Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan

Nā tō mātou tupuna a Kupe te mānuka i whakatakoto, kia whāia tonutia e tātou i ōna tapuwae. Kua hīkina ake te mānuka, kua whakamaua kia ita - ko au ko te whenua, ko te whenua ko au!

With these words Kupe, explorer and tupuna, challenged us to follow his example and seek knowledge of the land. The people of Te Hoiere have taken up this challenge, together climbing a new path, strengthened by love of the land and respect for Papatūānuku. 

Te Hoiere / Pelorus is a unique landscape with a rich cultural history, stunning scenery, bountiful land and water, exceptional biodiversity, a strong primary industry, tourism sector and diverse recreational uses.

In recognition of its intrinsic values but also downward trends in the health of the catchment, the Te Hoiere / Pelorus Catchment Restoration Project was initiated with the aim of carrying out landscape scale restoration which sought to enhance and protect environmental wellbeing, but also provide social, cultural and economic benefits. Further information about the Project and linkages to other initiatives can be found under The Plan tab. This Catchment Enhancement Plan was developed to provide a strategic direction for the Project in the coming years.

The Te Hoiere community have deep connections, both past and present, with this landscape. The diversity of natural ecosystems ki uta ki tai (from mountains to sea) sustains their social and cultural wellbeing, and economic prosperity. The community are therefore deeply invested in protecting and maintaining the health of this special place.

This plan acknowledges the community of Te Hoiere as the custodians of their landscape, documents their aspirations for the future and the actions required to translate these into reality.

This plan is an ESRI ArcGIS Story Map – a website created from geospatial information, that enables the Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement plan to be a living, interactive platform for all to see. The plan can either be navigated using the header tabs (like a normal website), or by continuously scrolling through.

The plan celebrates what is special about Te Hoiere... the people and culture, the history, the biodiversity, and the connections between each as captured in the information, maps and stories below.

Catchment Overview

The following is a general overview of the Te Hoiere / Pelorus catchment. Explore the following Catchment Overview map to discover detailed information about the environment, people and history of the area. With thanks to the authors referenced in this section – see the reference list at the end for website links and paper information.

Landscape

The Te Hoiere / Pelorus catchment spans 110,108 hectares. Flowing through its nine sub-catchments is an abundance of freshwater streams and rivers. Together, these watercourses sustain the land and its diverse ecosystems, the Motuweka / Havelock and Māhakipaoa estuary receiving environments, and ultimately, the Te Hoiere/Pelorus sound. 

The catchment falls within the Marlborough Region, and is bordered by the Mt Richmond Forest Park in the South – South West, and the Marlborough Sounds in the North – North East.   

Biodiversity

The majority of land cover in Te Hoiere is indigenous forest. The catchment’s many headwaters are largely clad in native beech and mixed beech-podocarp forest. Precious remnant old-growth forest on the alluvial floodplains hosts matai, rimu and totara forest – if you visit Te Hoiere / Pelorus Bridge at night you might even see the critically endangered pekapeka / long-tailed bats that call this forest home.

Te Hoiere is home to abundant indigenous biodiversity, with most of some species of flora and fauna only found here. See the Biodiversity layer in the overview map for descriptions of 22 threatened and uncommon species you might discover across the landscape.

There are many other species precious to Te Hoiere including those of significance to tangata whenua for dyeing, weaving, rongoā (healing) and kai, and to the wider community for iconic bird song. Some of these include muka flax (fibrous harakeke flax used for weaving), pigeonwood, miro, kaikomako, kohekohe, kereru and kārearea. 

Community

The diverse community of Te Hoiere includes among others farmers, foresters, artisans, lifestylers, tourism industry workers, conservation workers and aquaculture workers. There are several schools across the catchment which together cover years 1-13.

Ngāti Kuia are celebrated and respected as Mana Whenua and kaitiaki of Te Hoiere, and likewise, Rangitāne o Wairau as Mana Whenua of the Kaituna sub-catchment.

The Te Hoiere community is intrinsically connected to the natural environment, with passionate and active participation in restoration work across the sub-catchments. 

Climate

The catchment falls within the Te Hoiere / Pelorus Ecological District, of the Richmond Ecological Region. The winter climate across the catchment ranges from cold and wet in the valleys, with frosty winters, to warmer in the hill country. In summer months, the climate is warmer but often wet. Rainfall in the catchment is high, particularly in the Rai sub-catchment. Annual rainfall across the catchment has been recorded as high as 2650mm.

Soils and geology

The soils across Te Hoiere are highly erodible, with clay content up to 60%. The underlying geology in the valleys is mostly alluvial sediments and graywacke rock, with graywacke and schist in the mountains (Davidson & Wilson, 2011, Boffa Miskell & Marlborough District Council, 2015).

Land use change

Due to erosion and poor soil fertility, farming in the catchment declined around the 1930’s with farmers converting the land to pine plantations or leaving the land to regenerate (Urlich and Handley, 2020). From 1980, after a brief farming resurgence, widespread regeneration to native forest, or conversion to pine plantations has occurred throughout the catchment. 

Catchment Overview Map

The following map shows a wealth of information about Te Hoiere, including cultural mapping provided by Ngāti Kuia. Click the info symbol for instructions on how to use the map.

Historic Aerial Imagery Map

This map shows the latest aerial imagery, overlaying historic aerial images captured between 1943 and 1960 (credit to Retrolens). Zoom in and out using the + - buttons, and move the map around by clicking and dragging with the mouse. Drag the slider from side to side to see change in the landscape over time.

