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SELWYN TIMES Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Wednesday <strong>November</strong> <strong>20</strong> <strong>20</strong>19 9<br />
News<br />
BIODIVERSITY: Boffa Miskell employees catching eel in Ahuriri Lagoon as part<br />
of the Mātauranga Māori monitoring programme. <br />
Monitoring programme to<br />
help boost biodiversity<br />
A MIX of modern science and indigenous<br />
knowledge are combining to paint a<br />
picture of Ahuriri Lagoon’s past and<br />
present.<br />
The lagoon is situated between Tai Tapu<br />
and Motukarara and drains into Lake<br />
Ellesmere.<br />
A Mātauranga Māori monitoring<br />
programme is being conducted as part<br />
of a wider project aimed at increasing its<br />
biodiversity.<br />
Boffa Miskell environmental consultants<br />
are conducting surveys of fish and creating<br />
an index of cultural health with the<br />
help from local Papatipu Rūnanga and the<br />
Ahuriri Lagoon Steering Group.<br />
The programme is funded by Environment<br />
Canterbury, the government’s Freshwater<br />
Improvement fund, and NIWA.<br />
The surveys include observing or catching<br />
and counting fish as well as noting<br />
numbers of plants and invertebrates.<br />
The aim is to demonstrate how to measure<br />
the cultural outcomes of the project<br />
and whether the changes over time to the<br />
lagoon will improve outcomes for Ngāi<br />
Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga.<br />
Consultant Craig Pauling said the<br />
A PROJECT to revitalise the historic Boat<br />
Creek and the old camping ground at<br />
Rakaia Huts is making progress.<br />
About <strong>20</strong> residents from the area came<br />
together to plant the first 4<strong>20</strong> native seedlings.<br />
Ten thousand will eventually be required<br />
to cover the two-hectare area of<br />
public land managed by the Department<br />
of Conservation.<br />
Project co-ordinator Hamish Jones said<br />
members of the community have been<br />
working for the last twelve months with<br />
local contractor Stephen Brailsford to<br />
prepare for the multi-year project.<br />
“This milestone has been achieved at<br />
no cost to the community due to approximately<br />
250 hours of voluntary labour from<br />
local residents, and the substantial donation<br />
of equipment, materials and seedlings<br />
from Stephen Brailsford Ltd,” he said.<br />
One of the main goals of the project<br />
is to improve the ecosystem of the creek<br />
to encourage the spawning of native and<br />
introduced fish species.<br />
programme is designed to give them<br />
a good idea of the waterway’s ecology<br />
now, in the past and what it will be in the<br />
future.<br />
“If we go back to not too long ago, we<br />
know that this area would have been completely<br />
covered in native species – there<br />
would have been no introduced species at<br />
all. That’s a good indicator, knowing from<br />
there what we should be aiming for,” he<br />
said.<br />
The programme is part of the wider<br />
Whakaora Te Ahuriri project.<br />
The plan is to reconstruct a wetland<br />
which aims to improve biodiversity values,<br />
water quality and the future of mahinga<br />
kai in the lagoon, downstream Halswell<br />
River and Lake Ellesmere.<br />
The project started in July last year and<br />
is expected to cost $3.5million.<br />
The plan included the construction of a<br />
wetland, plantings and the implementation<br />
of a Mātauranga Māori monitoring<br />
programme to gauge the changing value of<br />
the site for iwi.<br />
More than 100,000 plants have begun<br />
to be planted at the site and the project is<br />
expected to be completed by <strong>20</strong>22.<br />
Rakaia Huts revamp going well<br />
RESTORE: Twenty-one local<br />
volunteers helped to plant more than<br />
400 native seedlings at Rakaia Huts last<br />
week. <br />
Walking tracks have been incorporated<br />
into the planting plan to enable access to<br />
the lagoon, Rakaia River, and along the<br />
edge of Boat Creek.<br />
Mr Jones said the entire project is budgeted<br />
to cost $80,000 over a 3 year period.<br />
*To get involved or to donate, contact<br />
Hamish Jones at hamishcjones@gmail.com<br />
As seen opening<br />
MARKHAM JUNCTION<br />
The Official opening of stage 1 of Rolleston’s newest retail centre -<br />
Markham Junction took place on Friday 8th <strong>November</strong>.<br />
Invited guests, dignitaries, new retailers, contractors and<br />
suppliers attended an official opening ceremony which was<br />
followed by an unveiling of Markham Junction Plaque by the hon -<br />
Amy Adams MP for <strong>Selwyn</strong>, and Mayor Sam Broughton.<br />
Guests were able to meet the developers and view the new retail<br />
and hospitality precinct which include<br />
• Black & White Coffee<br />
• Phoenix Chinese Restaurant (Opening Soon)<br />
• Little India (Opening Soon)<br />
• Liquorland Rolleston<br />
• New Order Clothing<br />
• Holly’s Convenience Store<br />
JP Singh and Mary Westwood<br />
(Harcourts Four Seasons)<br />
Amy Adams MP, and councillors<br />
Malcolm Lyall and Murray Lemon<br />
(L-R) Mike (McIntosh Construction) JP Singh,<br />
John McIntosh (McIntosh Construction) Steve<br />
Adam (ACL Ltd) and Garry Mayne (Chilton &<br />
Mayne Architecture)<br />
(L-R), Markham<br />
Junction Developer –<br />
JP Singh, Tanveer and<br />
Jamita Singh, Amy<br />
Adams MP and Mayor<br />
Sam Broughton<br />
Amy Adams MP for <strong>Selwyn</strong> and<br />
Jamita Singh<br />
Mayor Sam Broughton and Amy Adams<br />
MP for <strong>Selwyn</strong> – unveil the plaque<br />
JP Singh and Mayor Sam Broughton
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