The 2 millionth tree in a coordinated planting programme is due to be planted by the end of August 2024.
In 2020, Auckland Council allocated $10 million to the Kaipara Remediation Programme (KMR) with the goal of protecting and restoring the moana. Since then, extensive progress has been made with plantings and fencing – critical work in the effort to restore the harbour.
The Kaipara Harbour is a natural wonder in Auckland’s north-west, but sediment run-off into the moana threatens its health. Planting helps stabilise the soil and stop sediment run-off into the moana. It also promotes biodiversity – enabling bird and insect life to flourish.
Fencing is an integral part of the plan, keeping livestock away from the harbour and its tributaries, helping to prevent effluent from getting into the moana. It also protects areas that have been planted, so that livestock can’t get in and damage seedlings and established trees. To date more than 800km of fencing has been completed or contracted – the same distance as from Cape Reinga to Napier!
Councillor Kerrin Leoni, who is also a member of the Kaipara Moana Remediation Joint Committee, says she’s thrilled with the progress the programme has made.
“Auckland Council is proud to be a key partner in the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme, which aims to restore this taonga back to being healthy, self-sustaining and naturally productive.
“The Kaipara Moana is a significant geographic feature in the northern part of the region and is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved for their mahi so far. They should be proud of going above and beyond to exceed recent planting and fencing targets.
“The Kaipara Moana is extremely important to Tāmaki Makaurau and Auckland Council, and alongside our other partners, we will continue to support the programme to achieve its goals.”
KMR Pou Tātaki (chief executive) Justine Daw says the support of Auckland Council and other founding partners has been key to the programme’s success.
“Alongside the environmental benefits from KMR, we’ve also been investing in people, training 115 people last year and upskilling them through nature-facing employment.
“Through our projects, KMR has created over 285,000 hours of new work to date – a year’s worth of work for over 180 people, often in rural areas. Close to 50 local businesses are also providing support to KMR projects right around the catchment.
“The Auckland floods and cyclone in 2023 really highlighted the value of protecting waterways and wetlands and planting trees. That’s why we’re so thrilled to have received the 1000th expression of interest from farmers, hapū, whānau, marae, catchment groups and community groups in taking action to restore the moana.”
The Kaipara Moana is Aotearoa’s largest harbour and is home to some of the country’s rarest ecosystems including freshwater, sand-dune, seagrass and estuarine ecosystems.
The Kaipara Moana is the breeding ground for snapper, making it economically important and a much-loved place frequented by recreational fishers.
Over the years the moana has been degraded by deforestation and intensive land-use with less than 10 per cent of the original native forest and 5 per cent of wetlands remaining.
Soil erosion and sediment run-off can affect the quality of the moana and can potentially be harmful to humans and animals - making the harbour unsafe for swimming, drinking and gathering kai.
In 2020 Auckland Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Kaipara Moana Remediation Programme alongside the Ministry for the Environment, Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua Te Uri o Hau and Northland Regional Council.
The Kaipara Remediation Programme is a decade-long $200 million programme to protect and restore the mauri of the Kaipara Moana. It comprises $100 million from the Crown through a Deed of Funding with contributions of $10 million each from Auckland Council and Northland Regional Council. A further $80 million is budgeted, to be sourced in other ways from landowners, industry associations and philanthropic organisations.
