Small community restoring Kurow Wetland
A small but dedicated group of community volunteers has secured funding to remove pest willows from the Kurow Wetlands, as part of a wider wetland restoration project in the Waitaki River catchment.
The newly secured Action Plan funding allocated by the Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury Water Zone Committee will enable the group to remove pest willow trees and other weeds, such as gorse, ivy, old man’s beard, broom, cotoneaster and blackberry.
Removing pest species from treasured wetland
The Kurow Wetlands, located 60km northwest of Ōamaru behind the small town of Kurow, were once overgrown with weeds, including invasive crack willow. This natural wetland has since been restored and is now maintained by dedicated local volunteers.
In 2014 a small group of volunteers came together, with the wider support of the Waitaki Valley Community Society, to help restore and preserve the wetlands. They’ve been working tirelessly ever since, with water quality at the heart of much of their work.
Previous work has seen:
- the development of a walking track through the wetland
- crack willow removal and weed clearance work
- planting thousands of native plantings.
Group of volunteers getting new native plantings in the ground
“We have seen the benefits that can be achieved from willow removal in the waterway,” local volunteer Karen Turner said.
In the part of the wetland that has had willow removal, the stagnant water can now flow better out to the Waitaki River, improving the quality of the stream, which is a rest stop for species such as tuna (eel).
“We were just a small group of passionate locals who knew there was something special there behind the Kurow shops,” local volunteer Karen Turner said.
“We’re so incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received. Without people and organisations recognising the importance of what we’re working towards and who are willing to get in behind what we’re doing, we wouldn’t have been able to undertake this work,” Karen said.
“This prized wetland would still be an impenetrable, weed-infested little backwater surrounded by farmland.”
Restored wetland now a local treasure
While a lot of wetlands are not easily accessible, Kurow Wetlands is just a short walk from the town centre of Kurow.
It’s home to a wide range of flora and fauna including the endangered long-fin eel and short-fin eel.
It’s been designed with the community in mind; the walking tracks are wide enough for prams and wheelchair users, and it is accessible for families to enjoy.
It also forms a part of the Alps to Ocean cycle trail, New Zealand’s longest continuous cycle trail that weaves its way from the Southern Alps near Mt Cook Village to Ōamaru.
The Kurow Wetlands walking tracks are wide enough for prams and wheelchair users
Vital role of wetlands
Acting as a natural ‘filter’ for water, wetlands play an important role in water quality, absorbing nutrients and trapping sediment that would otherwise make its way into our freshwater.
By slowing the water flow from land and releasing it slowly in dry periods, they also play a vital role during periods of high or low rainfall.
While historically many of the country’s natural wetlands have been drained, some have simply been concealed by weeds, unable to realise their environmental potential.
Funding for projects
This project is supported through the Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee’s Action Plan funding for 2024.
Each of the region's water zone committees has an action plan which outlines how they will work with the community to help improve the environment and meet Canterbury Water Management Strategy objectives.