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Kia ora and welcome to the jam-packed final On Stream for 2024.
This month: the 12 pests of Christmas, we find out how to pronounce ‘chiton’ and why they like a rock and a hard place, plus, a community-led rabbit control programme that’s getting great results.
But first, a seasonal joke:
What do get if you eat Christmas decorations?
Tinsel-itis!
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Making a splash for healthy waterways
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Catchment Adviser Jack Mathieson spends his summer working week up to his gummies in rural streams
PHOTO: ALICE SCOTT / ODT
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Jack Mathieson spent his childhood catching kōura (freshwater crayfish) in Southland creeks. With a love of open spaces, he knew he wanted a career working outside.
After a master’s degree in marine science, he landed an internship at Aukaha, working on their taiao team. He then worked as a supervisor for Ernslaw One’s kōura enterprise. After a short stint working as a wool classer, he took a job at ORC, where he is also our in-office invertebrate expert.
In the summer months, you’ll find Jack busy doing stream health assessments alongside landowners, catchment groups and education providers.
"I absolutely love what I do. The best part for many landowners is looking at what types of insects are living in the water, as these are strong indicators for just how good the quality of the water really is.”
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Enviroschools completes a record six school hui across Otago
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Enviroschools Regional Coordinator Leisa de Klerk spent November and December racing around the regions to support a record number of hui for 205 Otago students from 39 schools.
The Queenstown Enviroschools Hui was based on soil health and getting community involved in composting and healthy whenua.
The Clutha Enviroschools Hui had ākonga planting and learning more about Waipahi Wetlands, a beautiful wetland amongst the farming community.
The Waitaki Enviroschools Hui brought the history of Ōamaru and the blue penguins together for ākonga.
The Central Otago Enviroschools Hui focused on connecting with our local communities and whenua at Alexandra Community Gardens and Jolendale Park.
The Dunedin Enviroschools Hui brought the Ōtākou Harbour close to their Enviroschools journey.
The Wānaka Enviroschools Hui created environmental activity opportunities for authentic tuakana–teina relationships to happen for early childhood and young primary school ākonga.
Phew! Time for a cup of tea and lie down.
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Poolburn school students explore the caves of Jolendale Park, Alexandra
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Tapanui school students release tuna (eels) into the Waipahi wetlands
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Queenstown ākonga get ready for an afternoon of activities
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Recently, Leisa featured on OAR FM’s Vibe Check podcast, talking about Enviroschools’ awesome mahi. Check it out here.
Want to get in touch? Contact Leisa.deKlerk@orc.govt.nz
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Good news worth rabbiting on about
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Kātiki Point seal colony, south of Moeraki township
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After four years of hard work, a successful community rabbit management programme at Moeraki is being celebrated — with rabbit numbers down to manageable levels.
The coastal township and surrounding farms of Moeraki, north of Dunedin, have historically had significant rabbit populations, at times causing widespread damage around the area.
In recent years, the community got together and used a combination of rabbit netted fencing, engaged contractors for poison operations, and then followed up with thermal night shooting to knock back the rabbit population. Moeraki residents Dugald and Alison MacTavish, part of a group of landowners in the Moeraki Community Rabbit Management Programme, described the rabbits on their property as getting to the point of “eating everything” available.
Deciding to get the jump on them, the Moeraki community tackled the problem cohesively, given rabbits are an area-wide problem, not just an individual property problem. ORC staff have supported and championed these efforts — a great example of collaboration to beat this pest.
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Hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin
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The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust!
Te Tautiaki Hoiho Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is committed to reforesting coastal ecosystems to support the wellbeing of hoiho, the world’s rarest penguin, in the natural environment.
The sites where hoiho live during the season of breeding, chick rearing, moulting, and fledging have been planted with native trees eco-sourced and raised in their nursery on the Otago Peninsula. This protects waterways, creates stock buffers, and creates shelter for coastal ecosystems.
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Reforesting the coastal habitat of hoiho: Te Tautiaki Hoiho has built a network for protecting hoiho from Palmerston to Rakiura, with reserves Tavora, Ōkia, Otapahi and Irihuka.
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What’s better than a yellow-eyed penguin? Two yellow-eyed penguins! These two enjoy a cuddle in The Catlins.
PHOTO: CRAIG MCKENZIE
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A community-led plan to protect and enhance The Catlins environment has been endorsed by Council.
The Catlins Catchment Action Plan is the first of its kind for Otago. It’s a plan for the management and conservation of an entire landscape, building on the work that mana whenua, communities and local government are already doing to protect and manage the area. The plan serves as a focus for new actions and projects.
The action plan acknowledges that protecting and enhancing environmental values can also benefit the social, economic, and cultural wellbeing of Catlins people and visitors — Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata; When the land is well, we are well.
Learn more about The Catlins Catchment Action Plan’s goals and progress.
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ORC councillors and staff go bush in The Catlins to learn more about the work being done
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Preventing the spread of freshwater pests in Otago waterways
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This week ORC’s biosecurity team welcomes their two new summer ambassadors, Jimmy Daamen and Kyra Martyn, who will be visiting Otago’s lakes and rivers and keeping freshwater pests front of mind for those enjoying recreational activities these holidays.
