1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Now here are some numbers for you. A third of 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Auckland is covered in lawn. Auckland has spent one hundred 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: and thirty one million dollars every year looking after their lawns. 4 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: Seven thousand people in this country are hurt just mowing 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: their lawns every year and that costs the country twelve 6 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: point six million dollars? Is there a better way of 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: doing this all? Olivia rook de Voye is a PhD 8 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: candidate at Auckland University and with US high. 9 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 2: Olivia, Hi, here the thanks for having me. 10 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: Yeah, go on, then is there a better way? 11 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 2: The answer to that is it's complex. Of course, I 12 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 2: can't give you a straight answer. I've been studying lawns 13 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 2: for many years now. Yeah, and basically they're in an 14 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:47,919 Speaker 2: environmental disaster. We've got, Yeah, they huge amounts of chemical 15 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 2: inputs mowing their very low biodversity, so they're not offering 16 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 2: anything to the environment. And of course we're spending so 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 2: much time and doing ourselves maintaining them. 18 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: Oh so when you say they're bad for the environment, 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: in part, it's because we're mowing them, and then we're 20 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: mowing them with the petrol, and then we're letting off 21 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: all the co two. Is that part of the problem. 22 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 2: Yes, that's correct, And we're also getting rid of anything 23 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: that could grow there that would contribute to pollinators, foraging birds, 24 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: anything that could exist in these spaces. They're really not 25 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 2: getting a chance. They're basically operating like green carpets at 26 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 2: the moment. 27 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: Okay, well what I mean, what do you do? Because 28 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: you do need a place for the kids to sort 29 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: of play and if they fall over, they're not going 30 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: to give themselves an enormous concussion and have to go 31 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: to hospital. 32 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it's so true. So the way I've approached 33 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 2: lawns and auckland especially is it's a pragmatic ecology. We 34 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 2: need to be looking at the spaces that we aren't using, 35 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 2: that perhaps aren't ideal for sports. We don't play cricket 36 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:41,559 Speaker 2: on them, and whether those are performing the way. 37 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: They should, well, what should we do? 38 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: So the easiest answer, the first thing I thought, is well, 39 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: can we reduce and bowing? 40 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: I knew you were going to do. Stop you you're 41 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: doing that? And will you tell us? And then then 42 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: before you know it, it looks like a shandy town and 43 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: roomy era. Can't do that? 44 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: Oh, that's I've had that feedback, and I've also had 45 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 2: people tell me they love the wildness that's been brought back, 46 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: that they're suddenly seeing insects they've not seen for years. 47 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 2: And the way to approach an unknown lawn is it's 48 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: not no mo, it's lomo. So you mo once a year, 49 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 2: you maintain the edges, You make sure people know it's 50 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 2: still cared for, that it's your lawn. 51 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: How long does it ghettle of you in a year. 52 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: Depending on your lawn. In Auckland, we've got the cursed 53 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 2: Caiku grass which performs very well here and we'll take 54 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 2: over anywhere you let it take over. Caiku you can 55 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 2: get up to knee height in a year as it 56 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 2: just gets denser. If you have different grasses, they'll get 57 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 2: taller and whispy. A. It all depends on the lawn 58 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 2: you've got yourself. 59 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: Hmm, okay, all right now, just a question, right, so 60 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: bring I love the bees. I want the bees there, 61 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: and I want all the little insects to have a 62 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: fantastic time. Can we not just provide for them with hedges? 63 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 2: Yes, So you have to view your lawn as part 64 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 2: of the environment. It's in it's not just part of 65 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: your house. It's not an extension of your house. It's 66 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 2: part of the ecosystem. So you need the flowering hedges, 67 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 2: you need the flowering lawn plants, you need the connectivity 68 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 2: across the mosaic of lawns across the not just New Zealand, 69 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 2: the world, and that way you're going to increase the 70 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: biodiversity and the insects. You can't view it as a 71 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 2: very binary justice. 72 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: Justice Olivia, Thank you, Olivia Rook DUVOI Auckland University Faculty 73 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: of Science. Have a friend who planted wildflowers. Actually, I 74 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: mean they had a lawn like I still had normal 75 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: person's lawn, but they did do the wildflower garden. It 76 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: was actually quite nice and I actually think I could 77 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: be into that whilst still mowing the lawn. Actually, what 78 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: am I talking about. I don't have a lawn. I've 79 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: got fake ross. 80 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to 81 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 2: news talks. 82 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 83 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.