Kaituna River Re-diversion and Maketu Estuary Enhancement Project

After an absence of more than 60 years, significant volumes of freshwater is again flowing through the Te Awa o Ngātoroirangi / Maketu Estuary on the Bay of Plenty Coast in New Zealand. Mud crabs, tuangi (cockles), and titiko (mud snails) have all started to recolonize the area.

Location

Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Client

BAY OF PLENTY REGIONAL COUNCIL | TE MOANA

Project Value

16.6 M

Project Status

COMPLETED: JUNE 2013 – MARCH 2020

The return of wildlife to this highly sensitive environment is the result of a NZ＄16.6M project to reverse the damage caused when the Kaituna River was diverted from the estuary in 1956.

As planning consultant, ecological consultant and project manager, we have been at the nerve center of the scheme, working in collaboration with the community to restore the estuary’s ecology in a way that benefits nature and enriches the local area both economically and culturally.

A collaborative approach

Joining the project team in 2013, our initial role was to work with the Regional Council to bring together all those with an interest in the area so that they could share their views about how the project could best be progressed.

Working together with the Regional Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council, we sought to go beyond consulting with iwi and the wider community. We directly collaborated with local people, drawing on their knowledge and memories of the area to plan a solution for improving the health of Maketu Estuary.

Our challenge was to balance the need to create ecological and cultural gains for the estuary and enhance the area for people as a recreational space for fishing and boating. We also needed to manage costs and minimize potential adverse environmental effects, such as flood risk.

Listen to the Podcast: Enhancing an Estuary, Restoring a River

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This project has created a legacy for future generations. We are showing that large-scale environmental damage can be reversed although the recovery will take time. By working in collaboration with iwi, the community and public bodies, we can create the opportunity for nature to heal itself. On a personal level, the project’s scope and scale has been career-defining for me

Stephanie Brown Technical Principal - Planning & Environment, WSP

A balanced solution

The resulting project involved re-diverting around 20% of the Kaituna’s flow via a new 650m channel and control gates, construction of new public boat ramp facilities, as well as the re-creation of more than 20ha of wetlands. By keeping the Te Tumu Cut open, we were able to maintain flood protection and boat access to the sea.

In the process of successfully steering this large-scale project through the planning system, our team developed a 360 view of the scheme. As a result, we were asked to become the project manager for the construction stage during which we maintained our focus on community engagement, holding face-to-face meetings with the local community every three months alongside other community focused activities.

Healing the Te Tuma Cut

Construction of the river re-diversion and Maketu Estuary enhancement project was completed in 2020. With every tidal cycle, 600,000 cubic meters of freshwater flows through the estuary, washing out more and more of the sand and silt that built up over six decades.

Our involvement with this special place continues. We are now overseeing a five-year program of full-scale ecological monitoring to evaluate the emerging ecosystem of this fragile area.

And the early signs are encouraging. As the smaller creatures return to the mudflats, the birds are following. Gradually, the area once celebrated as the ‘food bowl’ of the Te Arawa people is recovering its mauri (life force, essence).