Workstream 1 - Site-specific projects
Balfour Project
The Balfour Project is a collaborative project between Reimagining Mataura, E3 Scientific, and Chris and Andrea Bulleid. Chris and Andrea are sheep and beef farmers on the 850-hectare Glengordon Farm at Longridge North near Balfour. They are proactive members of the Balfour catchment group trying to create on-farm solutions that will have positive environmental and economic outcomes.
Their project aims to create an approximately one-hectare constructed wetland on their property. The location of the proposed wetland is around a significant stream on their property which is surrounded by a wet area that is problematic, particularly in the winter months. The proposed wetland will hold back water during high rainfall events and help to filter sediments.
The project is underway in its planning phase. The team from E3 Scientific visited the proposed wetland site in May and are currently working on putting together a comprehensive wetland restoration plan. This will give Chris and Andrea the information they need to carry out all site work using their own machinery and resources. The planning component of this project is expected to be completed by August 2023, with site works beginning next summer.
Contractor: E3 Scientific Environmental Consulting
Contact: Alexandra Badenhop – Technical Director of Water and Environmental Management - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Cattle Flat Project
The project at Cattle Flat is a multi-staged approach to improving an area of the upper Mataura River. Site work at Cattle Flat will be completed in three stages, the first of which is currently underway.
Stage one involves first gaining site access through the Crown agencies that manage the land at Cattle Flat. A contractor will then spray and manually remove vegetation from an approximately one-hectare gravel island in the centre of the river. This will allow for the redistribution of gravel by natural flood events, creating a better river path and improving the flow.
Stage two will establish regular and ongoing hydrological monitoring at the site. The monitoring will be carried out both above and below the gravel beds using two RiverWatch Waka monitoring devices. These will measure pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity at frequent intervals. The monitoring will allow site works to be measurable, so it can be determined whether it is successful.
Stage three will involve a larger, longer-term project of restoring current farmland and Crown-managed land to wetlands and/or braid plain. This will create natural flood buffers, increase biodiversity, and improve the overall state of the river at this location. The first two stages of this project are expected to be completed by the end of 2023, with the longer-restoration project to be negotiated with nearby landowners.
Contractor: Hokonui Rūnanga Kaupapa Taiao
Contact: Brian Kerr - Biosecurity and Biodiversity Project Manager - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Gore Project
The Gore project is a collaboration between Reimagining Mataura, Fulton Hogan, DOC, E3 Scientific, and GeoSolve Consulting. It is only in its initial planning stage currently, but the aim is to incorporate Fulton Hogan’s gravel extraction process with localised river restoration.
Over the next approximately 30 years, 40 hectares of land will be used for gravel extraction while gradually restoring it back to braided river habitat in the process. This will be done by scraping the topsoil off, extracting the required gravel, and waiting for high flood events to rearrange the remaining loosened gravel. The river will then redistribute the gravel into wider braids and over time re-braid the channel to be wider and shallower.
Fulton Hogan has installed groundwater and surface water sensors across the 40-hectare block, as well as in the main river channel. Discussions are ongoing between all parties as Fulton Hogan begins to make decisions about who will be involved with the project, what baseline information is needed, and what the result could look like. This will feed into the development of a consent application for the project that will incorporate adaptive management abilities into the process.
The project will ultimately have net benefits to the river, water quality, hazard management, and biodiversity while creating a positive future asset to the area and supplying gravel that will support the community, businesses, and public infrastructure for the next approximately 30 years.
Contact: Fulton Hogan - Don Chittock New Zealand Quarries Environment and Sustainability Manager - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Workstream 2 - Data and Information
Hydrological Data Project
The hydrological data project aims to provide baseline hydrological information for the whole Mataura catchment. Working with Sarah Mager from the University of Otago, we are bringing together existing water quality and flow records from historic and contemporary sites across the catchment. This will allow us to see what data we have currently and where there are significant gaps.
We are only in the beginning stages of this project but aim for the findings to be included in future decision-making regarding data collection across the Mataura River catchment. We are also scoping an adjunct project that will consider the geomorphological changes at sites of significance to provide a more detailed picture of the change of the awa over time.
Contact: Sarah Mager – Senior Lecturer in Geography and Hydrology at the University of Otago - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
Workstream 3 - Wetland Establishment
Wetland Research and Case Studies Project
The wetland research and establishment project will focus on bringing together existing information on wetland establishment across Murihiku and developing a series of case studies that demonstrate successful wetland establishment. It will also involve the creation of a priority site list for locations where wetland establishment may be beneficial across the Mataura River catchment.
This background research and collation work will feed into the creation of a wetland establishment framework. This project has yet to be contracted, but we hope to have it completed by the end of 2023/the start of 2024 so the results can feed into the discussion document.
Wetland Data Configuration Project
The wetland data configuration project will use the results from the initial research project and convert these into a wetland establishment framework/data strategy that will support the decision-making process of new wetland creation and be used to make effective decisions.
The end goal is that a geospatial data layer will be added to the existing webviewer and will be able to show what type of wetland will be best suited to specific locations, based on a series of necessary conditions. This project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, with the potential for some ongoing work in early 2024.
Contractor: Takiwā New Zealand Limited
Contact: Tasman Gillies – Programme Director - [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]