Kaituna River rediversion and Maketū Estuary enhancement

Kaituna River re-diversion construction works are almost complete, with final checks and tests being run on the control gates from 28 Jan – 9 Feb.

A public celebration is being held at 9am on Wednesday 12 February, to mark the opening of the control gates that will restore freshwater flows from the Kaituna River into Te Awa o Ngātoroirangi / Maketu Estuary.

Meet at the marquee on the south side of the Ford Road bridge for karakia, speeches and a gate commissioning ceremony. The event will conclude with light refreshments and optional site tours.

Parking at 83 Ford Road, Maketu. 

This is an outdoor event with some walking required over uneven ground. Please wear sturdy footwear and weather appropriate clothing.

Note also that public vehicle access to Te Tumu/Kaituna Cut via Ford Road will be closed from 6.00am-12 noon on 12 February, to ensure the safety of event participants.

Ford Road boat ramp, on the Kaituna River near Maketu will be open for public use from 24 December 2019.

Note there's a few changes to navigation routes and some currents to watch out for when the diversion control gates are open - see the on-site signs for details.

We still have more work to do to complete the Kaituna River re-diversion construction works but we're on track for completion and an opening celebration on 12 February next year.

Te Kaiamo Okeroa Rogers-Smith has completed a fabulous new mural on the gate control building that’s been built at Ford Road as part of the project.

We worked with tangata whenua to develop his project brief, which was to reflect the cultural and environmental values of the area.

Everyone will be able to enjoy the mural once the project is completed. In the meantime, here’s a video preview:

Whitebait fishers are being asked for their patience again this season, so that speedy progress on the Kaituna River re-diversion project can continue.

Re-diversion work is on-track for completion this December and is expected to improve fishing access and whitebait habitat in the long term. However road closures and short term construction impacts mean that whitebaiting access to the Ford Road will be limited this season.

Fishers are encouraged to use alternative locations such as at the lower ends of the Kaikokopu, Pongakawa and Wharere Streams or the Maketū and Waihī Estuary entrances, which can all be accessed by public roads. Walking access to the Kaituna River is also available through the Lower Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve on Pah Road.

Ford Road is open to the public all day on Sundays only. Ford Road closures remain in place from 7am-7pm Mondays to Saturdays. Fishers that wish to arrive before 7am on closed days and stay until 7pm may park at the road-end ONLY (north of the Kaituna Scenic Reserve public toilet) and whitebait only along the 100m stretch of Kaituna river bank closest to the ocean. Roadside parking is not permitted.

For safety reasons, fishers are asked to stay out of the Te Pā Ika wetland and stop-bank areas adjacent to Ford Road as these are still construction sites where significant hazards are present and heavy machinery may be operating at any time.

The Kaituna River rediversion project marked a significant milestone on 26 June, with the opening of the first of 12 culverts to restore freshwater flows into Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi / Maketu Estuary.

Ngati Whakaue ki Maketu kaumatua Liam Tapsell led karakia to mark the occasion, accompanied by Te Maru o Kaituna chairman Dean Flavell, contractors and Regional Council project leaders.

The first culvert returns the flow to the level present before construction began. At the end of this year, the majority of the 12 culverts will be opened, significantly increasing the re-diverted flow (this is called Stage 1 Commissioning). These increased flows will be monitored for 12 months before full commissioning of all the culverts, which will restore 20 percent of the Kaituna River’s historic flow to the estuary.

The $16m project remains six months ahead of its scheduled completion date.

J Swap Contractors and the project team continue to make excellent progress and are on track for Stage 1 commissioning of the new culverts before Christmas, about six months ahead of schedule.

Current works include the boat ramp upgrade, wetland shaping, new channel rip-rap placement, fabrication of the stainless steel control gates and construction of the Coastguard’s new berth.

This site flyover by Courtney Bell, taken on 18 March, beautifully captures the scale of the works.

A new camera has been installed above Bay of Plenty’s most dangerous bar - the Kaituna Cut, giving boaties an up-to-date look at the bar conditions.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Harbourmaster Peter Buell says this is good news for boating safety as crossing a bar is one of the riskiest things you’ll ever do on a boat.

“Bar crossings can be dangerous due to the often shallow water, breaking seas and reduced stability.

“This live feed will help boaties judge the conditions, especially with the current works happening as part of the Kaituna re-diversion project, affecting access to the groyne and fishing platform.”

Not only will the bar be safer, there’s also added convenience, says Harbourmaster Buell.

“Previously the only way to view the conditions was by physically visiting the bar, so people travelling some distances would arrive at the mouth of the Kaituna River and then realise it’s too dangerous to cross. This would sometime lead to some bad decisions”

The idea for the camera has long been in the pipeline for Regional Council and was helped by Trustpower who provided the internet service. You can view the live feed and check out advice on how to safely cross a bar at www.boprc.govt.nz/barcam.

More than 136 kilometres of Bay of Plenty waterway margins have been protected from stock access in the past year through riparian management partnerships between private landowners and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

“Riparian management programmes are just one of many tools we’re using to protect and improve local water quality and river health. We had an annual target of 101 kilometres of waterway margin protection for the 2017/18 year and it’s great to have exceeded that. The extra gains have mainly been in the Rangitāiki, Eastern Bay and Kaituna catchments where they were needed most,” said Regional Council Integrated Catchments Manager Chris Ingle.

World Rivers Day (23 September) highlights the importance of caring for the world’s waterways. Mr Ingle said that everyone has a role to play in keeping rivers clean and healthy.

“Regional Council offers practical advice, assistance and funding subsidies of up to 50 percent through its Riparian Management Programmes, to encourage property owners to make changes on their land that will improve water quality.

