Ohaaki Wetland opening

Good afternoon everyone, it is a pleasure to be here today.

Ohaaki Wetland is a great example of what can be achieved when a leading energy company like Contact - partners with trusts, government agencies and NGO’s – on a project that has so many environmental, recreational and other benefits.

Like most worthwhile projects – this has taken time to come to fruition. It’s been decades since the idea was first mooted but earthworks only began 2010 and took five months to complete.

This project is a good example of how conservation is everyone’s responsibility and not just the role of DOC. Communities, like-minded organisations, iwi, and businesses all have a part to play in helping protect New Zealand’s natural environments for future generations.

Today’s opening of the Ohaaki Wetland is clear evidence of the success that can be achieved when groups get together and work towards a conservation goal.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Contact Energy which gifted the 35 hectares involved on the eastern bank of the Waikato River and two trusts, the Wairakei Environmental Mitigation Charitable Trust (WEMCT) and the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust (WCEET) – which then provided considerable funding to make it all happen.

Credit must go to the Wildfowlers Association of New Zealand who were among the first to lobby for it.

Fish & Game, experts in wetland enhancement and creation, provided their considerable expertise to oversee the project, aided by DOCs planting and ecological knowledge and expertise.

The end result is a natural resource benefiting everyone - tangata whenua, local people, hunters and the general public – a place where anyone can experience a wetland with all its distinctive flora and fauna and breadth of enjoyment opportunities.

While New Zealand conservation efforts over the last two or three decades have centred on saving rare indigenous wildlife, in recent years public sentiment has shifted towards the role wetlands and water generally play in the wider environment and how threatened these important ecosystems have become.

Wetlands support the greatest concentrations of bird life of any New Zealand habitat and support far more species than a comparable forest. Numerous threatened species – such as the Australasian bittern, brown teal, fernbird, marsh crake, white heron, and native fish – rely on New Zealand’s remnant wetlands for their survival.”

The Ohaaki Wetland project has created a habitat where rare waterfowl can breed – and in season some common game birds which also breed there, can be hunted. But we are talking real biodiversity – as the wetland supports amphibians like frogs and reptiles like geckos. With wetlands being one of New Zealand’s most threatened habitats, projects like this are of critical importance.

Ohaaki Wetland has cultural benefits as well. A large area has been planted with flax (harakeke) for local Maori to harvest and weave. Discussions have been held on whether the wetland provides a suitable site for holding baby eels (elver) to acclimatise, before their release up river.

This wetland helps keep local waters running cleaner - helping combat agricultural runoff from local farms. It provides a ‘nutrient sink’ for the stream entering the site which passes through numerous local farms.

Of course, as a million dollar project, we know the wetland has benefited the local economy – providing work for local contractors, nurseries, planting and spraying crews, and so on.

Wetlands are under threat throughout New Zealand as our urban centres continue to encroach on wilderness areas – so this sort of project is crucial to at least slowing that process and safeguarding some marshlands.

While wetlands are always in the natural process of evolving towards dry land, introduction of invasive plants and land development has resulted in New Zealand losing some 90% of its natural wetland cover.

One major spinoff from the project was that a number of local farmers developed a keen interest in restoring wetlands around the district. With additional funding provided by WCEET, a further 20 wetland projects ranging from 1 to five hectares in the Reporoa Valley have now been launched.

All of these projects will help the local economy through the use local people in the development, and the attraction of visitors to the area.

The Waikato region is already a popular tourist attraction.

According to surveys by the Waikato Regional Council geothermal tourism alone is already worth between $63 million and $121 million to the regional economy.

Of the 13.4 million international visitor nights to New Zealand in 2010, 5.8 per cent of those nights were spent in the Waikato region.

The Waikato region is New Zealand's fourth largest destination for domestic travel, especially for holiday makers. I look forward to seeing this region become even more popular with travellers.

With the opening of the Ohaaki Wetlands - international and domestic tourists have another attraction to enjoy in the region.

Thanks you again for inviting me here today, it is an honour and a privilege.

Hopefully Ohaaki will be the first of many more joint ventures to enhance waterfowl habitats and improve water quality along the river.