Western News: June 22, 2023

8
Thursday June 22 2023
Plan to transform estuary edge
A $12.5 million redevelopment
is set to transform the Avon
Heathcote Estuary edge.
The new landscaping plan
released last week features a
3m-wide walking and cycling
track from South New Brighton
Park to the end of Southshore spit,
native planting, a nature play area,
and new ramps and jetties.
The plan aims to complement
the programme to reduce
coastal erosion and flooding
in Southshore and South New
Brighton.
Said city council red zone
manager David Little: “It’s taken
us longer than we’d like to get
to this point, but we now have
• By Heidi Slade
SUCCESS DURING the past
eight months could see Lyttelton
Port Company’s predator control
programme expand to cover two
more sites – if it can get some
help from the public.
The programme has been
running 40 traps across the
company’s Port Saddle and
Battery Point sites.
Environmental advisor
Charlotte Jones said it could
expand over Gollans Bay Quarry
and LPC’s land near Sumner Rd.
She said the programme uses a
variety of different traps.
a landscape plan we’d like to
share with the community to get
feedback on some of the things
we’ve proposed.”
The city council hopes to start
some work by March next year,
but most of it was not planned
until 2025.
Rock walls and cobble beaches
will also help to prevent erosion.
“It will mean the project is
not only an important piece of
infrastructure for the community,
but also an attractive area for
residents and visitors to enjoy,”
Little said.
“The project has experienced a
series of delays due to consenting
challenges. Ecological mapping of
Community help with predator control sought
Charlotte
Jones
“We’ve seen
quite interesting
results,” said
Jones.
She said 15
possums had been
trapped, mainly
at the Port Saddle
site.
“The primary
impact of possums around
Lyttelton Harbour is the damage
they do to vegetation. Across
New Zealand, they eat around
21,000 tonnes of vegetation every
night,” she said.
“In addition to browsing,
possums are known to predate
Southshore identified areas where
the design encroached upon
existing saltmarsh, sea meadow,
sea grass, as well as at-risk coastal
bird population, while in South
New Brighton Park middens
(archaeological sites) have been
identified close to the estuary
edge.
“We’re at a place now where this
has all been worked through and
we’ve mitigated risk to local flora
and fauna. We’re also retaining as
many significant trees and bushes
as possible,” he said.
•To view the plan and
provide feedback, visit
ccc.govt.nz/the-council/
haveyoursay/show/597
on birds and nests when the
opportunity arises, which could
impact the establishment of
native bird populations around
the harbour.”
A “surprising” number of
weasels have also been found,
between January and May.
“We have caught three weasels
since the trapping started.
Whilst this does not sound like
many, weasels are only found in
low densities in New Zealand
habitats and are the rarest of the
three mustelid species we have in
New Zealand.”
Jones said weasels are
“notorious predators” and
predate on prey much larger
than themselves.
“They predate on native birds
and lizards, impacting the ability
for populations to establish
around the harbour.
“Given there are lizard and
gecko populations on LPC land,
it is important that weasels
and the other mustelids are
controlled,” she said.
Jones said it would be hard to
predict how many more weasels
the programme might find, but
she is interested to see if seasonal
changes effect the trend.
But, to expand the
programme, LPC would need
PHOTO:
NEWSLINE
the community’s help.
“The community involvement
would be at the Port Saddle
site as it is publicly accessible
and would involve volunteers
checking, clearing and rebaiting
traps.
“We are hoping to get this
under way in the next couple of
months,” Jones said.
By the community doing what
it can at more accessible sites like
Port Saddle, the LPC team could
shift focus to less accessible
areas.
“It’s important. There’s so
much work in this space being
done,” Jones said.
Charitable Trust
DRIVER EDUCATION