Porirua Harbour Trust

Background The Porirua Harbour and Catchment Community Trust was formally established on the 11 th March The need for the trust was identified in the initial Pauatahanui Inlet Community Trust (PICT) Action Plan in 2000 and significant work was then carried out by Porirua City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington City Council and Ngati Toa Rangatira As a result the parties recognized the value of having an independent advocate for the Porirua Harbour and its catchment and the Porirua Harbour and Catchment Community Trust was formed.

Our Role To promote the sustainable management of the Porirua Harbour and its catchment by: Advocating for sustainable management Fostering understanding of ecological and environmental issues Coordinating input from community groups Supporting, promoting and contributing to programmes and projects aimed to improve the harbour and catchments.

So what is our Catchment The area where natural drainage of water occurs through a water course to the sea. The Porirua Harbour has three main catchments – Pauatahanui Inlet (470ha) – Onepoto Arm (240ha) – Harbour Entrance

Pauatahanui Inlet Includes: Kakaho Stream Horokiri Stream Pauatahanui Stream Duck Creek

Onepoto Arm Includes: Kenepuru Stream Titahi Bay catchment Takapuwahai Stream Porirua Stream – Mitchell Stream – Stebbings Stream – Takapu Stream

Taupo Swamp Catchment Includes: The streams from Pukerua Bay that flow through Taupo Swamp and flow into the Outer Harbour. The run-off from farmland in the area

The Lagoons Okowai lagoon Aotea Lagoon Papakowhai Lagoon

Freshwater Man Made Lakes Aotea Lake NZ Police College Lake Whitby Lake

Some Facts The Harbour is the largest estuarine harbour in the lower North Island and is the main nursery for over 30 different fish species. It is the only one with any significant sea grass cover and also includes significant wetlands. The population in the catchment includes about from Porirua City and a further from Wellington City.

The Big Three Issues Sediment – All estuaries accumulate sediment over time. The two broad sources are terrestrial from erosion of rural land, streambanks and development. Pollution – Heavy metals, pesticides, excess nutrients, vehicle emissions and pathogens all find there way into the harbour. Ecology – Modification to harbour and stream edges and impacts on offshore and near shore fisheries. Seagrass habitat is slowly reducing as are the salt marshes.

Our PHT Action Plan The Trust will integrate four strategies of advocacy, education, communication and facilitation to deliver a work-plan that reflects the skills, interests and experience of Trustees and the objectives of the Trust. The work-plan must be realistic and achievable, and make a significant contribution to the Porirua Harbour Strategy.

Advocacy Trustees are building our own knowledge of the harbour and catchment issues We have created an “annual scorecard” for the harbour and each of the catchments to show how well local bodies have delivered against the strategy. We are taking opportunities to promote our priorities for the Harbour, We are a “watchdog” organisation to monitor delivery of the Harbour Strategy. How - attending public meetings and consultations, regular contact with officials, participating in consultation processes eg writing submissions.

Communication promoting issues and events about the Harbour to a range of audiences, raising awareness with a view to encourage participation by members of the public and interest groups, helping to keep people informed on issues and developments, promoting the efforts of others. How – through our website, presentations to groups, media releases

Education We have produced an on-line teaching resource for teachers in the catchment based on the Living Waters DVD documentaries. We have produced a documentary in the Samoan language on issues for the harbour and catchment. Our education coordinator runs teacher workshops and is available to assist schools across the catchment in the use of the education resource. We subsidise schools so that they can do school trips to the stream or harbour edge for education purposes. How - Living Waters resource for schools, participate in Harbour Education network

Facilitation Bringing people together in the interest of Harbour recovery, being an independent voice, enabling people to participate in action. Regular clean-ups of the harbour, currently concentrating on the Porirua Stream mouth and Onepoto Arm Extending into the stream catchments and lagoons with other groups Re-vegetation planting programmes in estuarine areas Drains to stream plaques Recreational access to the harbour and catchments

Current Trustees Grant Baker (Chair) Malcolm Sparrow(WCC); Jenny Brash (GWRC); Sharli Jo Solomon(Ngati Toa); Bronwyn Kropp (PCC). Yvonne Carroll, Lindsay Gow, Daryl Hayes, Mark Neeson, Tendai Nyamdela, Donna Sherlock, Peter Sherwin, Christine Stanley, Larissa Toelupe.

Other relevant links For more information go to the Porirua Harbour Trust website