Ted Talks - March 2025
Hear from Kaikōura Water Zone Committee chair Ted Howard about the latest in local water management.
I hope you’ve had an enjoyable summer - it certainly has flown by! Water has been getting a bit scarce, but it was good to get some much-needed rain towards the end of February. Let’s hope there’s still a fair bit of warm weather left before autumn sets in.
Maps to provide valuable insights into catchment
One project the committee has been following with interest involves the creation of a series of maps that I believe will be highly useful to the community.
EOS Ecology, through the ‘Wai Connection – Tatai Ki Te Wai’ project, has been working with water zone committees and other groups to produce a Focus Catchment Map Series (FCMS).
These maps provide a raft of information on things like sedimentation, vegetation cover, soil types, and water quality, just to name a few.
In a nutshell, the FCMS is designed to help people understand a catchment better and inform the strategic development of future catchment plans. To me, the appeal is in having all the information in one place, and I’m confident they’ll offer some valuable insights.
The EOS Ecology team presenting the catchment map series to the zone committee
Our committee opted for a map of the Kaikōura Flats catchment, which the EOS Ecology team presented to us in November. We’ve now been offered a second set for a different area – so we’ve chosen Kowhai for that one. We're keen to learn more about this catchment in terms of natural hazards and community protection.
To view the Kaikōura Plains map, visit the Wai Connection website.
Marine oil spill exercise
On 4 March, you may have noticed some extra activity in the South Bay area of Kaikōura, with a marine oil spill response exercise taking place.
The exercise was set on day two of a response to a spill of diesel.
Our coastal response team was focusing on:
- objectives around containment and collection
- using specialised equipment
- processes and plans to upskill and revalidate responder qualifications.
You can read more about coastal environmental incidents in this news story.
Specialised skimming equipment is used to remove oil from the surface of the water
Seaweek 2025
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that this week (1-9 March) is Seaweek. This annual event is all about celebrating the sea and how our lives connect with it.
Check out seaweek.org.nz, which also lists activities happening in Kaikōura.
New Kaikōura recruitments
Finally, it’s great to see Environment Canterbury is recruiting for a new biodiversity officer and biosecurity officer for Kaikōura.
Our zone committee has connections with both areas of this work and we consider these important roles for our community. Many of you would have known Heath Melville, the previous biodiversity officer, who provided years of support and expertise to our area. His departure left a big gap, so we look forward to having this role filled.
Until next time,
Ngā mihi nui,
Ted