Ele Ludemann: Gold-plated planting

South of Waikouaiti my farmer spotted a large area of new planting. It’s part of Toitū Te Hakapupu: The Pleasant River Catchment Restoration Project :

Otago Regional Council is partnering with Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki to restore and enhance the mauri and health of this important East Otago river system. For Kāi Tahu, the river was an important kāika mahika kai (food gathering settlement) where tuna (eels), pātiki (flounders) and īnaka (whitebait) were abundant. Today’s diverse community, whose own history, connection, and livelihood are tied to this catchment, are important collaborators in the success of this project.

Together, there is a journey to create a catchment restoration action plan to inspire us to sustain the awa. The plan aims to enhance the wider ecosystem, improve water quality by reducing the amount of sediment and nutrient input to the rivers and estuary, and use the best of Kāi Tahu mātauraka (knowledge) and modern science to sustain our efforts. . .

The catchment restoration action plan will be a living document with long-term goals. Some of the work we have planned to gather information to support decision-making is: 

• Establishing environmental baselines and developing a water quality monitoring framework that could be supported through community science
• Identifying sites where the most sediment and/or nutrients are getting into the river and working with landowners to find ways to reduce the effects on water quality. One of the ways to reduce sediment and nutrient movement is to fence off stream edges and plant native trees to stabilise banks
• Identifying barriers to fish movement and making sure they protect our native fish species
• Working with landowners to develop sediment management plans to help reduce sediment and nutrient input into the water

Restoring the catchment is commendable but a little research discovered that it is costing $5 million and the money is coming from MPI.

As a ratepayer I’m relieved that the council isn’t funding that but as a taxpayer I have a question: is that amount of money justified or is this gold-plated planting?

Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.