Earlier this month Council staff Isabella Clere (Environmental Science), Livvy Connors (Environmental Monitoring) and Taylor Hills (Haumanu Tu Ora) have been conducting the first round of estuary monitoring at Te Wherowhero Lagoon, Kaitawa Estuary and Tūranganui Estuary.

Representatives from Ngāi Tamanuhiri, Rongowhakaata Iwi, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāti Oneone and Te Aitanga a Mahaki have also been actively involved with the monitoring.

Isabella is leading the project which involves analysing quadrats (small areas of habitat) for biota (the animal and plant life of a particular habitat) living on the surface, describing sediment cores and collecting sediment and macroinvertebrate samples.

The samples are then tested for grain size, nutrients, metals, organic content, chlorophyll a, phaeophytin and macroinvertebrates are identified.

This monitoring will establish a baseline of data which is the first step in understanding how these fragile ecosystems function. Ongoing monitoring will determine the long term health of these estuaries and the land use impacts on the overall health of the coastline.