The Whangawehi community is celebrating this Award received in Sydney in October 2018. A big thank you to the whole team and the wider community. This award celebrates the commitment of a dedicated community that has delivered some key milestones over the past 4 years. Well done to you all. Pai the Mahi.
Hi all,
The water monitoring data for October is now available : October2018
On Saturday the 8th of October, a small group of hard core Whangawehi members gathered at the Whangawehi bridge to finish off building the new railing fence which was started on the day of the working bee. The work involved digging several holes in solid hard ground and it’s no wonder that the beer afterwards was well received. Well done to you all and thank you for your commitment.
As you can see from the photo’s-all our trees have grown a lot over the winter period. They are flourishing and there is nothing stopping them now. Water is flowing very clear in the Whangawehi stream but algae are already starting to pop up at Mamangu which is a bit early.
A new tree species-the Poroporo-is now growing along the river which has been self-introduced by birds. Poroporo is a native tree already present in the DOC reserve. A small scrub-the Poroporo is traditionally a very valuable plant to Maori because of it’s itch relief properties. It’s a delightful looking plant that is known to grow extremely fast.
It is great to see that the cycle of nature is taking place and allowing the diversification of our local biodiversity.
The Taharoa team have decided to make the most of the low water levels in the Mangatupae stream by constructing a series of debris dams. The Mangatupae catchment is actively eroding and the stream bed has dropped by 3 metres over the past 30 years. The goal of the debris dam is to help stabilise and rebuild the stream bed by trapping the silt. This structure will be just one of the many tools used to reduce erosion. Last year, 2 bush blocks were fenced off and retired (5 ha). This coming winter we will attempt to fence off another 5 ha bush block with a fence line bladed to retire the stream.
Further up in the headwaters, a new soil conservation trial is underway with native trees protected by a new guard. Our hope is that all these tools will contribute towards finding a positive outcome for our freshwater quality and our biodiversity. Erosion control will be a long term battle so we will keep you posted on any further developments.
Hi all, here is the water monitoring data for our lower site in the catchment : Mamangu. This site is monitored every month and reflects overall what’s happening in the catchment. As you can see E Coli levels are very low : February2018
We are delighted to announce that Pongaroa Station have signed the conservation management agreement. This covenant agreement is an important way of protecting funder investment for a 25 year period. Pongaroa Station are the third landowners to sign the agreement and significant in terms of their land size. Pongaroa station have signalled their commitment to more conservation work by involving the QE2 Trust. The station is currently investigating retiring and fencing off 40 hectares of native bush blocks around the farm with the assistance of QE2. Watch the space over the next few years…
On the 8th of may, HBRC undertook a fish monitoring survey on the Whangawehi on the Taharoa Trust, just behind the shelter. Water was a bit high and coloured but the survey should give a good idea of population health in a stock free environment (fenced off in 2014). We are all waiting for a report but Arthur noticed a high number in small eels with an increasing number of short fin eels. An uncommon bully was found also.
The latest water monitoring at Mamangu is available : April2017
