The removal of pest plants, weeds, litter and overgrown vegetation from a section alongside Waitara’s Tangaora Stream is giving those involved in the innovative NPDC project a clear vision of an exciting future for the once-buried stream.

In recent weeks, Manukorihi Hapū Charitable Trust and contractor Tui Landscape Services have worked on the middle section of the stream at Owae Marae – one step in a project that will help reduce flooding in eastern Waitara and also enhance the mana of this culturally important stream.

Further work will see this 250m section of stream being restored to a clear channel, and more planting.

Part of NPDC’s larger Waitara stormwater upgrades programme, the Tangaroa Project aims to make groundwater flow more freely and naturally away from properties in the area. Currently, parts of Tangaroa Stream are clogged and unhealthy, or piped underground in places.

“Basically, we’re helping the stream to do what it originally did before urban development and weeds came along: drain the land of excess water during heavy rainfall rather than it building up on fields and private properties,” says NPDC Manager Three Waters Mark Hall.

The $15.8m project aims to restore the stream to its original watercourse along its entire length, from the spring at Armstrong Avenue through to Pennington Park and the Waitara River. The work includes opening up the piped sections to daylight once again, installing new stormwater infrastructure such as a wetland and a new outlet to the Waitara River, and restoring ecological habitats for birds, invertebrates and fish.

This project will ensure Tangaroa Stream’s long-term management and good health, given its cultural importance to mana whenua.

“That long-term view will enable Waitara residents to gain a better understanding of the vital stormwater management role that Tangaroa Stream and other water catchments have, for generations to come,” says Mark.

The project’s budget has $14m from NPDC and $1.8m from the Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature Investment Package.

Fast facts

• NPDC is investing $248 million over the 10 years to 2031 to fix the district’s plumbing.
• Last year, NPDC finished the first stage of the Waitara stormwater project with the installation of a large diversion pipe down Richmond Street.

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