The Napier City Council recently completed consultation on its draft ‘Masterplan’ for the Ahuriri Regional Park.

Ultimately what’s at stake is whether the Ahuriri estuary continues to be a dumping receptacle for industrial and urban stormwater and agricultural run-off or is rescued as an ecological treasure.

NCC has represented its plans as foremost an environmental and recreational project, but even those two positive objectives can collide.

Responding to the consultation, NCC has taken pains to affirm that “treating stormwater is a ‘must do’”, pointing to the scheme’s proposed use of wetlands and detention ponds to help filter stormwater before it enters the estuary.

Aspects of the plan more focused on recreation have been pushed back, but not eliminated.

Councillor Keith Price, Chair of Napier City Council’s Infrastructure committee says: “There’s been some concern that this project was stepping outside Council’s core infrastructure responsibilities. I’m now comfortable that Stage 1, funded over the next ten years, has a clear and sole focus on delivering for Napier’s stormwater management under our resource consent. That’s our priority, and this project reflects that.”

“The proposed visitor centre, sculpture area, freedom camping and campsite have all been moved out in the Plan to possible future partnership opportunities. Proposed built forms on the edge of the estuary have been removed to keep the spaces as natural as possible. Proposed observations towers have been reduced in height after community feedback suggested a lower structure would work better in the space.”

The project’s indicative budget of $13.2 million is set out in Napier’s Long-Term Plan, budgeted over 10 years.

More information on the Masterplan here.

Planning for the project is closely monitored by the Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society (AEPS), the voice BayBuzz trusts most to advocate that environmental goals – matched by effective measures in the ultimate plan – remain the top priority.

We asked Angie Denby, AEPS Chair, for an assessment of the post-consultation state of play. Here it is … worth a full read if you’re concerned about the estuary’s ecological health.

Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society (AEPS) members have taken a keen interest in engaging in and observing the process. At the top of AEPS mind is the proposed cleaning of ‘untreated’ stormwater before it enters Te Whanganui a Orotū, the Ahuriri estuary, and wanting to ensure that awareness is raised about wildlife disturbance in the estuary if there are increased recreational activities on the estuary channel.

The ARP project appears to be in two parts: 1) the Stormwater wetlands and, 2) the educational/recreational Park projects.

The Stormwater wetlands have many challenges – 

a) the nature of the piece of land, 
b) which stormwater drains can be channeled into it, 
c) which stormwater drains pose issues getting stormwater in there, 
d) and if certain stormwater can’t be moved to the wetlands, what alternatives are there to ‘clean it’ before it enters the estuary. 

These issues are being worked through by the experts.

At present, the most recent advice from staff explains that only the Purimu stream catchment will be included in the new wetlands, and then only the ‘first flush’ from the shorter, more frequent intense rainfall events will enter, not the water from a major prolonged event. The rest of the time, the Purimu stream catchment water will flow directly to the estuary.                                                                                                 

To include the water from remaining waterways will require extensive pipe work, though the wetland design has capacity to include it all. The Taipo Stream is not considered suitable to include. The remaining more-challenging stormwater waterways are the ones that currently running along the town-ward side of the expressway – the old Tutaekuri Riverbed waterway, the County drain, and all drains that run into the estuary from industrial, commercial, and urban waterways near town. Their inclusion appears to be a very distant possibility                                                                                                

People glancing at the plan may well presume that all 70% of Napier’s stormwater will be diverted through the new wetlands for final ‘polishing’, and, at this point, it is not the case.                                                                                                               

We can see this is a very complex piece of work, and we will continue to follow the process, talk with project managers, and encourage the best outcomes for the estuary.                                                                                                                                       

Regarding the ‘Park/Recreational’ aspect, when looking at initial ideas we were surprised at the amount of proposed human access proposed into Te Whanganui a Orotū/Ahuriri Estuary, when areas there are designated Wildlife Refuge. The plan’s aims appeared to be to ensure greater access to people, and it did not appear to consider the protection needed for wildlife to thrive. 

The estuary channel is the tidal feeding ground for many varieties of wading birds, including godwits/kuaka, the migratory birds that fly 11,000 km non-stop to New Zealand every Spring. The bird’s food is the macroinvertebrates that live in the mud, therefore the less disturbance the better. In the Upper Estuary there are sensitive bird habitats for the endangered Australasian Bittern.

In the final draft of the Masterplan, there appears to have been some re-thinking in response to public submissions. As you can imagine, we weren’t the only ones wanting the best interests of Te Whanganui a Orotū and its wildlife given precedence. We are thankful for the removal of the proposed high towers and other structures from the estuary channel edge. We still wonder about the viability of waka landings in the tidal area of the shallow estuary channel, and wonder what other ideas have been put to the side in the meantime. 

We are certainly interested to know what the avian expert will have to say about the wildlife birds and their needs, as well as what they recommend enabling the airport to lessen its current and future bird-strike risk.

The ARP Joint Committee won’t meet again now until after the Local Body Election. At that time, there will be new faces around the table, as there will be movement amongst council staff.

Priorities are:

1. fulfilling the NCC Resource Consent for stormwater management
2. ensuring the safety of Hawkes Bay Airport
3. and, to Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society, protecting and restoring our taonga, Te Whanganui a Orotū and the wildlife for future generations.

Angie Denby
Chair, Ahuriri Estuary Protection Society