Agenda of Maori Committee

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Subject: Wairoa River Integrated Catchment Management

Reason for Report

1. To provide an update on HBRC activities in the Wairoa River catchment.

Regulation

2. There are two major consented point source discharges in to the Wairoa River: the discharge of wastewater effluent by Wairoa District Council, and the discharges by AFFCO.

3. The WDC consent is due for renewal in May 2019. The District Council has spent several years working with the community and other key stakeholders to determine its preferred new option. The long-term goal of the Council is the removal of wastewater discharge from the Wairoa River. This is also the clearly expressed wish of the wider community, including iwi.

4. The approach that WDC is proposing to take is part of a more in-depth “package” of measures to improve the river, including the integrated catchment management approach outlined below. WDC’s approach also acknowledges the issue of community affordability for long-term solutions.

5. For its discharges WDC is proposing a staged approach – with the first part of the approach to occur within the next 12-18 months and involving improved treatment of wastewater prior to discharge (including via UV treatment) and the piloting of a land –based disposal option. The next stage will involve continuing with the first stage plus larger land irrigation as well as the investigation and construction of storage ponds. The final stage will involve full land-based disposal.

6. AFFCO holds a resource consent from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to discharge treated meat works and fellmongery wastewater into the Wairoa River. This consent expires in May 2025, at which time AFFCO will need to apply for a renewal. By that time HBRC expects to have undertaken a review of its plan, policies, rules and standards for the Wairoa River in line with the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. It is anticipated that this will require as a minimum higher standards of treatment prior to discharge, or may contemplate land-based discharge options only.

Recent and Current work in Wairoa Catchment

Matiti Urupa: Wairoa River Right Bank Erosion

7. Engineering report drafted and forwarded March 2018. Recommended short / medium term stabilisation strategies as well as encouraging exploring options for relocation of Urupa as preferred long term option

8. Site visit May 2018 to assess and confirm HBRC work programme for this winter

9. Willow pole planting (approx. 100 poles) and poplar lopping scheduled for mid-June 2018

10. Value of work approx. $2,000-3,000

Wairoa River Right Bank - Tree Clearing

11. Tree clearing and management of large or undesirable tree’s to reduce bank loading and risk of tree toppling into the Wairoa River

12. Work programme involves tree felling, stacking and burning

13. Initial programme 5 years subject to progress made

14. 2 years completed

15. Work commenced initially on property off Awamate Rd

16. Value of work $20,000-25,000 per year

Ruataniwha Marae

17. Slotting of existing willow vegetation completed November 2018

18. Willow pole planting (appx 50 poles) scheduled for mid-June 2018

19. Value of work approx. $10,000

Wairoa River Playground Retaining Wall

20. Design completed

21. Preferred sheet-piling supplier identified

22. Preferred construction contractor identified

23. awaiting final cost estimate from engineer (likely to be around $130,000)

24. Consultation / notification requirements to be confirmed.

Ferry Hotel – Right Bank Upstream Stabilisation / Conservation Plantings

25. Planting programme proposed for July 2018

26. Details and confirmation of landowner approval yet to be finalised

Wairoa River Right Bank Enhancement

27. Plan drafted in 2014/2015

28. Intent is that the HBRC / WDC work together to implement

29. HBRC responsible for prioritising and developing work programme and WDC completing community engagement

30. HBRC staff have identified the Wairoa Yacht Club as a priority area to commence enhancement works due to the lack of riparian vegetation and apparent erosion of the Wairoa River riparian edge toward the yacht club

31. Consultation is yet to be completed

32. It is likely a retaining wall will be required and HBRC engineers expect to have a design and cost estimate prepared by July 2018

33. A detailed work programme is to be developed for the broader Wairoa River RB enhancement area.

Whaakirangi Marae (Frasertown Rd)

34. Request for HBRC support and advice regarding fencing and planting a section of the racecourse drain.

35. Site visit and advice given.

36. Further support requested – under consideration.

Te Uhi Rd Urupa

37. HBRC advice and support requested for Urupa protection.

38. HBRC provided advice and assisted with tree felling in November 2017.

39. Value of work $4,000

Nuhaka River Road Realignment

40. HBRC have agreement with WDC on costings/design.

41. Seeking permissions from local Hapu, Fish and Game and DOC.

42. If there is no hold up or unresolvable questions we are looking to complete the work through July/August.

43. Value of work $101,000 (HBRC share $20,000 plus equivalent staff time)

A move to an Integrated Catchment Management Approach - What is Integrated Catchment Management?

44. Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) and its various other forms has been the subject of many dozens of publications and academic journal articles.

45. Fenemor et al published a multi-year study of ICM in 2011 in a special edition of the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. In this, they noted that ICM is a process that recognizes and catchment as the appropriate organizing unit for understanding and managing ecosystem processes;

45.1. In a context that includes social, economic and political considerations, and;

45.2. Guides communities towards an agreed vision of sustainable land and water resource management for their catchment

46. Stream and river stability, soil stability and flooding are influenced by natural events and processes and people’s activities over an entire catchment and beyond into the marine environment. So, it’s important that we don't just manage a stream or river in isolation, but instead manage its catchment as a whole. This is ICM.

47. Taking an ICM approach allows us to move from a conventional multi-disciplinary way of working and thinking and elevating it to an environment that is trans-disciplinary and requiring people to think and work across domains, not just in their traditional space. The method also allows for thinking in a ‘systems’ way that focuses on addressing fundamental causes not just responding to symptoms.

National policy supports this approach

48. As HBRC develops and begins implementation of new policy in catchments to align our planning framework with the NPS-FM, we are facing significant challenges to the way the institution prepares for and then delivers or implements the policy as it is developed. There is a significant level of activity and resourcing required to turn policy into outcomes.

49. It is arguable that the easy part, the writing of policy, is either underway or has occurred. The more challenging activity of effecting change and achieving outcomes is beginning. The resourcing requirements for this are likely to be significant and ongoing for some decades. It is also evident that the way we work needs to change and the culture of the organization needs to shift to allow us to deal with the challenges.

50. Recent proposed amendments to policy C1 of the NPS-FM have reinforced that Councils must be setting policy and organising themselves to achieve ICM. This all sits in section C of the NPS-FM which is entitled Integrated Management. Objective C1 and Policy C1 is set out below for reference. It is important context that frames our approach.

Objective C1

51. To improve integrated management of fresh water and the use and development of land in whole catchments, including the interactions between fresh water, land, associated ecosystems and the coastal environment.

Policy C1

52. By every regional council:

a) recognising the interactions, ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea) between fresh water, land, associated ecosystems and the coastal environment; and

b) managing fresh water and land use and development in catchments in an integrated and sustainable way, so as to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects, including cumulative effects.

What are some potential benefits of the ICM approach?

53. The resulting alignment of our internal culture and resources provides an opportunity to see greater efficiency and impact in the work we do, especially in light of the scale of the implementation challenges relative to current and likely future resourcing, particularly as we develop new policy for additional catchments (such as Greater Heretaunga).

54. The approach is aligned to eco-system based management as compared to functional activity management. It also has strong alignment with Te Ao Maori world view and Matauranga. It would allow for a more substantive and richer engagement with Maori around what we are doing and the outcomes we are achieving.

55. There would be enhanced opportunities for stakeholder/partner communication and deeper, less transactional conversations. Understanding the integrated picture would provide an improvement in stakeholder engagement and understanding of our work through providing a consolidated view of council activity.

56. The activities, outcomes and reporting would be ‘place based’ and anchored to communities of interest who are likely to have an active role in the implementation activities.

57. The approach allow staff and management to have greater visibility on the impact and outcomes of our work, not just disaggregated activities, and ultimately provides a platform for integrated economic, social, cultural and environment reporting.

Why do we need to do this?

