(this is an article from our Newsletter dated November 2020 – click here for the full newsletter)
Did you know that you live very close to a fish that’s rarer than a kiwi?
The giant kōkopu has recently been found in the Tararata Stream, which runs parallel to Bader Drive in Māngere.
Julia Tu’ineau is excited by the discovery. The Māngere Bridge local and other members of the Tararata Stream Team have been involved in looking after the stream since 2004.
“This stream is almost all that’s left of a broad wetland which kept Māori supplied with plentiful food, then was drained by European settlers for fertile farmland,” she says.
“Since that time, much of the land has been covered with buildings and roads, and most of the streams have been piped underground.”
Plans are afoot to work with tangata whenua, nearby residents, freshwater ecologists, and developers Kāinga Ora to create a welcoming habitat for fish and other native creatures.
“We hope also to develop a place for people to relax, and a learning place for local schools studying the cycles of elements and energy, and the migrations and establishment of plant, fish and bird communities, in the heart of Māngere,” says Julia.
The Tararata Stream Team’s work has recently been recognised by their nomination as one of only three finalists in the national Community Environmental Initiative Award, hosted by Keep New Zealand Beautiful.
Julia is pleased that the long years of behind-the-scenes work is being acknowledged. “I hope that this award nomination brings attention to the stream, its inhabitants and its potential,” she says.
“With increased local interest, this area could become a beautiful destination, with flourishing biodiversity and healthy people.” Julia realises the negative impacts that Covid-19 can have on communities. However, she encourages anyone with spare time and an enthusiasm for the outdoors to join the team for a planting day, stream clean-up or to learn more about the stream.
“You will leave with a renewed sense of purpose, having spent time outside and contributed in a community effort to benefit the Māngere environment,” she says.
Visit the Tararata Stream Team Facebook page if you’d like to know more.
