Highlights from Greater Wellington’s (GW’s) Annual Report 2009/10

The following achievements reported in GW’s Annual Report are very encouraging:

•   The regional parks network will be expanded by the purchase of 284 ha at Baring Head (a joint initiative with DOC, Nature Heritage Fund, HCC and a private benefactor).

•   Seventeen new landowners joined the Wetlands Incentive Programme during the year, bringing the total number of landowners in the programme to 157.

•   Nineteen properties are now included in the Pauatahanui Inlet Action Plan; the landowners contribute financially and in kind.   Achievements included fencing (3.3 km) to help protect wetlands and the lower Kakaho and Horokiri streams.   Seven thousand indigenous plants were also planted in winter 2010.

•   GW support for six QEII National Trust Covenants will, when finalised, protect about 65 ha of lowland indigenous forest and wetland.   Pest control activities were also carried out on an additional seven registered covenants.

•   Staff developed a Freshwater Ecosystems Action Plan.

•   The public were consulted on a draft Parks Network Plan, and the Parks Network Strategy was approved.

•   Implementation of the Coastal Ecosystem Action Plan continued with the preparation of foredune restoration plans for five beaches and estuaries, and fencing of more dunes in collaboration with local councils and landowners.

•   Site-led plant pest control programmes were carried out at 55 Key Native Ecosystems (KNEs) and reserves.   Active pest animal control was carried out at 90 sites (19,624 ha) comprising 34 private sites and 56 reserves.

•   Post-operation monitoring of the Hutt River catchments after an aerial possum control operation did not detect any surviving possums in the treated area.

•   A framework for determining the survival rate of trees planted across the network has been drafted and will be trialled, finalised and carried out in 2011.

•   The Regional Policy Statement under the Resource Management Act was approved.

•   GW also took part in the Ministry of Society Development’s Community Max Scheme which aims to upskill young unemployed people.   This enabled GW to employ 15 extra staff who worked on more than 50 biodiversity enhancement projects at very little cost to GW.

•   GW also deserves credit for reporting in a way that shows the actual results and expenditure against the planned activities/targets and budgets.

Bev Abbott, Submissions Co-ordinator.