58. One the primary drivers for change is the large areas of high erosion risk contributing significantly to declining freshwater and coastal water quality across parts of the region, including the Wairoa catchment. Much of this at risk land has historically been cleared at a rapid rate under taxpayer funded schemes and initiatives for pastoral based farming. This clearance has resulted in accelerated erosion of the land and subsequent impacts on water quality, instream ecological health and coastal water quality. The clearance has also resulted in the significant loss of forest habitats. These are what we call legacy issues.

59. We have about 225,000 hectares of at risk land in our region. Recent modelling indicates that approximately 7.6 million tonnes of sediment is lost annually from land across the entire region. About 4 million tonnes of this is lost from Northern Hawke’s Bay, including the Wairoa catchment, alone. About 3.2 million tonnes comes from the at risk land across the region. This ultimately ends up in our streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and our marine environment clogging habitats with the corresponding impact on aquatic life.

60. This same modelling indicates that if we reforest 100,000 hectares of this at risk land we can approximately halve the 3.2 million tonne yield of sediment from this land.

61. Staff acknowledge that New Zealand is a relatively young country in geological timeframes. As a result we have higher rates of erosion than might occur in other parts of the world. Notwithstanding this we know that since the arrival of humans rates of erosion have accelerated, particularly post European arrival with land cleared for farming. The proposal is not one of attempting to ‘wind the clock back’ to pre human conditions but rather to reduce the rate of erosion from our most vulnerable landscapes.

62. We proposed to integrate within the reforesting activity significant biodiversity initiatives. The region has a Biodiversity Strategy and the group that developed this recently completed a body of work to identify the regional biodiversity hotspots. We propose, where funding and landowner interests allow, to integrate restoration or protection activities on these sites as part of the wider catchment activities.

63. Supporting this is an enhanced and expanded biosecurity programme. Additional resource has been allocated to this and we have been fortunate to secure Predator Free NZ funding for an expansion of the successful Cape to City programme to other parts of the region. Cape to City, Poutiri Ao o Tane and Predator Free Mahia are the geographic areas that we will be starting with.

64. Possum eradication on farmland and continued work optimising large scale predator control suppression are the main technical themes. Alongside that there will be a range of engagement, research, outcomes and regional predator control roll out work activity.

What changes have we made to adopt this approach?

65. A new group of staff has been formed that has been named Integrated Catchment Management. This new group comprises:

65.1. Environmental Science (Quality/quantity/land/marine/climate)

65.2. Environmental Information (data)

65.3. Catchment management activities (previously Land Management)

65.4. Biodiversity

65.5. Biosecurity

66. New ‘zones’ have been created with dedicated staff being located in each zone working under a Catchment Manager. These staff will live work and play in your community. The numbers of these staff will double over the life of the Long Term Plan.

67. The Catchment Managers will be engaging with our partners/stakeholders and communities within catchments to initially develop an Integrated Catchment Management Plan (ICMP). The ICMP will be a non-statutory plan that sets out the outcomes that the community wants for its catchment. It will be the key document that guides the work of the Catchment staff. Work to produce these will begin early in the new financial year and we anticipate significant tangata whenua engagement in these.

68. The teams of Catchment Advisors will be active in fostering partnerships with individual or groups of landowners to transfer our knowledge of the catchment issues, understand the landowner’s aspirations, bring significant resources to assist with managing the legacy issues and broker relationships with other people who can assist the landowner while at the same time deal with catchment issues.

New funding to support our work

69. Alongside the significant upscaling of staff working in this area, there will be a significant boost to the financial support that Council can offer landowners to make change on the land.

70. Council has committed $30 million in grant funding for grant funded soil conservation activities on private land. This is work that will have no tangible financial return for either the landowner or council but would have impact on the erosion challenge. This may include reforestation options.

