GROUNDWATER STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP
BRAINSTORM ON ISSUES REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND HUTT’S WATER
9 APRIL 2016
Attendees are listed at the end of this document.
1.QUICK INITIAL SCAN AROUND ROOM OF CONCERNS
- Commidification of water
- Sustainability
- Stream revitalisation
- Being near water
- Where are the activities on the river?
- Riverbank is special – needs to be used more
- Partnerships important
- City facing the river
- The river mouth is the view from the city
- Stormwater
- Flood management
- River as educational resource
- Volunteers relationship to the community
- Whakapapa connects us to waterways
- Te Homa stream cleanup
- Groundwater (acquifer) in relationship to river water
- History of inhabitants around the river mouth
- Environmental strategy
- Relationship between residential and Waiwhetu Stream
- Use of berms for art events
- River changes – loss of waterholes, river straightened: character is lost.
- KEY ISSUES
The group was then divided by five identified key water bodies: Waiwhetu Stream, the Hutt Aquifer, Hutt River, Wainuiomata and Korokoro Stream/Catchpool Stream
Each group had four minutes to brainstorm each on paper on social, political, economic, spiritual and environmental issues for their chosen area.
- SOCIAL
WAIWHETU STREAM
-Dog poo/ dog walking
-Duck feeding
-Safety
-Marae community
-Eeling and whitebaiting
-Perception as dangerous
-understanding the area as a reserve
-watercress gathering/pollution
-Friends of Waiwhetu
KOROKORO STREAM/CATCHPOOL STREAM
-Korokoro Environment Group/ Petone Action group – activity in Korokoro has contributed to the development and credibility of these local groups
-Recreational use
-Suburb identity
-Isolated from shops but have still maintained their own school, playcentre and these are central in the community.
-One of the whitest wealthiest suburbs.
-Suburb is active politically and are quite self-sufficient
AQUIFER
-Social gathering place at the Aquifer pumps “bumping up space”
– Hutt as destination for people who value water
-Social leveler
-Our use of water from aquifer expresses people’s values (e.g. anti-flouride, sustainable living)
– Can be a bit ‘in the know’ insider story
-Full extent and impact of aquifer is invisible.
WAINUIOMATA
-Recreational use – walkways/cycleways/trout
-Education
-Connection “between” – lighthouse/forest park/rock climbers/absailing (economy)/Friends of Baring Head Trust/Orongorongo Environmental Group/Rimutaka Forest Park Trust/DOC/ Hunters/Trampers/Campers/Orienteering/Rural residents/Geocaching
HUTT RIVER
-Activities – risks and issues: permissions/floods. Water quality dangers.
Flood protection vs social use (infrastructure vs social)
-Leisure activities (spontaneous) – River Trail improves accessibility. But still issues due to lack/quality of walkways and public safety
-Educational resource
– 1 million plus users – conflict of use providing for and managing the diversity of users.
-Schools on the banks are: Randwick/Belmont/Boulcott etc.
-Climate change – severe weather events. Rising seas effecting river mouth.
- ENVIRONMENTAL
WAIWHETU STREAM
-Stormwater contaimination
-Concrete channel – Naenae
-Weir impediment to inanga migration
-sewerage contamination
-Too large stormwater catchment area
-Lack of shade
-Dog poo
-Eeling
-Whitebaiting
-Duckfeeding
KOROKORO STREAM/CATCHPOOL STREAM
-Range of vegetation in catchment – is highly modified. Coastal broadleaf in various stages of revegetation. Some pasture.
-Some forestry blocks (commercial and noncommercial in catchment)
-Significant pest and animal control ongoing by GWRC
-Streambanks often exposed to light and heat
-Appears to be an increase in native birds
-Catchpool – connection to the sea affected by trout access up Wainuiomata River and water quality
-The area is attractive to walkers/runners/bikers. It will become even more attractive as the benefits of being amongst protected lands within Belmont Regional Park.
-Catchpool has five endangered species of fish. Culverts an issue
AQUIFER
-Threat of salination
-Land use on top of the aquifer
-Hutt River needs to be kept healthy for aquifer
-History of area as market gardens
-Most of aquifer protected by layer of silt
– vulnerable area of river gravel above Melling Bridge
WAINUIOMATA
-Natural wetland building base
-Flooding risk
-Pollution: coast
– health risk (Homedale area)
-Trout
– Loss of natural wetlands
-Stock on waterways
-Rubbish, illegal dumping
-Leaching from former landfill
-1080?
-Scrub in stream sediment
-water weeds – nutrients
-Chemical use
HUTT RIVER
-Natural vs manmade
-Environmental vs safety
-Balancing access for social use with the ‘health’ of the river
-Biodiversity
-Water quality
-climate change
-RMA: managing our effects on the river
-drains to seas: rubbish
-highly modified
-toxic algae
-School based education (stream testing/drains to sea/conservation of potable water.