Lagarosiphon, didymo and lake snow are the three major freshwater pests present in Otago, and they can spread from a single drop of water or plant fragment.
When you’re out on the water this summer — boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, or swimming — make sure that before you move between waterways, you always Check, Clean and Dry any clothing and equipment to prevent freshwater pests hitchhiking from one waterway to another.
We all need to do our part to protect Aotearoa New Zealand’s waterways.
For more info about CHECK, CLEAN, DRY and other summer safety tips: orc.govt.nz/summersafety.
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Papatua / snakeskin chiton
PHOTO: TONY WILLS iNATURALIST NZ
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Papatua / snakeskin chiton (pronounced ky-tin) are fascinating creatures that live in rock pools all around Aotearoa.
Their stripy, scaly girdle looks like snakeskin, and they have a shell made of separate plates they can roll into a ball.
Under their pretty shell, chitons are basically just a big, muscly foot that secretes mucus to help them stick fast to rocks.
Molluscs related to snails and slugs but also to octopus and squid, chiton are tough and adaptable, able to cope with major temperature fluctuations — anything from a freezing Otago morning to a stunningly sunny day.
Unlike limpets who have one continuous shell, the chiton “shell” is made up of eight valves, allowing the creatures some protection from above but also letting them curl into a ball like a tiny armadillo if they are picked up. They have tiny see-through spots across their valves made up of the same mineral as their shells which are attached to nerves which allow them to “see” what’s above them.
Chiton eat by licking food off the rocks with an organ called a radula, a ribbon-like tongue covered in “teeth” made out of hard minerals. The teeth are incredilbly tough and can excavate a home scar on the rocks that a chiton will return to during the day.
Keep a look out when you’re on the beach this summer for these common, but super special, creatures.
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Giant hogweed harmless? Hogwash!
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Do you have giant hogweed in your backyard?
Giant hogweed is a hazard you should look out for!
It is poisonous to humans, and exposure to dust or sap can cause skin irritation, blistering, and swelling. If a person gets the sap in their eyes, it can cause temporary or permanent blindness.
What does giant hogweed look like?
Giant hogweed can grow up to 6 metres tall and has serrated leaves up to 50–100 centimetres long. When the plant is around two years old, it produces large umbrella-like clusters of greenish-white flowers.
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Giant hogweed’s distinctive leaves
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Where is it?
Giant hogweed typically grows in rich, moist soils in areas such as river and stream banks, gullies, ditches, and drainage channels.
It has been sighted in coastal Otago from Ōamaru to The Catlins and in the Central Otago lakes area — see the map below.
Giant hogweed can grow in other areas, too, so if you think you have found it on your property, follow the guidelines below to safely remove the plant.
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How can you safely remove it?
TAKE GREAT CARE.
Wear protective gear to cover your arms, hands and eyes. If you get the dust or sap on your skin, wash the area immediately.
Removal options include:
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Pull the whole plant out before it seeds in spring/summer.
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Cut stems below ground level in summer, and spray any re-growth with glyphosate as required.
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Spray the whole plant with glyphosate in spring, and again in summer if required.
Be aware, seeds can remain dormant for up to five years. To effectively control this pest, continue to monitor the site and consider planting other species as these can prevent giant hogweed growing back again.
Visit our Otago Native Planting Guide for planting advice, or for more info on giant hogweed, visit our Pest Hub.
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The 12 pests of Christmas
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Here’s our top 12 list of plant and animal pests to be on the lookout for this summer!
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1. Purple loosestrife — looks nice in your garden but can take over our precious wetlands.
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2. Yellow flag iris — grows around lakes. Smothers and replaces our sandy beaches.
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3. Originally from Japan, Knotweed was introduced to New Zealand as an ornamental plant. A seriously invasive pest in parts of Europe, we want to prevent it from spreading in Otago.
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4. Bomarea — even though its flowers are very pretty, left uncontrolled, bomarea can smother and eventually destroy the other plants in your garden.
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5. Lagarosiphon — hard to spell, easy to spot. Check, Clean and Dry your boat, kayak, paddle board or jet ski to stop the spread of this freshwater pest.
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6. African feather grass. This plant can spread quickly, crowding out other low-growing plant species. It can also impact our agricultural and economic values.
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7. Cute? There’s nothing cute about the way wallabies are wrecking our environment. If you see a wallaby, dead or alive, report it to reportwallabies.nz
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8. Wilding conifers are a serious pest issue. When you’re out and about enjoying the outdoors, you can help by pulling out small wilding conifer seedlings.
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9. Not a pest, but still a problem — toxic algal blooms can occur in rivers and lakes during summer and are potentially harmful to people and animals.
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10. Ban the clam! Be on the lookout for freshwater gold clam — a pest that may be trying to hitchhike its way down the country.
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11. Mediterranean Fanworm. Protect our paradise — tell us if you see this invasive marine pest in our harbour.