71. We want to accelerate and support the uptake of Farm Environment Management Plans (FEMPS) across the region. Council has set aside $5 million dollars to support this. We understand that the upfront cost of a plan can be a barrier to landowners getting them done (they range from $3-20,000). We will be offering an interest free loan to allow the FEMP to be produced and paid for by HBRC with the costs recovered, interest free, through the properties rates.

Decision Making Process

72. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the “Wairoa River Integrated Catchment Management” staff report.

Authored by:

Gary Clode

Acting Group Manager
Regional Assets

Approved by:

Liz Lambert

Group Manager
External Relations

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager
Resource Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Subject: Strategy to increase greater Māori-voter participation

Reason for Report

1. To introduce Michelle Jaggard and Shona Manihera from the Napier Electoral Commission office, Te Kaitiki Take Kōwhiri, who will provide an overview of their roles, why they are currently engaging with all eligible Māori voters, and their strategy for engaging with eligible Māori voters, as well as how collaborating with the Regional Council and its Māori Committee, within their Taiwhenua networks can help extend their reach into Māori communities in Hawke’s Bay.

Background

2. The Regional Council’s Māori Committee has been proactive in ensuring that the Māori voters of this takiwa have the tools of understanding to enable active participation.

3. During the 2017 electoral discussions regarding the consideration for electing Māori representatives onto the Council, it was obvious that many Māori whanau, continue to be disconnected from electoral processes.

4. The Regional Council also recognised the value in enabling Māori to participate in the voting process, and commenced dialogue with the government’s agent in this area, the Electoral Commission.

5. The Electoral Commission is an independent Crown entity who works with communities to inform, engage and educate New Zealanders about the value of participation, make it easy for them to enrol and vote, promote understanding of New Zealand’s democratic process and deliver parliamentary elections and referendums.

6. Every five years after a census of general Population, the Electoral Commission conducts a Māori Electoral Option. This is when all New Zealander’s of Māori descent that are eligible to enrol and vote choose whether to be on the General Roll and vote in a general electorate, or be on the Māori Roll and vote in a Māori electorate. The choice will be effective for the next two Parliamentary elections. Voters of Māori descent cannot change roll types at any other time.

General Election Participation data

7. The data provided by the Electoral Commission regional office shows that 26% of enrolled voters identified as being of Māori descent did not vote in the Napier Electorate while 28.4% of enrolled voters identified as being of Māori descent did not vote in the Tukituki Electorate compared to 16.73% and 17.5% respectively of those enrolled voters of non-Māori descent. In the Ikaroa-Rāwhiti Electorate (Māori Electorate) 32% of those enrolled did not vote.

Local Elections

8. The Electoral Commission's role in local elections is to ensure that the electoral roll is up to date and provided to each council. Local elections are conducted by each local body. Turn out statistics can be found through the Department of Internal Affairs.

9. Information found on the Department of Internal Affairs website states that the voter turnout continues to be higher for district councils than for city or regional councils, but all councils have seen a decline in turnout since 1989.

https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Local-Elections-Local-Authority-Election-Statistics-2016?OpenDocument

10. Of note, the Council elections, including Regional Councils, do not collate the Māori roll vote statistics as there is no Māori constituency. Therefore the only division for Hawke’s Bay is ‘regular’ votes and votes cast by Residential Ratepayers (own property but live elsewhere).

Greater Māori voter participation strategy

11. The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has an interest in working with its neighbouring Councils, and the local Napier Electoral Office to develop a collective electoral participation strategy.

12. Through the 2017 General Election campaign Te Puni Kōkiri worked with the Electoral Commission to deliver advertising and community engagement activities to increase Māori participation in the General Election. In addition, Te Puni Kōkiri developed a campaign targeted at 18-29 year olds that utilised social media to increase awareness and participation in electoral processes.

Electoral Commission Presentation

13. The presentation today will be made by Michelle Jaggard, Registar of Electors and Shona Manihera, Kaiwhakahaere, staff of the local office.

Decision Making Process

14. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the staff report and Electoral Commission presentation.

