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Agenda

Agenda. The Hauraki environment Coastal monitoring and studies Biodiversity Freshwater quality and quantity Works and services Policy initiatives Special project – Tui Mine. Hauraki iwi boundaries. The Hauraki environment. Whitianga. Land use (2008). 51% pasture 38% natural forest

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Agenda

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  1. Agenda • The Hauraki environment • Coastal monitoring and studies • Biodiversity • Freshwater quality and quantity • Works and services • Policy initiatives • Special project – Tui Mine

  2. Hauraki iwi boundaries

  3. The Hauraki environment Whitianga

  4. Land use (2008) • 51% pasture • 38% natural forest • 8% planted forest • 1% horticulture and cropping • 1% wetland • 1% towns

  5. Pastoralintensification(2002-2008) • 64% no change. • 26% moderate intensification. • 9% major intensification.

  6. Coastal monitoring and studies • Regional estuary monitoring since 2001 - ‘benthic’ animal communities and sediment characteristics in the Firth of Thames. • Beach profile surveys since the 1970s - most of the Coromandel beaches. • Estuarine vegetation mapping – one estuary every five years. • Benthic habitat (shellfish) mapping for Tairua and Wharekawa estuaries. • Sediment contaminants study in the Firth of Thames.

  7. Sources of sediment entering theFirth of Thames Kaiaua – Miranda 7% Waitakaruru 8% Coromandel 8% Piako 15% Waihou 63% Around 150,000 tonnes of sediment flows through from the Waihou each year.

  8. Mangrovessediment and nutrient 800 metres Modern day rate of about 19 metres per year. Past rates, 2 to 3 metres per year.

  9. Biodiversity

  10. Biodiversity and natural heritage • Significant natural areas • Environment Waikato has completed a desk top exercise to identify “significant natural areas” of native species habitat in the Coromandel. • Several hundred potential sites have been identified, but these have not been ground-truthed. • Natural heritage • Repeated surveys have confirmed the community highly values the important natural heritage of Coromandel landscapes and beaches. • Retaining public access to undeveloped beaches is a community priority and an Environment Waikato policy objectives.

  11. Biodiversity and natural heritage Community biodiversity projects: • Environment Waikato and the Waikato Biodiversity Forum have supported groups restoring or protecting biodiversity sites on the Coromandel. • For example, Kauri 2000 has been supported to plant thousands of trees, largely on Crown land. • Animal pest control by community groups protects thousands of hectares of Crown land (e.g., Moehau Environment Group). • Coastal, dune, and wetland restoration projects have been particularly active and successful.

  12. Pest plant and animal control • Examples of work undertaken: • monitoring of landowners’ compliance with pest control rules in the RPMS • biological control releases • managing direct control of high threat pest plants through contractors • providing advice/information to landowners • general surveillance for new pest incursions. • Five years of goat and possum control undertaken so far - now in a maintenance phase. • Native bird resurgence has been a secondary spin-off for the programme.

  13. Significant natural areas • Identified for biodiversity prioritisation. • 31% of Hauraki iwi area.

  14. Water quality and quantity

  15. Water quality and quantity • Large dairying influence – approx 550,000 dairy cows. • Nutrients in the rivers are high, but not rapidly increasing. • Nutrient and contaminant runoff can potentially have ecological impacts on the southern firth, aquaculture and amenity.

  16. River quality 3 Total P Total N 2.5 mg/L 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Waikato River Hamilton Waikato River Rangiriri Waihou Te Aroha Piako – Tahuna 2007 data

  17. Sources of nitrogen in rivers Piako River Waihou River 50 – 70 per cent of N in the southern firth is from land use.

  18. Total nitrogen 1992 - 2007 Decreasing N levels 1 Increasing N levels No change to N levels

  19. Waihou river compared with other sites - ecology

  20. Waihou rivercompared with other sites - swimming

  21. Water allocation • Piako is over allocated - between 200 and 600 per cent. • Waihou River is about 80 per cent allocated. • Ohinemuri catchment is over 100 per cent allocated. • EW is investigating new minimum and allocable flows for the Waihou and Piako rivers. • Variation 6 addressing these issues.

  22. Works and services Piako stopbank stability

  23. Coromandel

  24. Peninsula Project • Aims to improve the health of the environment and reduce flood risks on the Coromandel Peninsula. • Integrated approach to improve water quality and biodiversity, reduce sedimentation of rivers, harbours and estuaries and improve community safety. • Multi-agency project – Environment Waikato, TCDC, DOC, Hauraki Māori Trust Board. • Political management via Coromandel Liaison Subcommittee with agency, iwi and community representatives. • Key issues – inappropriate development, climate change, pressure on coastal environment.

