Manukau Report Summary: Māngere Bridge

Manukau Report Summary: Māngere Bridge

, , ,

For the first time, all the State of the Environment monitoring programmes in the Manukau Harbour and its catchment have been brought together in one Auckland Council report.

The report concludes that ‘without doubt’ past human activities such as direct pollution have had a harmful effect on our local marine environment.

Māngere Inlet has elevated levels of some heavy metals such as copper and zinc in its sediment, while nearby coastal waters show high levels of nutrients and low water clarity.

Encouraging signs

But there is good news. Long-term analysis of water and sediment contaminants show improving trends – thanks to improvements in the quality of the water discharged from the treatment plant, and better site and stormwater management associated with modernising industry around the inlet.

Our harbour is one of the largest in New Zealand. It covers 365km2 and has over 450km of shoreline. It is a site of national importance ecologically, with diverse habitats supporting a huge variety of species. Upwards of 30,000 shore birds use the mud and sand flats daily to feed and coastal spaces to roost.

Time for change

While the Harbour is degraded in some areas, it is also resilient, and responsive to improvements in how the land around it and the water that feeds into it are treated and managed. The report recognises that land-use change and urban development in an ever-growing city pose challenges, but also provide opportunities for better management of our activities on the land and in the sea.

You can view/download the full report here.

Key stats from the Manukau and its ‘catchment’ (the area of land from which streams and rainfall drain into the harbour).

Latest News

  • 2024 Winter Repair Café – Records Broken

    2024 Winter Repair Café – Records Broken

    We wondered, why do skilled locals volunteer their Saturday mornings to diagnose faults and mend household items? Repair Cafes are a worldwide movement, gaining in popularity each year as people try to reduce waste being sent to landfill and repair damaged household items.


  • Māngere Bridge – It’s a Hive of Wastewise Activity! 

    Māngere Bridge – It’s a Hive of Wastewise Activity! 

    Friends of the Farm members have been busy bees this month, buzzing around, running 3 different working bees.   An orchard working bee, a mangrove working bee and a sewing bee!


  • Village Lights Festival 2025

    Village Lights Festival 2025

    Two massive light installations transformed Bill and Naomi Kirk Park in Māngere Bridge village into a magical looking place…


  • Tonnes of eWaste Collected at Ecofest – Māngere Bridge eWaste Day 2025

    Tonnes of eWaste Collected at Ecofest – Māngere Bridge eWaste Day 2025

    Over six tonnes of e-waste was collected at our very own Ecofest eWaste recycling day…


  • Māngere Bridge Repair Café #9 was so fine!

    Māngere Bridge Repair Café #9 was so fine!

    A jacket turned into a sleeveless vest, a 13 year old favourite suitcase repaired, a 65-year-old Kenwood mixer running again and more at our 9th Repair Café…


  • Kiwi Esplanade and Mangroves- Update for Residents 2025

    Kiwi Esplanade and Mangroves- Update for Residents 2025

    An update for residents on mangrove management in our Māngere Bridge area…


  • Community Orchard Budding Workshop

    Community Orchard Budding Workshop

    This literally takes a bud from a plant that you want to reproduce, and attaches it to a host plant. If you’re successful, it grows a branch of the original bud plant on the host. Amazing!


  • Preserves Workshop

    Preserves Workshop

    We are always looking for ways in which we can bring people together, with a common interest, to learn new skills, and how we can utilise the resources we have, as in knowledge and in this case feijoas.


  • Wash Against Waste

    Wash Against Waste

    Battery and blister pack collections are growing steadily each month as more of our community become aware of the service at the library. Be sure to tell your friends and family…


  • That’s just peachy!

    That’s just peachy!

    What do you do when you have masses of ripe peaches?  Put the word out to see who wants some!  A Heritage peach tree in Mangere Bridge had a bumper crop this year so the tree owner asked who wanted some.


  • 2024 Volunteer Celebration and Thank You

    2024 Volunteer Celebration and Thank You

    Over 60 locals gathered recently to celebrate the end of another year of working together to make Mangere Bridge a caring, connected, wastewise community.