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Kia ora and welcome to our June issue!
This month, we celebrate a trust replanting the habitat of our native sea lion, we’re on the lookout for cape ivy and … MORE say? It’s YOUR say — we’re proposing changes to the number of councillors representing the Dunedin and Dunstan wards.
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Loving … the New Zealand sea lion, from a distance
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The Tomahawk Smaills Beachcare Trust are committed to restoring native vegetation to the sand dunes behind Smaills Beach and Tomahawk in Dunedin.
For over 20 years they've grown native plants in their nursery and worked together with the community and volunteers who help with growing and planting. One of the trust’s main goals is to create habitat for local wildlife, such as the New Zealand sea lion, one of the most endangered species of sea lion in the world.
In 2023/2024, five sea lion pups were born at Smaills Beach and five more pups arrived within two months of being birthed at nearby beaches. The trust is working hard to increase planting efforts in anticipation of more successful breeding seasons in future years.
Like to be involved? Visit their Facebook page.
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A few of the trust’s fabulous volunteers
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Why is cape ivy a pest?
Cape ivy forms thick, tangled shrubs that smother ground and low-growing plants by forming thick, long-lasting mats that prevent native seedlings from growing.
This shrub has leathery leaves that have one to three rough points and occasionally produces thick clusters of yellow flowers, followed by fluffy seeds. In Otago, it is mainly found in the Dunedin city and Otago Peninsula areas.
If you think you’ve spotted cape ivy on your property, visit our Pest Hub for information on how to manage this pest plant.
If you need help identifying one of the plant pests on our Pest Hub, email biosecurity@orc.govt.nz with a few clear photos of the plant.
Let's work together to eliminate this pest plant once and for all!
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Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata!
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Enviroschools regional coordinator Leisa has been busy with two teacher hui.
The first, a hui in Ōtepoti for teachers wanting more skills and resources, with presenters on transport and bokashi composting — and presenters from the Heart Foundation focused on food resilience.
The second, a Central Otago hui introducing teachers to Enviroschools, the resources and the kit. Early childhood, primary and secondary teachers also explored the website for lesson ideas and approaches to getting started with Enviroschools.
Leisa says, “Teachers are the key link between environmental sustainability in their schools and their students. Providing them with the resources and the enthusiasm to reach their sustainability goals is an important part of the process for Enviroschools. Teacher hui are always well attended by a range of key teachers, principals and student teachers wanting to learn more and network with others in this space”.
Want to get in touch? Contact Leisa.deKlerk@orc.govt.nz
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Hui participants enjoyed sharing knowledge and ideas, and playing the ‘sunflower game’ (above)
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C is for … coastal geomorphology, the study of the physical processes that shape the coastline. It’s a coastal science based on the interactions between the landscape, its sediments, the hydrodynamics (such as waves and currents), and the climate.
Find out more and meet one of our scientists in the story further below.
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Banded kōkopu are a migratory galaxiid, commonly found in streams, and historically one of the more abundant fish in New Zealand.
They have had some reductions in abundance lately, though, due to habitat loss and hunting from introduced species such as trout. But did you know they can also be preyed upon by your cat?
Kōkopu living in streams in urban areas can be preyed on by cats, so think about keeping your furry friend indoors at night to reduce impact on our native species.
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Photo for illustrative purposes only, this ginger kitty remains innocent till proven guilty.
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We liked it so much, we put it on a bus!
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Year 5 and 6 Queenstown Primary School students wanted to have “the voice of the water” heard by sharing an important environmental message with their community.
So, with help from Enviroschools Otago and Otago Regional Council, they created a bus advertisement featuring artwork collated from posters they had each designed.
The advertisement promotes Otago Regional Council’s 0800 800 033 free Pollution Hotline, which is staffed 24/7 to respond immediately to reports of pollution of waterways, air, land, and coastal marine areas.
Thanks to Ritchies for bringing the bus to the students so they could see the result of all their mahi! Keep an eye out if you live in or visit Queenstown, as this bus will be driving around over the next month.
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Spy wallaby project reaches halfway point
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One of the travelling wallabies, picked up by thermal camera in bush near Burkes Pass.
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With friends like these … spy wallaby give up 46 of their mates.
We released 10 satellite-tracked ‘spy’ wallabies in December 2023. Monitored monthly, they have been leading a hunting team to other Bennett’s wallabies, which are then destroyed, leaving the spy wallaby to continue to seek out more ‘friends’. Now at the halfway point of this 12-month project, 46 other wallabies have been found and destroyed.
Showing just how far and fast they spread, two of the spy wallabies have travelled from Canterbury into Otago since release, moving up to 45 km and crossing mountain ranges over 1700 m in elevation. Several other spy wallabies within South Canterbury have also moved over 5 km since their release.
The ORC-led ‘spy’ wallaby project was designed to find out whether a satellite-tracked wallaby might be effective at leading hunters to other wallaby, particularly in areas where wallabies are in very low density and difficult to find. The project has just carried out its fifth hunt.
