This project concluded in June 2025.
After five years of collaboration, opportunity, and hard work to enhance the Waimea Inlet, Waimea River Delta, and watercourses feeding into the estuary, we have now reached the end point of two important projects.
Thanks to valuable funding and the much-appreciated efforts of our community and local environmental organisations, the Waimea Inlet Enhancement and Waimea Inlet One Billion Trees (Phase 2) projects concluded on 30 June 2025.
These projects’ objectives aligned with the Waimea Inlet Management Strategy 2050 and Action Plan 2023 to 2026 to improve the health of the Inlet and people’s enjoyment of this special place.
These two projects planted a combined total of over 144,000 native plants across the Waimea estuary, covering over 22 hectares in area.
Pest plant control has been done on a wide scale, targeting species that are particularly troublesome in the estuarine environment.
There has been 1.4km of fencing installed to protect estuarine areas and watercourses, plus 3.5ha of wetland enhancement done at the Waimea Delta.
Over the full term of these projects, more than 16 full-time equivalents were employed.
With the goals of the Inlet projects complete, we are now handing the oversight of these to our Reserves team and Catchment Enhancement Officers.
However, we hope to further the established relationships with landowners, volunteer groups like Keep Richmond Beautiful, and organisations such as Tasman Environmental Trust and DOC.
And even though we’ve reached the end stage of these specific projects, we’re still committed to keeping the Waimea Inlet wonderful through the wider aims and goals of the Strategy and Action Plan.
There’s been some good progress on our Waimea Inlet Enhancement and Waimea Inlet One Billion Trees (Phase 2) projects.
The most notable big win in recent months has been the good progress made with Waimea Inlet pest plant control, controlling the likes of Tamarisk, Juncus gerardii, Boneseed and Carex divisa.
A suspected new to New Zealand Juncus species was found and reported to MPI at the Sandeman Reserve. Subsequently, the area has been surveyed and controlled by our pest plant control contractor.
Other work done as part of the Waimea Inlet Enhancement Project has included late spring planting of Raupō, Bolboschoenus, Schoenoplectus and Baumea species.
Predator trapping and surveys of the Fernbird population in the Pearl Creek area are ongoing by the hard working volunteers of Tasman Environmental Trust.
Further planting of around 1,000 plants is planned for winter 2024. This will see further diversity added into the planted areas.
Areas which present the best options for salt marsh restoration trials have been assessed, with the Rough Island Embayment area identified as a preferable location.
We’re also looking at options for allowing further tidal inundation into this area by increasing the culvert capacity. This will create great conditions for further salt marsh vegetation.
As for our Waimea Inlet One Billion Trees efforts, we are aiming to put more than 18,000 plants in the ground in 2024. Sites for next winter are mostly focused on existing sites between Neimann Creek, Moturoa / Rabbit Island and Rough Island. This will bring the total planted through the project to over 110,000 plants since 2021.
Our work under the Waimea Inlet One Billion Trees (Phase 2) project, funded through Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature programme, is continuing to make a difference.
We will have put more than 38,000 plants in the ground this winter across a number of sites. This includes planting native trees and plants at Orchard Stream, Waimea River Bermlands and Neimann Creek.
We are also undertaking further planting at Moturoa / Rabbit Island, Best Island, Rough Island, and on nearby private land.
Our work to enhance Waimea Delta is also continuing with further wetland, salt marsh and terrestrial planting following a further stage of earthworks.
We were grateful to have the assistance of the Kaitiaki Whenua Trainee Ranger students from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology in planting more than 1,400 plants at Moturoa / Rabbit Island in July.
The aim of this planting is to progressively return the traverse between Rough and Moturoa / Rabbit Islands and its shores to a character similar to that which would have existed before the plantation was established.
A dedicated group of volunteers from Keep Richmond Beautiful has also been diligently planting in reserves around the Waimea Estuary for years, helping to transform areas back into flourishing native. A big thanks to all involved in the hard mahi over the years.
Planting is underway at two sites in phase two of our efforts to rehabilitate our coastal area.
The Waimea Inlet One Billion Trees (Phase 2) Project is part of central government’s Jobs for Nature programme.
There are 27,000 plants to be planted this winter; 22,000 at Rough Island and 3,000 at Best Island. Another 2,000 are scheduled for planting at Mamaku Wetland, near Māpua, in the coming months.
The Best Island project is creating an area of estuarine edge vegetation and lowland forest to provide a native habitat buffer over a 2500m² area.
This work is being overseen by Ashton Oliver of Richmond-based Environmental Forest Services.
The work at Rough Island covers around seven hectares, replacing pine that has been harvested six years ago with pioneer species such as Mānuka, Kānuka, Ake Ake and Karamu.
Our Jobs for Nature project manager George Daly said some natural regeneration was occurring around the fringes of the nearby wetland. The planting aimed to complement that as well as leave a buffer zone
for more growth.
Work started in mid-June, with the planting expected to be completed by the end of July. Around six staff have already put more than 7000 plants in the ground.
Local firm FuturEcology has been contracted to carry out the planting, and has the maintenance contract of the site for the next three years.
Plants are eco-sourced and grown within the local area. Once in the ground, they are protected with a bio-degradable plant guard instead of a traditional plastic guard.
FuturEcology Managing Director Rob Fryer said the Rough Island project was a good fit for his company's objectives.
“It’s restoration work and that’s what really interests us – it's more than just putting a plant in the ground – it's getting things established for the long-term restoration of a habitat.”
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