Entry received from: Kaipara Moana Remediation
Category: Collaborative Government Action
The Kaipara Moana is the largest natural harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, home to threatened species, taonga species and rare ecosystems. As the breeding ground for New Zealand's snapper fishery, it also holds significant economic importance.
Over centuries, land-use change has degraded the harbour, with an estimated 700,000 tonnes of sediment flowing into the harbour each year - seven times higher than naturally occurring levels.
In October 2020, the Ministry for the Environment, Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Te Uri o Hau, Northland Regional Council, and Auckland Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly protect and restore the mauri of Kaipara Moana.
Under a collaborative governance arrangement, Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) is working hard to halve sediment flows into the Kaipara. As Aotearoa's largest harbour restoration programme, genuine partnership is key to retiring erosion-prone land and planting 20 million trees over a 6,000km2 catchment. As a Jobs for Nature investment, KMR also supports local, nature-based employment, training, and accreditation, focusing on rangatahi.
KMR has rapidly scaled up, with one-in-three landowners in the catchment now working with the project. KMR is supporting local action to protect waterways, strengthen climate and flood resilience, and increase biodiversity.
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