MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Sustainable Harbour Project underwayMANGAWHAI MATTERS 10 Apr, 2023
The project aims to assess the risks to the integrity and quality of the harbour and spit, and the consequences of any damage to them. This will provide a sound information base to enable the agencies responsible for harbour management to cooperate in the preparation and implementation of management guidelines for the foreseeable future. Put simply, the aim of the project is to assess the risks to the harbour and to prepare comprehensive management guidelines and actions to mitigate those risks. Under Phase 1 the key physical threats to the spit and the harbour, and the likelihood of the spit breaching in the foreseeable future, are being studied by Dr Terry Hume, an experienced oceanographer. He has made an initial inspection of the spit, the coastline, the harbour and its tributary estuaries, and has spent time at the museum studying archival records Dr Hume’s report is expected to cover, among other things:
Funds to engage Dr Hume have been raised from the local community. To understand the impacts of damage to the harbour or spit, MM team volunteers are also gathering data from a range of sources to identify its environmental value and contribution to the local economy. “We have asked all parties involved in managing the natural environment about their conservation spending to ensure that it identifies the value of all the services the harbour provides,” says project leader Colin Leach. “For this, we are approaching the government and community agencies that manage the harbour to establish how much they have collectively spent over the past five years as well as the volunteer hours that go into managing various aspects of the environment. “This includes the Department of Conservation and Northland Regional Council as well as the NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust, the Shorebirds Trust, the Riparian Planting Group, and the Harbour Restoration Society, among others,” says Colin. On the economic impacts, Colin says ‘we have obtained detailed data on retail spending to enable us to understand seasonal patterns and dependence on visitors’. “At the same time, the project team is building a picture on the significance of the harbour to visitors and residents by using surveys to identify how they use it. “It is important for any planning that the interests of the people who visit and live in the area are taken into account.” n Bach owners and residents can complete the survey online. If you have not already done so, please go to mangawhaimatters.com. It only takes two or three minutes.
The project aims to assess the risks to the integrity and quality of the harbour and spit. PHOTO/JULIA WADE |