A lifelong Coromandel resident reflects on environmental changes over time
I have lived on the Coromandel since I was 15 months old and have witnessed changes to our local environment. The forestry industry and the Waterways development have greatly impacted Mercury Bay, the estuary and surrounding coastal districts.
An ‘environmentalist’ is a person who advocates for or who is concerned about protecting the environment, not a council, a business or any entity with the power to make political decisions. An ‘environmentalist’ wouldn’t agree to the Waterways development in its current form. The USA and Australia have stopped many such developments because they have harmed
the environment.
There are problems here, too – in the ocean and the estuary. These are delicate marine ecosystems. Dredging, excess
rainwater run-off, and the changing estuarine (and ocean) saline levels affect the ecosystems of air and sea creatures in
and around the Bay. But the Waterways can’t be called an ecosystem.
The canals are barren, concrete-walled canyons with mown-grass embankments only fit to display the tidemark of storm
surges, and full moon and spring tides. If there were life in that water, we would see life above and around it. And although the development has been going on for a couple of decades, there is nothing to encourage nature or wildlife.
Planting must be done along the Waterways’ new kerbs and canal sides. It must be diverse and include endemic plants that feed our birds, bees and butterflies. Otherwise, it’s like asking the tūī to eat only Weetabix for the rest of their days. We once had a wide range of birds here, but now it’s hard even to see a tūī, let alone a kererū. Both used to be common. Farmers are supposed to fence and commit to riparian planting. Why can’t the Waikato Regional Council ensure that all those responsible for estuarine areas have a minimum 3-metre deep corridor for native wildlife to prosper around the water catchment area?
Another issue is that Whangapoua, Matarangi, Kūaotunu, Cooks Beach, Hahei, Purangi and Hot Water Beach have a serious wilding pine problem that will worsen with climate change. We all have a duty to future generations!
One solution is the council could tap into the Labour/Green jobs scheme. A local industry could be founded (as other regions have done, e.g. Central Otago), where locals are employed removing pines, selling the timber for firewood, and mulching the slash to
spread around TCDC’s green spaces. The healthiest forests are not monoplanted. Therefore, a variety of native plants should replace the wilding pines.
We don’t want future generations to have to deal with the stupidity of the previous ones. Pines shouldn’t be planted near coastal areas and major rivers, where their wild offspring can spread into protected areas. After cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, pine trees contributed to road blockages due to their inadequate root structure. Pines also release quantities of acidic pollen, which cause allergies. And, as recent events have shown, the mess of slash floating into our rivers and oceans has decimated the land along the
way. Who pays for this?
Another environmental focus is soil quality. Understanding the damage monoculture pines cause is crucial if we are to solve the problem. At a ‘personal’ level, we can do our part. Permaculture farming, ponds and gardens are excellent future-proofing solutions. We can also help prevent soil erosion at home; by mowing the top quarter of our lawns with no catcher, we allow the
grass to feed itself with carbon, and it will absorb more rainfall. Mow less by planting more native wildflowers and shrubs! Some food for thought…
Environmentalists would not agree to further narrowing the second fastest moving waterway in New Zealand either, i.e. the Whitianga estuary mouth. Several locally significant rivers feed into the estuary: Te Kauanga (Lake Hamilton), Kapowai, Waiwawa (Coroglen), Ounuora (Mill Creek), Whangamaroro (Kaimarama/309) Rivers and their tributaries. With climate
change, these rivers will be required to carry even greater volumes of water out to sea (via the sandbank that has built up in the Bay because of the Waterways development). But the expansion of Whitianga Marina was agreed to, and the channel has narrowed, making the water speed through the gap even faster. Then it whips around the Bay, eating away at the Boating Club and other residential properties. Everything in life is cause and effect!
We need to take action now! For our tamariki and their future.
Words by Neera Giri