Authored by:

Joyce-Anne Raihania

Senior Planner
Governance and Iwi Liaison

Approved by:

Liz Lambert

Group Manager
External Relations

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Subject: TANK Plan Change Pathways

Reason for Report

1. To provide an update on the TANK Plan Change process to the Committee.

2. The following report was presented to the Regional Planning Committee on 2 May. Note there have been no significant amendments to this report and by and large this is a replication of the original paper. It is presented to the Māori Committee for information purposes only. The purpose of the report when originally presented to the RPC was to highlight to the RPC members the intended ‘next steps’ in preparing and delivering a draft TANK plan change. The RPC has oversight of the TANK Plan Change and will then make a recommendation to Council for public notification of a proposed plan change and formal public submission process that would follow.

3. The staff recommendation presented to the RPC in the paper was threefold; that a formal handover of the Draft Plan Change from TANK members to RPC be supported; and attendance at a two day workshop/field trip by RPC members to enable them to become familiar with the key components of the Draft Plan Change be accepted; and finally that the RPC recognised the option to refer matters back to the TANK Group for further advice/recommendation prior to recommending a TANK Plan Change to Council for public notification as a proposed plan. There was unanimous agreement to all three recommendations.

Background

4. The TANK Group members and staff are working toward the development of a robust Draft Plan Change (Plan Change 9) for the TANK catchments. Consideration of the collective values of the freshwater resource and ways in which the land and water is to be managed will be established through objectives, policies, rules/limits, and management frameworks. The TANK Group will present the Draft Plan Change to the RPC, highlighting those areas where consensus has been reached and those where it has not.

5. It will be imperative that prior to consideration by the RPC of the TANK Group recommendations, that the Draft Plan Change be presented and received formally by the RPC and that a workshop be held by staff and TANK members thereby enabling RPC to have an opportunity to understand the key elements of the Draft Plan Change which are before them.

6. It is suggested by staff that a formal handover presentation of the Draft Plan Change from the TANK members to the RPC take place, followed by a number of workshops including a field trip. It is envisaged that this will provide an important opportunity for the RPC members to familiarise themselves with the critical components of the draft plan, to gain an appreciation of the significant issues which have been discussed, debated and deliberated by the TANK Group and to meet the people who have been working within this collaborative process for the past five years.

Presentation to RPC and Workshops

7. Whilst the details of the presentation of the Draft Plan Change to RPC have yet to be finalised it is intended that a formal handover presentation will be arranged mid-year (2018). This is likely to follow the format of a powhiri, whereby the TANK Group bestow upon the RPC members the Draft Plan.

8. Following the formal ceremony staff will arrange a number of workshops for RPC members. This will be an opportunity for members to understand the issues which have been deliberated by the TANK Group. It is intended that this will demonstrate how the TANK Group have effectively devised a robust draft plan through their collective thought, assessing the options, costs and benefits to achieve and address their community desires for freshwater.

9. The workshops will focus on the critical components of the Draft Plan which have been identified as follows.

9.1. State of the TANK Catchments

9.2. Water values – Information & knowledge, Matauranga Maori

9.3. Water Quality – Nutrients, sediments, stormwater & urban water, mitigations

9.4. Water Quantity – Allocation, conservation and water futures

9.5. Lakes & wetlands.

10. It is intended that two days will be required for the workshop (1 day) and field trip (1 day). The topics identified above will be presented by both staff and TANK Group members and that each topic will be allocated between 1-2 hours each for presentation and discussion. Each topic will be delivered following a consistent format, for example:

10.1. Overview of the issues

10.2. What are the requirements of the NPSFM which are being considered/met?

10.3. Has due process been followed?

10.4. What areas of consensus have the TANK Group reached/have not reached?

10.5. Identification of any significant gaps/areas of concern which have arisen, whereby decisions are required to be made by RPC