- ECONOMIC/RESOURCES
WAIWHETU STREAM
- Clean water effects property value
- Amenity value
- Emergency water supply
- Historic
- Food gathering
- Flock mill
- Ship building yard
KOROKORO STREAM/CATCHPOOL STREAM
– Woollen mills – korokoro (used water)
– Grand national hotel was there (moved to Petone)
– Public water supply – 2 dams supplied Petone – helped Petone get established
– No fluoridation
– Recreation – now a big one. What brings others here
- Bikes/ walking
- Regional park – Korokoro
- Whitebait
AQUIFER
- It is a limited resource
- Free range public access through pumps
- Use domestically and for uses like brewing at home
- Some businesses at certain times have had permission to tap aquifer (eg. Unilever)
- Individual use influenced by issues like fluoridation
- Shutoff levels managed by wells at Petone to prevent seawake flushing back
- Past few summers have reached maximum
WAINUIOMATA
- water supply to Wellington
- tourism
- river, forest park
- new wetland
- fish, eels (locals)
- track streams
- cycleway development along Black Creek, etc
-farming – flood risk, pollution
HUTT RIVER
–is a reflection of the community that surrounds it!
– Life in the river
- Fish
- Water for life
-Attraction
- Tourism
- River trail
- Waterfront in CBD
- Recreation
– Economic asset
- River is affected by drawing off to supply town/cities
– balancing these two aspects of economic resource
- SPIRITUAL
WAIWHETU STREAM
-Significance to Waiwhetu Marae
-Feeling connected to a water body
-Awareness of the significance to all of us/stories that we tell
-Kotuku visit to the stream in 2010
KOROKORO STREAM/CATCHPOOL STREAM
-A place managed and secured for recreation
-Human requirement to be near water for peace and tranquility and not just for hydration
-Local restoration connections
AQUIFER
-Gathering water becomes a regular life event/gives day shape
-No natural springs to become attached to
-Question around iwi engagement
-Lifestyle/personal values attached to gathering water here
-No aesthetic value – ability to appreciate visually or with other senses
-People of Petone – pride and specialness
WAINUIOMATA RIVER = Big water of Mata
-Spiritual: Tears of Mata
-Hiding from warring tribes
-Pollution of waterways
-Food used to be in stream/river
-Drained for housing
-Gardens along river
-Vegetation loss
HUTT RIVER
wairua
-Iwi and manawhenua
-Hutt River as most significant feature of the Hutt Valley
-“River eats the sky” Te Awa Kairangi
-Identity and a sense of place is affected by T.A.K.
-Stories/memories that are affected by the changing river
-Ownership and responsibility will improve with better access
- POLITICAL
WAIWHETU STREAM
-Central government onus on it needing to be swimmable and drinkable: ambitious goals.
-iwi
-Stormwater planning
-Low impact design guidance/legislation
-local/regional council interface
-government bottom lines are too high – freshwater policy statement
KOROKORO STREAM/CATCHPOOL STREAM
-Effects of Granada to Petone Link on amenity and conservation values
-How to ‘manage’ natural events in the catchment e.g. ongoing flooding which damaged SH1 businesses/train line/climate change
-Environmental effects of roads on waterways – NZTA
– Overlapping responsibilities of DOC/GW/HCC/Wgtn Water
– Fish and Game Council political clout
AQUIFER
-Collective management: Wellington Water (WW) funded by the councils and GWRC. Could be perceived as a step towards privatization.
-Collective approach may be replicated for loading
-Should access to the water be free?
-Who has right to use and profit?
-During amalgamation discussions WW was presented as example of existing council collaboration.
WAINUIOMATA
-Prone to liquifaction – planning issues
-Water for profit potentially
-‘Neglect’ since amalgamation 1989
-Need for politicians to work together
-GWRC need to work with residents
-Water use: shortages
-Stormwater pollution – carwashing etc
-Swimmable not just wadeable
-Flood risks still exist (Black Creek)
HUTT RIVER
-Managed by GWRC (due to river crossing more than one city)
-Matching aspirations of city with regional councils
-partnership is critical to successfully managing the river
-public awareness and engagement, includes iwi – to influence policy.
ATTENDEES
- Kedron Parker
- Cr Barbara Branch Hutt City Council
- Cr Gwen McDonald Hutt City Council
- Cr Margaret Willard
- Anne Ryan Hutt Science
- Cyndi Christensen HCC
- Carla Steed City Events HCC
- Johanna Mechen
- Tim Barlow
- Angela Kilford
- Lillian Pak Libraries HCC
- Linda Goss-Wallace HCC
- Kelly Crandle HCC
- Pippa Sanderson HCC
- Mark Amery Letting Space
- Sophie Jerram Letting Space
- Jo Randerson Barbarian Productions
- Thomas La Hood Barbarian Productions
- Paki Maaka Urban Design HCC
- Pavati Rotherham Development Liasion HCC
- Sandy Beachcroft Environmental Sustainability HCC
- Courtney Johnston Dowse
- Samantha McLusky Wellington Water
- Rob Van Der Raaij GNS Science
- Dionne Ward
- Michelle Ducat Enviroschools
- Ross Jackson WRC
- Paula Warren DOC
- Merilyn Merrett Friends of Waiwhetu Stream