“Our other river care work includes management of freshwater pests such as salvinia (an invasive aquatic weed), proactive pollution risk audits, and several large-scale wetland restoration projects that will also help to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.

“We’ve also set new targets for improving swimmability in some of the region’s most popular but troubled swimming spots, including Kaiate Falls and Ngongotahā Stream, this year. All the best practice methods for reducing E.coli bacteria levels in those places have already been tried, so we’re bringing in specialist expertise and exploring innovative new solutions to bring those locations up to swimmable standards,” Mr Ingle said.

While local fishermen have settled in to new spots for boat launching and surfcasting since the temporary closure of Ford Road took effect on 1 August, Regional Council staff are encouraging whitebaiter fishers to also look for new options with the opening of the whitebait fishing season this week.

“We’ve tried to let as many people as possible know about the road closure, but it may still come as a surprise for some whitebaiters that haven’t visited since last year,” said Kaituna Catchments Manager Pim de Monchy.

Access to the lower Kaituna River via Ford Road is currently closed until 20 December 2018, due to Kaituna River re-diversion construction works.  Access to Ford’s Cut and the stop banks on either side of the Cut will remain closed until the construction project is completed in June 2020. The Bell Road boat ramp remains open for people to launch onto the Kaituna River.

“Changes to flows through Ford’s Cut will make it less suitable for whitebait during the construction period, so fish numbers will be low there anyway. The re-diversion project will improve fish habitat and the health of Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi Maketū Estuary in the long term. In the short term, whitebaiters will need to try some new fishing spots nearby. 

"The lower ends of the Kaikokopu, Pongakawa and Wharere Streams can all be accessed via public roads, as can the Maketū and Waihī Estuary entrances. If people are prepared to walk, they can also get to the Kaituna River through the Lower Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve on Pah Road,” Mr de Monchy said.

Mr de Monchy said that the partial restoration of freshwater flows from the Kaituna River into Maketū Estuary is just one of the many projects underway that will benefit whitebaiters over time.

“Whitebait species spend most of their lives in freshwater rivers and streams. We’re working with landowners to identify and reduce run-off sources, restore wetlands, plant stream margins, and take other steps to restore water quality and fish habitat that has been degraded through historic land use change.

"In the past year we’ve delivered 22 riparian improvement projects in the Kaituna Pongakawa catchments; protecting 33km of waterways, in partnership with landowners. Those projects have included work to improve the spawning and rearing habitat of inanga which is the main species in whitebait catches here,” he said.

Ford Road access to Te Tumu Cut and Maketū Spit will be closed from 1 August until 20 December, to enable construction work that will restore 600,000 cubic metres of freshwater flows into Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi Maketū Estuary on every tidal cycle.

“We know the area is popular with fishers and we’re really sorry for the inconvenience. But this project will benefit them in the long run with improved facilities, estuary health, and kaimoana (fish and shellfish) habitat,” said Bay of Plenty Regional Council Kaituna Catchments Manager Pim de Monchy.

Ford Road is scheduled to re-open in time for Christmas fishing, but the Ford Road boat ramp will remain closed until construction work is completed in June 2020. White-baiting in Ford’s Cut will also be affected until June 2020, due to restricted water flow and stop bank access throughout the construction period. Bell Road boat ramp will remain open throughout the construction period.

Mr de Monchy said that existing levels of boat access through Te Tumu Cut (also known as the Kaituna Cut) will be maintained once the project is complete. He said that flood protection levels will also remain the same for properties in the Kaituna Catchment Scheme and Maketū township.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is funding and delivering the $16m Kaituna River re-diversion project that was first called for by the community in 1979. Construction work started in June this year. The project includes creation of an 800m long new channel to carry fresh water from the river, through a new enlarged diversion control structure and down a widened Ford’s Cut, into the estuary. Existing stop banks will be shifted and upgraded.

More than 100 people, including representatives from six Te Arawa iwi gathered at Tukotahi Marae yesterday, beside the Kaituna River, to celebrate the start of construction works that will return freshwater flows from the river into Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi Maketū Estuary.

Ngāti Whakaue kaumatua Liam Tapsell started the celebration by thanking Bay of Plenty Regional Council Project Manager Pim de Monchy and his team for their collaboration with Te Arawa whanui and the local community in bringing the project to fruition.

“Let us celebrate and honour the spiritual essence of the Kaituna and the estuary Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi,” he said.

Regional Councillor and Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority member Arapeta Tahana acknowledged the work of Aroha Wilkinson, the Maketū Action Group, and the wider community in their work since the late 1970s to get the river re-diverted back into the estuary.

“I’m really pleased that as a community and as a nation we’re realising the impacts of some of the things we’ve done to the land and the waterways in the past. We’re now making a commitment to turning the tide and making a change for the better. Everyone who lives in this community has been really dedicated to this kaupapa (work) and I want to acknowledge and thank everyone that has played a part in getting the project this far.

We’re not going to be here forever but this land will be, this river will be, and this moana will be so it’s only right that we do the best we can as our generation to leave this whenua and this environment in a better condition for our children and our grandchildren,” Councillor Tahana said.

As the last surviving member of the original Maketū Action Group, Aroha Wilkinson finished the ceremony by turning the first sod while Ngāti Whakaue Minister Kahi Hanara gave a karakia. Mrs Wilkinson used a spade that belonged to her late husband Barrie Wilkinson and was supported by her sons Pete and Aubrey Wilkinson. Regional Council Chairman Doug Leeder presented Mrs Wilkinson with a kahikatea tree which will be planted in the first sod at nearby Whakaue Marae.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is funding and co-ordinating the $13m construction works which are due for completion by June 2020. $3.6m has already been invested in the planning and land acquisition work completed to date.