Funding helps restore Papaka Stream in South Canterbury

Community funding is helping a South Canterbury farming couple restore Papaka Stream through fencing, native planting and willow removal.

When local people see an opportunity to improve the environment around them, they often know where to start.

For Gemma and Hayden Barker, that meant comprehensively restoring an area of Papaka Stream that runs through their sheep and beef farm in Levels Valley, South Canterbury.

Now, after being granted $28,863 of funding from our Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) Action Plan Fund, they are turning this idea into action.

Gemma and Hayden’s stream restoration dream

Gemma and Hayden's goal is to help Papaka Stream become a haven for native birds, like bellbirds. They hope the restoration project will also enhance the habitat for Canterbury mudfish (Kōwaro) and their numbers will grow.

The stream is a tributary of the Waitarakao Lagoon, an important coastal feature due to its rare geomorphology, native ecological habitats, biodiversity and cultural and historical values.

Gemma and Hayden’s plan is to:

• Install 500m of fencing to protect water quality and future plantings
• Plant 1500 native plants suited to the stream and its margin conditions, including mahika kai species. Plant species will include carex, ti kouka, harakeke and rushes
• Remove 10 to 12 large willows from an area of 0.5 ha surrounding a pond within the stream to help with water flow
• Use two local contractors to carry out the willow control and fencing elements of the project
• Get help from 20 or 30 friends, family and community volunteers for two future native planting efforts.

Gemma said: “We just like native plants and trying to bring some birdlife in is the main thing up around our house. We’re quite keen to get some bellbirds along if we can.”

The aim of Gemma and Hayden’s project is to protect Papaka Stream for years to come. It’s hoped the combination of fencing and native planting will significantly reduce erosion and sediment discharge into Papaka Stream in the medium and long-term. This will benefit water quality in downstream areas of the stream and the Waitarakao Lagoon, where sedimentation can occur.

“We’ve put quite a lot of money into planting natives ourselves, but this funding is a nice boost along to complete something that would have been a major financial undertaking. So, it is great to get a project of this scale done,” said Gemma.

One project, part of a bigger picture

The Papaka Stream restoration is one of the community-led projects supported through Environment Canterbury's contestable funding.

Last year, 152 groups and organisations applied for funding, seeking more than $3.7 million across the three funding rounds.

The projects supported are diverse, but they share a common thread: local people taking action to care for their environment.

From restoring waterways and wetlands to protecting indigenous biodiversity and building community capability, these projects are helping create environmental benefits that can continue well beyond the life of the funding.