Fri 12 May 2017

Help is at hand for our wetlands, with the Taranaki Regional Council providing funding towards the enhancement and creation of regionally significant wetlands throughout Taranaki.

Wetlands and seeps act like sponges by storing water and allowing it to seep out in an even and continuous flow, says Land Services Manager Don Shearman.

"They’re also important for maintaining and improving water quality, and they provide vital habitat for rare and threatened species.”

He says ‘regionally significant wetlands’ contain predominantly native plant species or are habitats for nationally threatened or regionally distinctive animal species. “Ringplain and coastal terrace farmers are required to fence off their regionally significant wetlands as part of having their riparian management plan completed by 2020. But we do also encourage people to protect and enhance all wetlands, not just those that are regionally significant.”

He says farmers should talk to their Land Management Officers about what funding is available for the region’s ring plain, coastal terrace and hillcountry wetlands.

Additionally, the Council is boosting its funding towards the removal of invasive willows in rivers, riparian margins and regionally significant wetlands. These willows can choke waterways and cause flooding, so their removal helps wetlands and seeps function better.

North of Hawera, near Matapu, is a 180-hectare dairy farm that increasingly showcases healthy wetlands and good riparian management. The Inaha Stream flows through Andrew and Penny Meuli’s farm, and the couple have worked hard to protect and enhance the river and its borders.

“It’s mainly the stream that runs across the farm, but wetlands seep into it,” Andrew explains.

The Meulis, who have received Council money for willow removal, have poisoned then removed more than two kilometres of willows from their already fenced-off stream, wetlands and riparian areas, and planted those areas with native vegetation.

The couple milk 600 Friesian-cross cows, and started implementing their riparian management plan in 2009 with help from the Council’s Land Management Officers. Having removed the willows, they put 12,660 plants in their riparian and wetlands areas, with another 1500 ordered for 2017/18.

Andrew says the willow removal tidied the river and improved its channel and flow. “There’s less bank erosion and in adverse weather it sticks to its course, rather than flooding and doing damage.”

He figures the waterway is also cleaner, and says their wider riparian work has brought improvements in health and safety, wildlife, aesthetics and stock safety.

Land Management Officer Claire Robertson is full of praise for the Meulis, saying they’re proactive, take on ideas quickly, and want to do their best for the environment.

Andrew is a fifth-generation farmer who’s been on the farm for 15 years and recently took over from his parents.

He and Penny are stoic about the importance of environmental protection and caring for future generations. “The dirty dairying thing – we need to knock that on the head. I don’t know an industry that’s been as pro-active about the environment.

“We’ve personally been progressive every year with the (riparian) planting. It’s been blocked into the farm maintenance system as a cost, even in low payout years. The major benefit is that we’re done – we’re not behind. The Council’s been fantastic. Claire’s been great. We have the plans they prepared for us, and they come out and see what we’ve done – see what we need to do.

“I’ve had great support from them and they’ve come in with a good attitude. They haven’t said, ‘you’ve got to do this, do that’. They’ve worked with the farmer, which always goes down well. We work in well together.

And he has this advice for farmers who’ve been reluctant to embrace riparian management:

“Just get your head around that it needs to be done and do it properly from the start. Too many people have made narrow margins and fenced, and they haven’t saved themselves anything. Do a bit every year and keep on top of it. Don’t hold it off, ’cause you’re going to have to catch up.”

Andrew now aims to maintain and finish the work in their plan and in other marginal spots. He talks of spot-planting areas; of keeping them well-fenced to keep stock out.

“It’s great. I love riding past it,” he says of their clean stream. “We’re definitely doing a good thing. On a nice day we see more birds down there, and ducks taking shelter. I’ve shown our daughters what it was and what we’ve got now.

“Before, it was choked upstream with willows, with possums hanging out of the willows. Now it’s an open, flowing waterway with flax and grass and tui hanging out of it. I think a fantail is a sign of a happy place and there’s a few of them around,” he says.

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