News

Motupipi Spit is near Takaka in Golden Bay and is one of a number of sites where dune restoration is being undertaken as part of the Tasman District Council’s Coastcare Programme. Coastal Restoration Trust scientists familiar with Tasman District Council Coastcare describe the work as some of the best in NZ, despite challenging circumstances and limited resources.

Restoration work on the exotic-dominated Motupipi Spit dunes commenced six to seven years ago, though a large fire about three years ago destroyed much of the earlier restoration planting. Planting is guided by sound ecological principles and ongoing learning based on results at the site. This is one of the local sites that will be part of the two day optional post-conference field trip in March 2013.

Other progress with the Coastal Restoration Trust backdune project, jointly funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Community Environment Fund and local agencies over the last six months, has included reviews of restoration and community-based monitoring initiatives at over a dozen coastal sites from Northland to Southland with a focus on several South Island regions including Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. In addition to the demonstration site set up at Motupipi Spit, a further demonstration site was established at several beaches in the western Waikato region. Read more or check out our CEF backdunes project partners backdune newsletters.

Coastal Restoration Trust welcomes Quinovic Property Management as new Premier Principal Sponsor

The Coastal Restoration Trust is delighted to announce that Quinovic Property Management has entered into a formal sponsorship programme with the Trust over the next five years. Quinovic sponsored the Coastal Restoration Trust student study award in 2012 and as the new Premier Principal Sponsorship will see this award continued, as well as contributing towards the running of the Trust. This enables the Trust to continue to get the most from our research projects and support dune restoration work and Coastcare groups throughout the country. Read more…

Brian Brown, Quinovic Lampton Quay (left), and Harley Spence, Coastal Restoration Trust Trustee (right) met on the dunes at Island Bay on Wellington’s South Coast to talk about the sponsorship programme.

Photo: Lance Lawson Photography

Thanks Good Magazine and Kim Newth (writer) for adding the Coastal Restoration Trust to your ‘Good Selection’ in the latest edition (page 17). We really appreciate it! Thousands of New Zealanders hit the beach over summer to relax and play. It’s important that we all use the accessways provided, particularly in high use areas like the Coromandel east coast and Piha. The accessways help protect the native plants growing on the dunes that hold the sand in place, as well as species like NZ dotterels and toheroa. NZ has such an iconic coastline and we can all help to keep it that way!

Portobello school children have once again braved southern conditions, and this time, a snoozing sealion to complete planting at Allan’s Beach, Otago Peninsula. The Peninsula has significant climatic and physical challenges as a coastal restoration area, but after three years of continued efforts, plants are thriving and producing a valuable seed source for future programmes. Read more and see the image gallery here.

Whilst we may be able to encourage ‘human’ traffic to use access ways and stay off the plants - there are some critters we just have to leave alone! Paul Pope, senior consultant for Spiralis in Dunedin, recently visited a newly established pikao (pingao) planting only to find sea lions using it as a haul out. Paul commented that, “like all challenges in plant restoration there are some that you just have to accept, and this particular challenge is one that you can’t really complain about. Besides, with hectares of marram grass available along the beach, these sea lions obviously have taste!”. Read Paul’s full article here.