I was riding along. My
horse spooked, reared and bucked me off. I suffered a fractured spine.
Where I used to keep my horse, there was one very silly farmer put a gas gun almost
right next to the road, with the gun bit pointing at the road. At the time I pointed it out
and said to one of my friends, if that goes off and scares someones horse, and they do
some damage, they could be in real trouble with the law
In my opinion Gas Gun Bird Scarers cause a danger to horse riders. Having had to
endure several Gas Gun Bird Scarers going off from 8.00 a.m. until 9.00 p.m. all over
the Christmas period I phoned two of the local landowners/farmers and calmly
explained the problems they were causing to me and asked them to do something
about them. Sadly neither of them did anything.
I am unable to use our local roads because of bird scarers being placed very close to
them and I do not want my young horse to take fright and us to have an accident. I
have got every right to use these public rights of ways and these bird scarers are being
used to intimidate me and prevent me from using them.
There is a new generation of gas guns which are far more powerful than those used
previously. And people believe they are much too anti social, even in a sparse
populated area as they "couldn't stand the racket"
My horses are very much used to gunshots -, but this had them panicking in their
paddocks
The latest generation of Gas Gun Bird Scarer have a greater sound output by 68db and
a very much wider frequency range being dispelled from them when they explode. They
can also be set to an arbitary exploding sequence which means it is impossible to
determine when they will explode and how many times they will explode at a time.
One of the local farmers has one and the explosion actually broke one of my windows.
You may say in that case TRAIN your horses to accept such noises. Well as a horse owner for
over 50 years I can tell you ANY sudden noise choose HOW WELL the horse is trained will spook
them and elicit their flight response.
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