Kaipara Moana Remediation has signed an agreement with DOC which will environmentally benefit waterways around Auckland.
Kaipara Moana Remediation Pou Tātaki Justine Daw says her team is welcoming the agreement as another significant collaboration to benefit the Kaipara Harbour.
In the Auckland region, DOC administers 45 kilometres of marginal strips which border waterways that flow into the Kaipara Harbour says Alex Rogers, Director Operations, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
"With this agreement, DOC is welcoming local-led conservation on a swathe of small but crucial strips of public conservation land."
Through the agreement, KMR and DOC are making it easier for landowners with neighbouring land to protect and restore 45km of rivers, streams, wetlands and coastal margins, and reduce sediment flowing into the Kaipara Harbour.
"Further benefits of native planting include restoring habitats for valued species, creating healthier places to swim and recreate, and building greater resilience to storms and floods.
"This is what DOC's recent call to get out naturing is all about - working together for the benefit of natural places like Kaipara Harbour, in every way we can," says Alex.
"As New Zealand's largest harbour system, the Kaipara Moana includes 6,000 km2 of catchment across Auckland and Northland regions, and over 8,000 km of waterways flowing into the harbour – so protecting the Moana is critical," says Justine.
"The Kaipara has deep environmental values, with some of the rarest ecosystems in New Zealand, including sand-dune, seagrass, freshwater and estuarine wetland ecosystems. As the breeding ground for New Zealand's snapper fishery, and home to many taonga species, the Kaipara Moana also has major economic, cultural and recreational value," she says.
Under the agreement, KMR supports landowners and groups to access its grant funding and expertise to plant suitable natives on neighbouring marginal strips and maintain the planted areas through weed control.
Justine says to take part, your land must be in the Auckland region and within the Kaipara Moana catchment, while meeting specific KMR and DOC requirements.
"Your land must also be next to land administered by DOC which borders a river, stream or wetland, or the Kaipara Moana itself. There must be an existing fence between your land and the marginal strip administered by DOC," says Justine.
All projects under the Agreement focus on planting natives on the marginal strip and maintaining the planted area through suitable weed control.
