July 06, 2020
Serious investment in Kaipara clean up
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Ngāti Whātua is celebrating a $100 million investment to clean up the Kaipara Harbour.
The money from the Government’s green jobs initiative will cover fencing, wetland restoration, weeding, and hill country stabilisation, as well as supporting plant nurseries and farm advisors.
Tame Te Rangi from the Kaipara Moana Negotiations Reference Group says it’s the second-largest natural harbour in the world, with almost 1000 square kilometres covered at high tide.
But research shows it is increasingly constipated, as it is no longer able to flush itself naturally.
“Seven hundred tonnes of sediment finds its way into the centre of the harbour every day and it became obvious the headwaters of the catchment areas of the Kaipara would be the place to start any sort of remediation,” Mr Te Rangi says.
The four territorial local authorities in the catchment will also need to contribute to the clean up with cash, regulations on land use and riparian planting and incentives for landowners.
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