Those released in the northern part of South Canterbury have been found amongst many others, while south of the Waitaki River, where wallaby exist in fewer numbers, the spy wallabies have mostly stayed put, apart from the two adventurous wallaby that travelled into Otago. The spy wallaby now total eight, after two deaths.
While it’s too soon to draw any conclusions on whether the spy wallaby technique works, the information collected so far has shown how far wallaby can roam and has given researchers greater insight into how they behave, all of which helps in the effort to eradicate this pest from New Zealand.
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Worth protecting: a shot taken by contractors involved in ORC’s spy wallaby project while flying over Lake Benmore.
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Jen Simon (Natural Hazards Analyst) and Julion Wright on a site visit at a landslide on the Kawarau River, near Gibbston. Taken 17/5/24.
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Julion Wright is a natural hazards analyst.
“I work to understand and monitor the processes that cause our communities to be affected by natural hazards, looking at the likelihood of a particular hazard and the consequences it might have.”
How does he do this? “It depends — natural systems are inherently unpredictable and can behave uniquely, they are full of surprises.”
So, his role is to take out the element of surprise? “Or at least work with it. You need to understand the environment to figure out the likelihood and consequences of a hazard. For example, if we were looking at a landslide, you could assess the likelihood by designing a study of the soils, gravels and rocks in that area and identify how often in the past a landslide has happened. This helps us understand the magnitude and frequency of different scenarios. If we wanted to understand the consequences of a landslide, we could conduct some modelling, input what we know about the hillslope, and figure out how far the landslide could travel and what’s in the way.”
How did he get into this work? “I completed a Master of Science in coastal geomorphology, the study of the physical processes that shape the coastline. It’s a coastal science based on the interactions between the landscape, its sediments, the hydrodynamics (such as waves and currents), and the climate.”
Tools of the trade? “We use a variety of tools to observe the earth’s surface, either on the ground or from a distance (remote sensing). An example of this is LiDAR surveys, which our team use frequently to analyse elevation, volume, and visual changes and then survey the changes through time.”
What is he working on right now? “One of my current projects is the Roxburgh debris flows project. Debris flows are a type of landslide that are very fast and contain a lot of water — you can think of them as a process in between a landslide and a flood. Roxburgh is located at the base of the steep slopes of the Old Man Range, a beautiful setting for a town. However, these steep slopes feed creeks subject to debris flows through the town. In November 2017, debris flows flooded the local school, disrupted critical infrastructure, and blocked State Highway 8. Our team wants to better understand the hazards and risks of debris flows in Roxburgh. As part of this, I have been analysing LiDAR data as well as designing the scope for creek monitoring/maintenance and further investigations.”
Most fascinating part of the job? “Nature’s ability to wow us. We have general theories about how environmental systems respond to certain drivers like waves or floods, then now and again, something unexpected happens which demonstrates the complexity of nature.”
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An example of LiDAR analysis. This image shows the elevation changes between 2019 and 2022 in the middle reaches of Stevensons Creek, just south of Roxburgh. The red shows erosion and the blue shows deposition, from this we can see several localised landslides that have deposited sediment into the channel. These smaller landslides can contribute sediment to a larger debris flow event.
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Work with concrete? Harden up when it comes to clean up.
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If you or your business work with concrete, lime or cement products, you need to make sure your activities do not result in air, land or water pollution.
We have produced a brochure with some great advice for landowners, employers and workers. It’s available online here, but if you’d like hard copies for your workplace, let us know.
Remember: report all spills immediately to the Pollution Hotline: 0800 800 033.
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Proposed new Land and Water Plan — what’s happening?
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There is a programme of work to complete before the draft plan is presented to Council for a decision on notification before the end of October, which includes:
Wrapping up our pre-notification consultation — we heard from the forestry sector with their feedback on the Plan a little later than other groups consulted. We have also been talking to other groups about their feedback, including the primary sector, all with the aim of having the Plan ready for notification.
Seeking a legal review of the plan.
Completing the supporting Section 32 Evaluation Report, which considers the positive and negative impacts of the Plan on the community, economy and environment. This report will allow Council to weigh the pros and cons before making its decision to notify the Plan.
Presenting a copy of the draft plan to our iwi partners for consultation.
In early October, staff will brief the Council on the whole plan.
On 23 October, Council will be asked to formally notify the Plan.
If approved by Council, this version of the Plan will be notified on 31 October and become the proposed Land and Water Regional Plan. As the rules in the LWRP relate to the management of water or soil (for soil conservation) they will have immediate legal effect upon notification of the Plan.
Once the plan is notified, everyone can make formal submissions on the proposed plan. We’ll have more detail about how and when to make a submission closer to this time.
What will the Plan mean for you?
We have some FAQs up on our website which might answer your questions, otherwise, you can email policy@orc.govt.nz
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Every six years, councils need to have a representation review to make sure they have the right number of councillors for the population they serve.
From 10 July, we will consult on how best to represent Otago communities. With significant growth in Central Otago/Queenstown Lakes, the council will consider reducing the number of councillors in Dunedin by one and adding one in the Dunstan constituency.
Tell us what you think — find out more here. Submissions open 10 July and close 11 August.
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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.
If you have been forwarded this email, you can sign up here.
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