Project Parore

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Project Parore has been created to champion a community-led approach to catchment management, aiming to raise awareness and increase involvement in the restoration of our land, waterways and harbour habitats.

Improving land management practices and protecting waterways from further degradation are keys to a sustainable future for both those whose livelihoods rely on the land and the community at large.

The project is based on the premise of thinking globally and acting locally. Local landowners and residents can make a difference in their patch. Project Parore encompasses every aspect of practical ecological restoration across all land uses, catchment by catchment. It’s also recognised that time is required for things to improve, so there is long term view.

The operational plan for the project’s pilot catchment, Te Mania, is intended to serve as a blueprint for the seven other catchments at the northern end of the Tauranga Harbour: Aongatete, Waitekohe, Te Rereatukahia, Uretara, Tahawai, Tuapiro and Waiau.

Why parore?

This native fish used to be found in abundance around the estuaries within the harbour. Unfortunately, unimpeded land development and the resultant damage to waterways and water quality, has led to the progressive destruction of their food sources and breeding grounds. Parore are vegetarians, and their grazing habits helped keep algal plants in check. The re-establishment of parore habitat, and perhaps with it the natural control of sea lettuce, is one measure of the project’s eventual success.

PROJECT VISION

The catchments of the Northern Tauranga Harbour will be places where people enjoy an engaged community that cares for and has a sense of pride in the environment in which they live. Landowners and residents will manage their local ecosystems that provide livelihoods in a sustainable way and will collaboratively take action to restore and maintain the health and quality of the catchment’s land, water and native wildlife.

OBJECTIVES

• Improved environmental stewardship

• Improved implementation of Good Management Practices on-farm

• Enhanced water quality and greater, more stable biodiversity

• A community ecological monitoring system in place.

HOW will it WORK?

A team of locals (landowners & residents), along with input from the BOPRC have put together a draft strategy, setting out a suggested approach to tackling water quality and biodiversity issues at a catchment level. They’ve had encouraging feedback and support from a wide range of entities including regulatory, scientific and governmental bodies.

Project Parore will develop and promote catchment management plans that involve the entire community for each of the seven catchments in the northern Tauranga Harbour.

Catchment plans include

• Physical details of the catchment & community info

• Ecosystem concerns - the key issues in the catchment

• Monitoring - flora, fauna, water quality; including citizen science

• Biodiversity Strategy - including pest plant and animal control, native fish passageway restoration, estuarine habitat enhancement

• Water Quality Strategy - including soil conservation, land retirement, reafforestation, fencing, riparian planting, wetland restoration and critical source area protection.

Uniquely, the steering group sought and received the support of the four key primary industry groups: Beef & Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, NZ Avocado & Zespri, in a collaboration designed to strengthen the operational resources of the project.

Some land owners have a mixture of pastoral, horticulture & forestry land use, making an approach that uses the same mapping data and decision support tools to identify and manage environmental issues simpler and more equitable.

The preparation and implementation of individual farm environmental plans (FEP’s) and adoption of the 21 principles of Good Management Practice (GMP) are cornerstones of the project.

Engaging and supporting catchment champions as advocates is a critical factor for success. Perhaps you could be a champion for the catchment you call home?

WATER QUALITY COMPARISONS (BOPRC SUPPLIED GRAPHS, DATA TO JULY 2018)