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12. Rabbits — coordinated collective action is the best way to get the jump on this pest.
For more information about pests in Otago, visit our Pest Hub.
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Changes to ECO Fund criteria make it easier to apply
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Good news if you have an environmental project in mind for next year!
We’ve made a few changes to the application criteria for our ECO Fund. The next round is scheduled to open in March 2025, with an estimated total funding available of over $1 million. People and groups interested can register their interest here.
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Nature-based solutions engagement study
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We’re starting an engagement study to understand people’s thoughts on the use of nature-based solutions to support flood management and discover what other benefits there might be, such as water quality improvement and increased biodiversity.
We want to identify opportunities for landowners adopting nature-based solutions on their property, and also understand any possible roadblocks.
Over the next few months, ORC staff and Beca will interview key stakeholders and landowners and share a digital survey to gather information.
The goal is to produce an engagement report by mid-2025 that identifies potential opportunities and risks for the use of nature-based solutions. This will guide ORC's future decisions in this area.
If you’d like to get involved or have someone in mind that you think we should chat with, please email us: info@orc.govt.nz.
You can find out more about this Ministry for the Environment-funded project here.
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Wallaby sightings on the rise, misidentification remains a problem
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The number of public sighting reports of wallabies within Central Otago has risen sharply since 2020, increasing 80% per year on average — reflecting the general public’s growing awareness of the wallaby problem and the need for action to help prevent their spread, rather than the wallaby population increasing significantly.
However, the percentage of reports received and deemed ‘unreliable’ has nearly doubled in that same period, with people sometimes misidentifying cats, hares, possums and even fallow deer, and reporting them as a wallaby. An ORC media campaign due to launch in 2025 aims to support people to correctly identify Bennett’s wallaby.
Small breeding populations of Bennett’s wallaby are known to exist at three sites within Central Otago. Each site is estimated to have less than 10 wallabies, and efforts are currently underway to eliminate these populations to prevent them establishing and spreading.
Report all wallaby sightings (alive or dead) to reportwallabies.nz.
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Natural hazards adaptation strategy open for public feedback
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The detailed draft Head of Lake Whakatipu Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy report brings together technical, social, and strategic information gathered over the last four years in a collaborative approach involving the community, Queenstown Lakes District Council, mana whenua, and Emergency Management Otago.
The Head of Lake Whakatipu area, which includes the townships of Glenorchy and Kinloch and the Dart and Rees river floodplains, is exposed to a complex range of natural hazards, including flooding from the lake or rivers, landslides, and earthquake-related hazards. These natural hazards are relatively frequent and can be disruptive, and climate and landscape changes could worsen them.
The vision of the strategy is a resilient and sustainable Head of Lake Whakatipu, where proactive natural hazard and climate adaptation enhance community wellbeing and safety. Resilience in this context is the capacity and ability to plan for, withstand, and recover quickly from, difficult conditions.
This is a hazard management approach developed specifically to help plan for situations where the future is uncertain — it allows for flexible and adaptive decision making, and for planning even when there may be uncertainty about the timing or impacts of future changes. It’s an approach that helps develop long-term responses to natural hazards affected by environmental changes.
The strategy also outlines five goals with specific objectives to help achieve this vision, as well as an action plan and activities, and future potential responses to support the community to adapt to natural hazard risks and climate change impacts.
You can provide feedback at www.orc.govt.nz/holwfeedback.
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C is for … contiguous.
Where science and finance meet in a word!
In rating terms, contiguous properties means two or more properties owned by the same person that share a common border, jointly used as one unit.
Contiguous in scientific terms means sharing the same border, i.e. a contiguous forest, which is better for the creatures who live within it, as they have a continuous, not fragmented, habitat.
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Stay out of trouble — take an Orbus home from your Christmas party. Check out our Dunedin and Queenstown bus timetables.
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Our customer support office in Dunedin will close to the public at 4.30pm on 23 December, reopening on 6 January 2025. Our Queenstown office will close to the public at 4pm on 23 December and reopen on 16 January 2025.
All phone lines will be answered 24/7 by our after-hours service during the holiday shutdown period.
You can check the bus timetables online: orc.govt.nz/orbusdn (Dunedin) or orc.govt.nz/orbusqt (Queenstown).
If you spot any land, air or water pollution these holidays, you can contact our 24/7 Pollution Hotline on 0800 800 033, or email pollution@orc.govt.nz. Remember to take a photo to send us if you can.
Need to top up your Bee Card?
You can still top up online (www.beecard.co.nz), on the bus (with cash only), or at any other Bee Card retailers (check their opening hours first).
People can call 0800 ORBUSDN (Dunedin 0800 672 8736) or 0800 ORBUSQT (Queenstown 0800 672 8778) for public transport queries on public holidays. These numbers will be staffed.
Thank you for being a reader this year.
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Find out about upcoming community events and Council meetings here.
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Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might like to read it. If you have any story ideas or want to know anything specific about anything in this issue, let us know by emailing onstream@orc.govt.nz
If you have been forwarded this email, you can sign up here.
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