The Kaiwharawhara stream is born at the top of Te Māra-a-Tāne Zealandia ecosanctuary, collects in the dammed upper reservoir, feeds down through a manmade wetland area to the lower reservoir and then winds its way through the western suburbs and down the Ngaio Gorge, finishing its journey at Wellington Harbour beside the ferry terminal.
It’s an incredibly modified, urban landscape. But CEO of Zealandia, Dr Danielle Shanahan, has a plan to return the catchment to its former glory.
Zealandia has a long-term vision to restore the mauri of its freshwater catchment. Photo: Zealandia
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It will take a lot of work. But Danielle, remains undaunted: “This is a 100-year vision of restoring the mouri or lifeforce of this absolutely incredible catchment.”
This collaborative project – called Kia mouriora te Kaiwharawhara, Sanctuary to sea – will involve dealing with historic landfills within the catchment, providing fish passage for native ika to be able to move upstream, and advocating to ensure future developments are freshwater friendly.
For Danielle, it must start at home.
Zealandia’s freshwater areas have a rich history – dams constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped provide water to the city. Lately the team has been working hard to restore the upper reservoir (now called Roto Māhanga), the lower reservoir (referred to as Roto Kawau after the shags that hang out there), and the manmade wetland area in between.
The most recent addition, just last week, is toitoi, or the common bully, to Roto Māhanga.
Listen to the full episode to hear Danielle explain why the toitoi are an important part of the ecosystem, and what Zealandia’s future freshwater plans are.
More than 100 native freshwater fish toitoi spent three weeks in quarantine in preparation for the move to Zealandia. Photo: Kari Bevan / Zealandia