10.6. Recommendations by staff to RPC with regards to decision making.

11. The field trip will provide some context to the issues discussed during the first day of workshop. It will enable members a chance to see the real issues which are being faced within the catchments, and meet a cross-section of the TANK members who have been involved in the collaborative process. Again, the finer details of the site visit is yet to be finalised, but is envisaged that the following aspects will be covered:

11.1. Stream flow augmentation and global consents

11.2. Riparian planting and stock exclusion – mitigation measures

11.3. Maori values and matauranga Māori – Te Mana o Te Wai.

Next Steps

12. Following the workshop and field trip it is anticipated that RPC will then have an opportunity to refer matters back to the TANK Group for further advice and/or recommendation prior to recommending the final plan change to the Council for notification. This step has been recorded within the TANK Group Terms of Reference.

13. As stipulated in the previous paper, Council has an option to release a draft plan change for informal public consultation or to go straight to notification. Whilst it would be premature to make this decision now, it is important to bring this to the fore, as RPC will need to make this decision once the TANK Groups drafting and consensus becomes clearer. This may be best resolved following the workshop and field trip.

Decision Making Process

Recommendation

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the “TANK Plan Change Pathways” staff report.

Authored by:

Ceri Edmonds

Senior Planner

Approved by:

Tom Skerman

Group Manager
Strategic Development

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

HAWKE’S BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL

Māori Committee

Tuesday 12 June 2018

Subject: Eels from a regional council's perspective

Reason for Report

1. This report is provided in response to a request for a report explaining Eel species and the habitats and threats to them, made at the 10 April Māori Committee.

Background

2. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s April 2013 report, “On a Pathway to Extinction? An investigation into the status and management of longfin eel” highlighted the concerns of many Māori, environmental groups, the NZ Conservation Authority and some scientists and local government representatives.

3. Based on those concerns the Commissioner began an investigation, concluding:

3.1. There are three key pressures on the longfin eel fishery; fishing, loss of habitat and barriers to their migration up and down waterways.

4. The Commissioner recommended, at that time, that commercial fishing of longfin eels be suspended, at least for some time. Further, that the Department of Conservation make better use of existing policy mechanisms to increase protection of eels and other migratory fish. Protecting habitat and removing barriers to fish passage along rivers. A third recommendation was the establishment of an independent panel to review the full range of information available on the status of the longfin eel population.

5. In August 2014, the Minister for Primary Industries announced that following the report from the independent panel set up under the Commissioner’s recommendation 3, the decision was made not to suspend commercial fishing at this time; based on the “best available information about the current status of the fishery suggests there is no sustainability concern to warrant closure of the commercial longfin fishery”.

6. Notwithstanding his decision the Minister did announce a set of management measures including:

6.1. A review of catch limits for longfin eels

6.2. Consideration of separate South island longfin and shortfin stocks

6.3. Introduction of abundance target levels, and

6.4. Improved information from the commercial longfin eel fishery.

7. In relation to recommendation 3 from the Commissioner, the Department of Conservation has agreed to address the following key matters.

7.1. Improved legal protection of some eel populations and better protection of fish passages.

7.2. Public awareness and promotion of best practice e.g. drain cleaning.

7.3. Using government water policy reform to better manage freshwater fish and their habitat.

8. While the Regional Council is not directly responsible for the eel fishery some steps were taken to support the Commissioner’s recommendations within the scope of Council’s functions, including:

8.1. regional councils adopted a standardised approach for assessing the abundance of freshwater fish communities which is a component of routine fish monitoring for the SOE reporting

8.2. establishment of a fish barrier mitigation programme to help identify and establish priority fish barrier work.

Eel Species

9. Worldwide, there are 19 species and subspecies of anguillid eels (freshwater eels). Three of these species are found in New Zealand; the shortfin eel (Anguilla australis), the longfin eel (A. dieffenbachia) and the spotted eel (A. reinhardtii). The longfin eel is only found in New Zealand waters. The shortfin eel is found in both Australia and New Zealand. The spotted eel is uncommonly found in New Zealand, usually being restricted to Australian waters (and will not be discussed in detail here).