  25. Waihou Piako

  26. Waihou-Piako Zoneworks and services • Historic and significant whole of catchment schemes. • Annual spend - $7.8 million. • Retiring land, improving land stability, reducing erosion and sediment runoff. • Maintaining stream channels, controlling erosion, riparian plantings. • Significant flood protection works protecting 60,000ha of land from river and tidal flooding (incl. Thames, Ngatea, Paeroa, Te Aroha). • Political management via Waihou Liaison Subcommittee with agency, iwi and community representatives. • Key issues – land use intensification, sea level rise, water quality.

  27. Kaimai Mamaku catchmentmanagement • Kaimai Mamaku catchment management project underway with Environment Bay of Plenty and DOC to protect and enhance catchments on both sides of the range. • A state of the environment report was commissioned between the parties with a view to determining priorities. • Goat control in the southern Coromandel ranges is a joint effort with DOC for catchment and biodiversity enhancement objectives. • Dedicated possum control in upper Piako catchment in Te Tapui Reserve for biodiversity enhancement - joint funding with DOC and NZ Deer Stalkers.

  28. Consenting • Water takes. • Dairy factories. • Meat works. • Piggeries, chicken, dairy and marine farms. • Regional landfill at Tirohia. • Aggregate quarries. • Forestry. • Municipal sewage and stormwater discharges. • Peat mining, Waihi gold mine, Tui Mine and Golden Cross closed mines. • Timber processing operations.

  29. Navigation safety • Ensures Waikato waterways are safe and navigable by: • developing policy instruments • ensuring compliance with the relevant policy instruments • Promotion, education and compliance activities. • navigable waterways • Aids to navigation - lights and daymarks to identify hazards. • Removal of obstructions that are hazards to navigation. • management of moorings.

  30. Policy initiatives

  31. Regional Policy Statementreview • Contributions to the RPS review process from the Hauraki Māori Trust Board (HMTB) have given Environment Waikato a greater sense of their priorities, both locally and regionally. RPS will be notified in the next few months followed by the document going out for consultation. • Hauraki iwi will have the opportunity to submit as part of the public consultation process.

  32. Coromandel Blueprint project • Growth project for Coromandel Peninsula - has developed district wide strategy and local area plans currently being developed. • Joint project with Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC), Department of Conservation and Hauraki Whaanui. • Will be implemented via TCDC’s district plan, Environment Waikato’s RPS and Regional Plan, DOC’s Conservation Management Strategy and iwi management plans.

  33. Aquaculture • Aquaculture contributes $27 million to the region’s GDP on a turnover of $44 million (2007). • Estimated 40 per cent of marine farming space is operated by Māori owned or part-owned businesses. • Environment Waikato is trying to amend the coastal plan to allow the introduction of new types of aquaculture, such as fish farming, within existing farm sites and the zone. • Environment Waikato intends to uplift the prohibition on aquaculture and replace it with discreet exclusion areas over sensitive sites.

  34. Marine farms (red) and Wilson's Bay zone (blue) • 1000 hectares consented for mussel and oyster farms. • Another 520 hectares will be consented this year (Area B). • 20% of Area B will be allocated to the Takutai Trustee (104 hectares). B

  35. Hauraki Gulf Forum • Environment Waikato is a big participant in this forum along with iwi, Auckland Regional Council, territorial authorities, DOC, Ministry of Fisheries and Ministry of Māori Affairs. • Works to integrate management across the Gulf and its catchments. • Must complete a state of the environment report every three years. • Environment Waikato is a major contributor to this report.

  36. Special project: Tui Mine remediation

  37. Tui Mine remediation • A contaminated site from acid mine drainage and two contaminated streams. • $9.89 million budget allocated by MfE in 2007 to initiate the remediation works. • Project objectives: • contain the tailings within a stable and secure location • reduce the release of contaminants into the Tui and Tunakohoia streams • improve the geotechnical stability of the tailing impoundment • improve the safety and security of the site • improve the visual appearance and aesthetics of the site. • Minister for the Environment is now assessing funding options for an additional $7.62 million needed to complete the remedial work.

  38. Tui mine Tui Stream Tunakohoia Stream Waihou River

  39. Champion level 4 portal and waste rock stack Champion level 5 portal and waste rock stack Process area Tailings dam Access road

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