There is a new stormwater system being put in for part of the Peninsula and we are concerned that an outfall planned to go in at Waimanu Bay is going to put the shellfish beds that these birds are feeding from at risk. We believe that the outfall could significantly increase sediment, create fresh water pulses and allow sewage overflows, heavy metals and other pollutants to flow unfiltered into the harbour and all of which will adversely affect shellfish, potentially creating a scenario in which this area can no longer support wading birds. 

If you read our correspondence you'll be aware that we have been meeting with Healthy Waters (Auckland Council) over the past year. We recently had another meeting with them which was also attended by MP Phil Twyford and Local Board members Brooke Loader and Dan Collins. We are hugely grateful to the politicians for taking the time to come to the meeting and for their advocacy for Te Wai o Pareira.  

During the meeting we asked Healthy Waters for details on why they rejected the option of continuing to use the existing stormwater outflow to Kelvin Strand that we have seen mentioned in some of the earlier paperwork for this project. This would be our preferred option as we feel that Kelvin Strand is more likely to be a suitable site due to its expansive wetland which would provide some natural filtration to the water and it is where the water naturally flows to.  We feel that the diversion to Waimanu Bay will not only affect the feeding grounds of native shorebirds but also degrade the existing entry point at Kelvin Strand, where flows may be reduced.   Healthy Waters were not able to provide answers out of hand but have promised to investigate further and to send us an environmental report with some more details; from there we will consider next steps.

Thank you for your support, public scrutiny can help us to get a stormwater system that doesn’t do more harm than good. Please watch this space everyone. 

Te Wai o Pareira is commonly called Henderson Creek after colonial settler and kauri mill owner Thomas Henderson who purchased land around the estuary in 1844.   However its original name was Te Wai o Pareira, or The Water of Pareira. 

Pareira’s people lived on the land surrounding Te Wai o Pareira moving with the seasons to collect food from the water and the forest. At the time Te Wai o Pareira was brimming with life and was known as a good place to collect tuangi (cockles), pipi and tio (oysters) 

We would love some help this Sunday for a few hours of caring for our native seedlings at Tawa Esplanade, giving them the best shot of surviving the summer and keeping the reserve looking beautiful.

If you are planning on coming along please register using the button below, it helps with catering etc.