Waihī
Estuary
Restoring ecological biodiversity and water quality in The Waihī Estuary.
Client:
Sector:
Services:
Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Public
Ecology, Coastal, Local Government
Client:
Sector:
Services:
BOPRC
Public
Ecology
Coastal
Local Government
The Waihī Estuary, Te Waihī, is in a poor and declining ecological state and does not consistently meet guidelines for safe swimming and shellfish gathering. The Wai Kōkopu programme is a restoration initiative that combines the efforts of Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC), landowners, community stakeholders and local iwi to improve land use and management in an integrated approach with the aim to restore biodiversity, ecological and public health across the Te Waihī catchment, from the headwaters to the sea.
4Sight has been involved in strategic advice related to land-use change, catchment management, and monitoring. This includes the preparation of a catchment monitoring plan of surface water, groundwater and the estuary to assess and monitor parameters of ecological and human health.
The monitoring plan builds on and complements the existing monitoring conducted by BOPRC and will be implemented by BOPRC staff, with the broader objective to involve local iwi groups in the monitoring as the programme is established. The plan is designed to assess the current state of surface waterways, determine trends over time and identify sources of contaminants. Monitoring is also designed to guide restoration across the catchment and for prioritising land management change and restoration activities.