Hunter’s Stream biodiversity corridor takes shape

Creating a series of biodiversity corridors along Hunter’s Stream which improve the ecosystem and bring together farmers, students, and the community together is the goal of a new biodiversity project.

The project is part of a wider biodiversity project focused on improving sites of ecological interest across Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL’s) 44,000-hectare irrigation scheme command area.

Over 500 native plants which were donated and planted by Cust School last month have been put in the ground at the 1000m2 stream side site which forms part of Steven Tallott’s 250- hectare family farm.

The initial project plan for the site was created in 2022 after WIL biodiversity project lead Dan Cameron approached Steven to discuss the idea. Steven says he is excited to see the project get off the ground.

“The fence was initially up against the stream, so we moved it back seven metres to create a buffer zone for riparian planting. We are putting the plants back in that were removed when the land was developed. It was great getting Cust School involved and, in the future, we would like to extend the planting site further upstream.”

Steve says his advice to other farmers considering getting involved in a restoration project is to start small first and to always have a plan.

“Choose a manageable area and make sure you have a plan so that the right plants go in the right places. It’s not just the planting but also the maintenance that you need to do afterwards so you need to keep that in mind.”

WIL biodiversity project lead Dan Cameron says the native plants have been chosen for specific characteristics and for their suitability for riparian planting.

“We have Edgar’s rush (wīwī) and our wonder plant carex secta (purei) along the stream’s edge. These are easy to grow and propagate and provide useful ecosystem services. Further back there are harakeke (flax) and toi toi.”

Taller growing trees such as tī kōuka/cabbage tree and ribbonwood have also been included along the fence edge of the site to provide some shade to the stream which will help to reduce weed growth and to stabilise the temperature of the stream. This will reduce stress on invertebrate populations living within the stream.

Mayflies, eels (tuna) and freshwater mussels (kākahi) have been found at the Hunter’s Stream site which indicates reasonably good water quality, according to Dan.

“It is exciting to find these species within a stream where we don’t have a lot of prior knowledge. Mayflies are tolerant of only a very small spectrum of high-quality water and having kākahi here is positive because they are a taonga species and are instrumental in removing algae from the water column.”

WIL CEO Brent Walton says it is important for the irrigation scheme and shareholders to enhance and protect the environment around their farms.

“We use water as a resource for farming, and it is important that we do our bit to try and improve the streams and waterways that run through our shareholders’ farms. It is the right thing to do, and our farmers want to work together with the next generation to improve our land and water.

“We might not see these trees and plants grow to maturity in our lifetime, but the next generation will, and it is our hope that we will see Hunter’s Stream and all the other streams throughout WIL’s irrigation scheme planted out so we can say that we did our best within our backyard.”