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Kia ora and welcome to the October issue of On Stream.
In this issue, ‘Holy pekapeka, Batman!’ we meet tiny bats the size of your thumb and take a look at a new rain gauge located halfway up the Rock and Pillar Range. Plus, there’s still time to add your voice to the draft Land and Water Regional Plan. So, ‘water’ you waiting for? Read on …
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Is the southern short-tailed bat in Otago?
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Southern lesser short-tailed bat. Photo: Ian Davidson-Watts
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ORC has released its Regional Threat Assessment for pekapeka or bats – the second in a series of threat assessments for indigenous species in Otago.
Pekapeka are Aotearoa New Zealand’s only native land mammals. These tiny bats are only the size of a thumb, have a wingspan the width of a hand, and weigh the same as an AA battery.
Two bat species were identified as present in, or near, the Otago region: the pekapeka-tou-roa, the long-tailed bat, and pekapeka-tou-poto, the southern lesser short-tailed bat. In Otago, the long-tailed bat was assessed as Regionally Critical, the most severely threatened status.
When it comes to the southern lesser short-tailed bat, it was assessed as Regionally Data Deficient, which means there are no recent records of it in our region, but it could well be here.
Bat fans, look to the skies!
Read the Conservation Status of Bat Species in Otago report
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Long-tailed bat. Photo: Ian Davidson-Watts
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ORC welcomes extra $7M national funding for wilding pines control
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Wildings destroy Otago’s unique landscapes
Photos: Wilding Conifer Group
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ORC Chair Gretchen Robertson has welcomed the government’s extra $7 million announced this week to continue funding wilding pines programmes.
She looks forward to finding out the details of what each region will receive.
“Control of wilding pines is important in Otago. Wilding pines cause problems for biodiversity, water yield, fire risk, primary production and landscape value. Great progress has been made, we can’t afford to go backwards,” she says.
“To consider reducing funding at this point couldn’t have come at a worse time for our Otago wilding pines control programme.”
The Ministry for Primary Industries announced at the Wilding Pine Network Conference this week that $7M of funding from the Department of Conservation is being added to the National Programme for Wilding Conifers for the current financial year.
There is currently $7.5M in control operations funding; the final-year allocation from Budget 2020, now with an additional, one-off allocation of $7M control operations funding, which comes from the DOC budget.
Around 8.4% of Otago’s land area, 295,830 hectares, is affected by wilding pines. About 70% of Otago is assessed as ‘very highly vulnerable’ to future infestation, making it the most wilding-prone land in the country.
While $10M per year was budgeted nationally for the next decade, regional councils have been urging the government to commit to additional funding by a further $15M to a total $25M each year, for each of the next 10 years.
MPI outlined the prioritisation for funding for all regions under the National Programme comes under:
• Most spread-prone species
• Vulnerability of surrounding land
• Area/cost ratio
• Additional considerations
Cr Robertson says, “We know that Otago has very highly spread-prone species, NZ’s most vulnerable land to this spread and huge benefits to acting. We’re hopeful for good regional allocation to Otago — we have a strong case for investment”.
Control operations 2023-24
There are 36 Management Units (MUs) where the Programme will deliver operations this year — all are high-priority sites for maintenance control to prevent regeneration where control has already started.
The DOC funding will be allocated across 24 of these MUs, mostly in the South Island and also parts of the Central North Island, focused on some key areas where infestations threaten land with high conservation values if not maintained.
This includes areas like the Mackenzie Basin, where the land is highly vulnerable to spread, where thirsty wildings reduce groundwater for irrigation and hydroelectricity generation, and where the risk of wildfires is high, as has been seen already this year.
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Firefighters battle a recent fire in Pukaki involving wildings
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ORC councillors and members of the Upper Clutha Wilding Tree Group visiting a wilding pine area near Wānaka earlier this month
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Discover which trees could be a problem on your land here.
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It’s raining me...tadata!
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Environmental Technician Brad Thomas installing cabling
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More than a ton of gear was transported by helicopter halfway up the Rock and Pillar Range to around 700m in altitude on Glencreag Station, where ORC’s Environmental Monitoring team installed a solar-powered rain gauge, which will assist with any future flood responses around Middlemarch township.
The various components were airlifted by helicopter, as the track to the site is not suitable for a 4WD towing so much equipment.
The main reason for the installation is to assist the flood response to Middlemarch — we’ll also be able to better understand the rainfall affecting catchments located in the Rock and Pillar Range and those that flow into parts of Middlemarch.
The gauge is linked to ORC’s Environmental Data Portal, so people will be able to see exactly how much rain is falling. Measuring rainfall in real time as well as total precipitation — including snow melt — over time, the solar panel heats the enclosure, operates venting and keeps the rain gauge at a set temperature.
The equipment is monitored remotely; however, the team will make monthly inspections to make sure everything is working correctly.
Keep up to date with all our water info and rain data here.
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Heliotago flew in more than a ton of gear, including the huge solar panel
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Enviroschools News
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Goldfields Kindergarten pupils work together to dig a hole (we think the chap in the orange vest is the supervisor)
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Tamariki at Goldfields Kindergarten in Lawrence have been learning about native plants and exploring the forest on their grounds.
They have planted more trees to extend their forest. They planted a variety of plants to give different textures, shapes and sizes to support the learning of all Tamariki. As the trees get established, they will extend their learning to the manu/birds that visit to feed on the flowers and plants.
Tamariki planted the trees and are learning how to care for them. They are sharing this knowledge with the kindergarten whānau.
Te Uru Rākau: New Zealand Forest Service provided funding to Enviroschools to support local initiatives like this.
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Is there a special river, lake or stream in your life? An Otago waterway you’ve grown up around, holidayed by, gathered kai from?