10. From an evolutionary perspective, anguillid eels are thought to have evolved from a tropical ancestor that inhabited mid-water depths of the open ocean near Indonesia. This tropical ancestry is reflected in the epic spawning migrations of some species, with all the freshwater eel species thought to return to tropical seas to reproduce. Two distinct periods of evolution are proposed. The first involved the original deep water eels starting to use tropical freshwater habitats, with associated migrations between freshwater and the sea. And the second involved the enlargement of their ‘migration loops’, such that species evolved which occupied temperate latitudes like New Zealand, Europe, North America and Japan.

11. In the case of New Zealand freshwater eels, the spawning is believed to take place in the South Pacific Ocean (e.g. near Tonga). This often involves a migration of over 2000km, depending on which part of New Zealand the adult eels start from.

12. Somewhat symbolically, the evolution of the New Zealand’s freshwater eels seem to reflect the movement pattern of humans. With Polynesian expansion moving down through Indonesia and colonizing islands further and further south. With Maori representing the southernmost Polynesian subgroup, and longfin being the southernmost freshwater eel.

Habitats

13. In a general sense, shortfin eel tend to dominate ‘soft-bottom’ habitats, which include lowland rivers, shallow coastal lakes and estuaries. Longfin tend to dominate ‘hard-bottom’ habitats, with gravel beds that tend to have higher flows and also tend to be further inland. But there is broad overlap in habitat use and their distributions, such that both species can be found under the same log 100m, or 100s of kms, inland.

14. The migrating elver stage of both species have excellent climbing ability, and are capable of scaling vertical walls as long as there is a damp margin to cling to. Migration pathways are key, however, because an eel will not be found inland unless it has had access from the sea. And conversely, an eel will not be able to complete its life cycle and reproduce unless it has access to the ocean.

15. Shortfin do appear to tolerate ‘poorer’ environmental conditions, and can be very abundant in highly modified drains and eutrophic lakes such as Poukawa and Whakaki.

16. Eels, and particularly shortfin, tend not to be a good indicator of water quality and ‘life supporting capacity’ from a western science perspective, because eels can tolerate conditions that more sensitive species cannot.

Threats

17. Habitat loss in New Zealand has been extensive, with stream straightening and wetland drainage both reducing the potential habitat for both eel species. Wetlands, for example, have been reduced by 90% around New Zealand, and by 98% in Hawkes Bay. Any initiatives aimed at enhancing or creating new habitat would be of benefit to eels.

18. Fish passage can also be a problem, although the excellent climbing abilities of elvers does mean eels are capable of accessing habitat that is inaccessible to other species. The council’s programme of identifying barriers, and fixing these where pragmatic, is ongoing and will be of benefit to eels.

19. There are some questions around pumping stations, with recent work from the Waikato identifying these as a potentially major source of mortality. Council is keeping abreast of this work so it can adjust its operations if required.

20. Hydroelectric turbines have been identified as a major cause of mortality for eels living upstream of hydro dams. Power companies around New Zealand are attempting to address this issue, with mixed success. There is an active eel programme funded by Genesis around the Waikaremoana hydro operation.

21. Commercial fishing is often the greatest determinant of whether a large population of adult eels will be present at a site or not. Fyke netting is an extremely efficient method of capturing eels, such that most large eels can be removed from fished reaches over a few nights of fishing. This only leaves small eels behind, and so when fishing pressure is high and regular, large eels (1m +) can be rare.

22. The sustainability of commercial fishing for eels and other commercial fished species is constantly being reviewed by the Minister of Primary Industries.

Decision Making Process

23. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Māori Committee receives and notes the “Eels from a Regional Council’s perspective” staff report and presentation.

Authored by:

Dr Andy Hicks

Team Leader/Principal Scientist - Water Quality and Ecology

Dr Stephen Swabey

Manager Science

Approved by:

Iain Maxwell

Group Manager
Resource Management

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

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