6 months ago
Schools help out at Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland
Maketu Ōngātoro Wetland Society and eight local schools are helping out with planting at Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland this month.
We’re restoring 70 hectares of pasture into wetland paradise for wildlife to thrive in and people to enjoy.
More fish, flax and flocks
We’ve started construction work that will convert 70 hectares of grazing land beside the lower Kaituna River, into the kind of wetland it would have been long ago. The project is due for completion by June 2023.
The Lower Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve contains a small remnant of a once a vast wetland beside the lower Kaituna River. It’s the region’s largest remaining wetland but a comparatively small reminder of the original taonga (treasure) that once surrounded it and was prized for the tūna (eels), flax and kahikitea forests that lived there.
The surrounding land has been drained and used as grazing pasture since the 1970s. Those paddocks have now been retired by their Tapuika, Ngati Whakaue, and Department of Conservation landowners, and made available for restoration.
Why’s bog better than productive pasture?
Wetlands help to absorb flood water and keep streams and rivers clean by filtering run-off. They also provide habitat for many threatened native plants and animals. More local wetland means more wildlife, and better opportunities for people to enjoy nature walks, birdwatching, gamebird hunting, whitebaiting or cultural practices like flax harvest and eeling.
Through the 2009 Kaituna River and Maketū/Ongotoro Strategy, and the 2019 Kaituna Action Plan, tangata whenua and the local community have made it clear that they want wetlands in the area to be restored. Te Maru o Kaituna River Authority has recently set a target of 200 hectares of wetland restoration for Kaituna catchment by 2029.
Video gallery
Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland creation - Stage 1 progress update May 2020
We’re working together with tangata whenua (including Ngāti Whakaue and Tapuika landowners), Department of Conservation and Fish and Game NZ to convert 70 hectares of flood-prone pasture into a wetland wonder.
Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland - Paengaroa School visit
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PROJECT CREATED
28 Jan 2020
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Project Updates
Schools help out at Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland
Maketu Ōngātoro Wetland Society and eight local schools are helping out with planting at Te Pourepo o Kaituna wetland this month.
The students are learning about wetlands, water quality and helping to restore wildlife habitat on the Tumu Kawa block owned by Ngāti Whakaue and Tapuika.
Check out this video of students from Paengaroa School in action last week:
8 months ago
22 hectares of new wetland created at Te Pourepo o Kaituna
Stage one earthworks to convert 22 hectares of Ngāti Whakaue and Tapuika owned land into wetland have now been completed, providing new breeding and feeding areas for birds and fish.
22 hectares of new wetland created at Te Pourepo o Kaituna
Stage one earthworks to convert 22 hectares of Ngāti Whakaue and Tapuika owned land into wetland have now been completed, providing new breeding and feeding areas for birds and fish.
The new wetland is adjacent to the Lower Kaituna Wildlife Management Reserve. The completed works are a first step towards re-creation of a total of 70 hectares of wetland beside the reserve and the Kaituna River, by June 2023.
The newly created wetland will be planted with 30,000 native plants this spring, and development of a pest animal control programme for the area is now underway.
See a video overview of the work that’s been completed here.
BEFORE - Te Pourepo Stage 1 area - Te Tumu Kawa block prior to wetland restoration work (October 2019).
AFTER - Te Pourepo Stage 1 area - Te Tumu Kawa block after earthworks completed (March 2020).
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