Wairepo Moemoeaa

---

Te Wairepo Moemoeaa

Regenerating Te Maika ki tai wetland at Church Bay.

Overview

Like many wetland areas, this steep-sided valley was drained in the middle of last century to create grazing land for cattle. The current kaitiaki of this whanau-owned whenua are committed to regenerating this important catchment wetland, reducing sediment runoff into the harbour, providing fish passage for endangered native fish and sanctuary for native birds, invertebrates, and reptiles. Te Wairua O Te Moananui – Ocean Spirit Trust is proud to support this crucial mahi.

Regenerating this wetland will “improve and enhance” the health of the harbour and the community through:  

• Water retention to recharge the aquifer
• Flood mitigation by slowing water flow in extreme weather events (climate change) allowing sediment to settle
• Water filtering through the planting of native wetland species, such as oi, carex secta and flax, catching sediment before it flows into the harbour 
• Increasing indigenous, ecological diversity through plantings and habitat regeneration
• Carbon sequestration through our riparian planting programme
• Encouraging re-population with native fish species, such as tuna and banded kokopu, by creating fish passages, especially for diadromous species
• Increasing native biodiversity and habitat for native species with exotic weed control
• Encouraging native birds through plantings and mammalian pest management
• Involving the local community in a local conservation project including, Hauora Moana Qualitative Monitoring of the project (find out more about Hauora Moana in our information sheet)
• Involving local schools and young local scientists by including an applied research component 
• Encouraging the community to become guardians of their environment
• Creating opportunities for work for local contractors; and rangatahi

We are grateful to World Wildlife Fund Community Conservation Fund, Mazda Foundation and The Tindall Foundation for their assistance with this project.