Tūtaepatu Lagoon – an ecological restoration project on video

A short video celebrating the ongoing ecological restoration work at the Tūtaepatu Lagoon near Woodend (around 30 minutes north of Christchurch) is now available on YouTube.

“We are very excited to be able to show the progress we have made in just over a year since restoration work began at the lagoon,” said Greg Byrnes, General Manager of the Te Kōhaka ō Tūhaitara Trust, which manages the lagoon and the surrounding Tūhaitara Coastal Park.

Tūtaepatu Lagoon is a special and historic place nestled behind the sand dunes between Pegasus township and Woodend, within the Tūhaitara Coastal Park which runs from the mouth of the Waimakariri River north to Waikuku Beach.

“The lagoon is special for its rich and diverse flora and fauna, for its very significant cultural values and history, as well as for the recreational opportunities in the surrounding coastal park.”

Restoration work began in 2010 and has been funded by the trust ($20,000) and Environment Canterbury’s Immediate Steps programme ($40,000) via the Waimakariri Zone Committee. Waimakariri District Council provides operational funding for the trust.

“The work to restore the lagoon has included the manual clearing of weeds such as Old Man’s Beard and Grey Willow.

“Fencing has also been built to protect parts of the lagoon,” said Greg Byrnes.

Tūtaepatu Lagoon was transferred to Ngai Tahu ownership in 1998 as part of the Treaty Settlement and has been gifted to the people of New Zealand. The area was a significant mahinga kai resource for local Maori and contains urupa (burial sites) related to the nearby Kaiapoi Pa site.

“The lagoon is also special as a pristine 49 hectare freshwater lagoon just a few hundred metres from the sea, formed by the upwelling of groundwater as it approaches the coast.

“While spring-fed streams are common in coastal Canterbury most lagoons are connected to the sea and a freshwater lagoon of this size is unusual.

“Tūtaepatu Lagoon for many years has been hidden behind a screen of exotic willows – but this is changing as a result of the restoration work.

“People can now view Tūtaepatu Lagoon from a new platform built in an area cleared of willows on the eastern side of the lagoon and accessible by foot or on bike.

A number of rare and significant native plants were found during the initial weed control work including the soft tree fern, Hounds tongue fern, and native Clematis.

More than 4000 native plants have now been planted including Kahikatea – New Zealand’s tallest native tree – which will become a key element of the regenerating forest in the coming decades.

“The Trust has a 200 year vision for the restoration of the lagoon and surrounding areas.

“We recognise the restoration work is intergenerational. Our role for now is to provide support to allow nature to do what nature has always done.

“The actions we are doing now will be realised hundreds of years from now,” said Greg Byrnes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkHfIShJ0Sw