Scenes from Te Hoiere

Community Stories

This Plan is the voice of the Te Hoiere community: these are some of their stories.

The following Map Tour shows community stories shared during the Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan engagement.

By clicking on a story, or a pin on the map, you can then journey through the stories across the catchment by scrolling down. Zoom in by clicking the + - buttons in the bottom righthand corner. Click the round cross button at any time to carry on to the next section, or use the tabs at the top to navigate.

References:

Boffa Miskell & Marlborough District Council (2015). Marlborough Landscape Study. August 2015

Davidson, P. & Wilson, S. (2011). Groundwaters of Marlborough. Marlborough District Council.

Dennis, G. (2020). Te Hoiere / Pelorus Bat Recovery Project Bat Monitoring Programme Scoping Report 2020-2030.

LAWA (2020). Marlborough Region – River Water Quality. Visit  https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/marlborough-region/river-quality/ 

LAWA (2020). Marlborough Region – Land Cover. Visit  https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/marlborough-region/ 

Lochead, L. (2012). The Battle for the Rai (1898). Visit  https://www.environmentalhistory-au-nz.org/2012/11/the-battle-for-the-rai-1898 

McKinnon, M. 'Marlborough places - Pelorus valley', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Visit  http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/marlborough-places/page-2 

Marlborough NZ (n.d.). Te Hoiere / Pelorus Heritage. Visit  https://marlboroughnz.com/guides/heritage/pelorus 

Marlborough Online (n.d.) Marlborough Information. Visit  https://www.marlboroughonline.co.nz/marlborough/information/ 

NZ Fishing (n.d.). Nelson Marlborough: Where to Fish. Visit  https://nzfishing.com/nelson-marlborough/where-to-fish 

NZ Landcare Trust (2009). The Rai Valley Project Book. Visit  https://www.landcare.org.nz/file/the-rai-valley-project-book-2009/open 

Urlich & Handley (2020). From ‘clean and green’ to ‘brown and down’: A synthesis of historical changes to biodiversity and marine ecosystems in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. Ocean and Coastal Management, 198

van der Heide, M. (2012). Ngāti Kuia keen to save, enhance former lands. Visit  https://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7801209/Ngati-Kuia-keen-to-save-enhance-former-lands 

The Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan reflects over 400 individual voices and 1400 statements collected through a process of ‘planning by the community for the community’.  

The community of Te Hoiere has crafted their collective voice into the following vision, aspirations, principles and actions which constitute the elements of this Plan.

Actions

Actions taken and under way

The actions celebrate and enhance past and current community efforts, promote further participation in its implementation, and strengthen capacity and ownership to take it forward. Over time, pins will be added to this map as actions in the Plan are funded and initiated.

The Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan

There are more than 70 primary and multiple sub-actions spread across the following 9 action categories, which together form the Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan. These actions are further distributed and over the Immediate, Short, Medium and Long term.

The level of detail for each in terms of the Who, How, When, and Where for each action will be refined as part of the Plan implementation phase. 

Implementing the Plan

The Te Hoiere Restoration Project is being undertaken within the context of various statutory plans and other complimentary initiatives at varying scales within and beyond the catchment. The actions have been designed to align with the objectives, efforts and resources of these other initiatives to optimize the effort and collective benefit. These key initiatives include among others, the  Kotahitangamō te Taiao Alliance (KMTT ), the Marlborough District Council Environment Plan, the Ministry for Environments At-Risk Catchment programme, the Department of Conservations Nga Awa project, and the strategic objectives and vision of Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne. 

The collaborative nature of efforts across the top of the south and are encapsulated in the Kotahitanga mō Te Taiao Alliance.

A project monitoring and evaluation framework will be developed that will build on the range of historical and ongoing research and monitoring. The planning will also be informed by additional baseline surveys including catchment condition assessments and additional water quality monitoring, all designed by and with the community across the catchment. 

“The aim is to get a complete picture of what’s going on in our waterways so money can later be spent where benefits will be greatest.”  

With funding from the Freshwater Improvement Fund, catchment condition surveys were completed by June 2021. Catchments surveyed include: Linkwater, Opouri, Ronga, Tunakino, Rai, upper Te Hoiere and lower Te Hoiere, Wakamarina and Kaituna catchments.

The surveys map: stream features (stream classification, stock damage, riparian width, fencing etc.), in-stream structures (fish passage barriers), bank stability, critical contaminant source areas, weed infestations, and potential areas for planting and erosion mitigation.

Each farmer who participates in the surveys will receive a map of their property with in-depth information on waterways on their property. Once the surveys are all completed analysis of the results will guide the Project with a detailed picture of the condition of the freshwater environment across the catchments and enable initiatives to address areas where benefits will be the greatest.

The Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan is aspirational in its outlook but is grounded in the acknowledgement that meaningful change is often intergenerational and is influenced by regional and global environmental, economic, and social drivers beyond the catchment borders. The Plan therefore has resilience at its core.

While change can take time, there is no time to like the present to start. The project is therefore action orientated and embraces the idea of learning by doing. This all requires an adaptive management approach that involves regular reflection and monitoring of progress against the project objectives, outcomes, and proactive consideration of external influences. To find out about the latest Project progress check out our  Facebook page  and our  Website .

The Te Hoiere Catchment Enhancement Plan was developed by the Te Hoiere community and Te Hoiere / Pelorus Restoration Project Steering and Governance Groups, in collaboration with Morphum Environmental Ltd and Heather Collins Consulting.

The Te Hoiere / Pelorus Restoration Project would not be possible without the help and ongoing support from partner agencies and organizations.