Right NOW is your chance to show how much you care by adding your voice to the draft Land and Water Regional Plan for Otago, put together by the Otago Regional Council and Kāi Tahu.
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Dunedin’s Ōwheo/Water of Leith
Photo: Michelle Chalklin-Sinclair
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The proposed new rules in this draft plan may change the way certain activities are managed across Otago’s waterways, as well activities on land. This is because land-based activities can also affect our waterways.
Check out the activities affected and the proposed new rules here – then let us know if you think these draft rules are fit for purpose, or what could be done better. Online feedback is open until 11.59pm on 6 November.
Thank you to everyone who has given feedback so far and to those who have attended one of the drop-in discussions. The last of these are being held on 27 October:
Ōmakau
Ophir Peace Memorial Hall,
55 Swindon Street
Friday, 27 October
11am–2pm or 3pm–6pm
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Taieri scroll plains
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Described by ORC Chair Gretchen Robertson as a “spectacular meandering system of oxbows and wetlands”, scroll plains are home to a diverse range of habitats, including highly valued plant, insect and freshwater species.
Plus, they are extremely cool. Which is why we’re committed to working with iwi and the local community to develop a management plan to protect the Upper Taiari/Taieri River’s unique scroll plain.
The management plan, an alternative to the stock exclusion regulations, will focus on delivering the best outcomes for the wetlands that form the scroll plain.
Grazing is one tool that will be kept in the toolbox, because it can be used where it enhances wetland values and removed where it doesn’t, meaning there’s less chance of losing the very values we want to protect through the wetland being out-competed by aggressive weeds.
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ORC ABC
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O is for … oxbow!
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water.
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Ghostly boats afloat?
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A Surfbee in action. Inset: The happy controller, Chris Knox
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Not a haunting, but new remote-controlled Surfbee boats.
The unmanned craft will increase safety for staff and save field time, compared with other types of in situ rigs for water flow gauging in rivers and streams.
Environmental Monitoring staff will be able to gauge flows that are above median levels without having to use static lines, a flying fox or A-frames. It’s also a lot safer for staff, as they don’t have to go into rivers when there are higher flows.
The boats are easier to transport than kayaks, and after being set up, are ready to be deployed immediately on arrival, which means that multiple sites can be visited in one day, instead of just one or two. Spookily good!
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Pest of the month: Bennett’s wallaby
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Cute? There’s nothing cute about the way wallaby are wrecking Aotearoa NZ’s environment.
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Bennett’s wallabies were first reported in Otago in the early 2000s, having hopped the fence from neighbouring Canterbury, where they were introduced in 1874.
Bennett’s wallabies foul pasture, destroy agricultural crops, contribute to erosion, and compete with livestock at a rate of three wallabies to one stock unit.
What do they look like?
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Bennett’s wallabies stand up to 80 cm tall, with a tail length of around 62 cm. Males can reach over 20 kg in weight, with females reaching 14 kg.
Wallabies have now become a serious pest issue that requires central and local government, iwi, farmers, landowners, and communities all working together to protect our region.
Here in Otago, we still have a chance to stop these pests in their tracks. If you see a wallaby, dead or alive, report it: www.reportwallabies.nz or phone us on 0800 474 082.
Find out more about why wallabies are pests on our Pest Hub.
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What to look for: wallaby poo or scat — course in texture, normally found in clumps
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Wallaby hind feet showing the toes on each foot. The small inside toes rarely leave marks.
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Who do we love?
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This month, we’re loving the Thomsons catchment project group and Nicola McGrouther of Creekside Consulting …
… who, along with a cast of, if not thousands, then a fair few hundred: local farmers and Ōmakau school, 19 organisations, six agencies (including ORC), two big businesses, and two catchment groups (phew!), spent over 5,409 people hours accomplishing the construction of a large wetland just outside Ōmakau and a fish barrier close by at Thomsons Creek — which keeps trout from getting close to native galaxiids further upstream — and rolled out over 36 km of fencing materials to fence off riparian areas. And they did it all in just a year!
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The making of a wetland: the cleared area where the fish barrier will go; Tami Sargeant, ORC Manager Compliance crosses a diversion that re-routes the stream until works are complete; the wetland taking shape; the creek and wetland starting to return to a natural state.
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This work protects our native animals and will improve water quality in the catchment, Nicola says.
“This is very much a community project, led by farmers and those in the catchment. I’m there to support their vision and make things happen on the ground and I feel privileged to work with the Manuherikia Catchment Group and the Thomsons community to do this.
“It’s incredible to see the effort farmers are putting in, the great support from agencies and organisations and amazing to see the birdlife and biodiversity start to bloom at the wetland.”
Particular thanks go to the McLeod family; Brendan Sheehan, Mt Aurum Engineering Consultants; Chris Tanner, NIWA; Jo Wakelin, Koinga Consulting; Landpro (survey work); McKeague consultancy; Fish & Game Otago for their bird surveys, and the amazing construction team: S&B Civil, Breen Construction and Central Excavating.
Thanks also to ORC and staff from DOC, Aukaha and Fish & Game Otago. Thanks to Ōmakau School and Lucy Franke from Enviroschools for doing the regular water monitoring.
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The wetland in June
Photo: Haines Battrick
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Some of the construction team, including the Thomsons committee at a barbecue on site at the end of June this year.
Left to right: Hamish Stratford, Fiona Kissel, Pete McLeod, Haines Battrick, Aaron Manson, Andrew Reid, Cody West, Richard Gillespie, Andrew Kerr, Nicola McGrouther, Roger Williams, Anna Gillespie, Brendan Sheehan (front).
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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 lisa.scott@orc.govt.nz.
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