The area surrounding the Pauatahanui Inlet has seen many changes in recent years. Land-use practices and other activities affect both fresh water environments in the catchment and drainage into the Inlet, and it is important to have a long-term picture of these effects.
Since late 2001, Guardians have been monitoring the health of streams entering the Inlet, along with their associated habitats. Thanks to a kit developed jointly by NIWA and Federated Farmers, the work is easily carried out by volunteers. Using the Stream Health Monitoring and Assessment Kit (SHMAK), GOPI volunteers collect scientifically acceptable data on stream water health and ecology from seven sites four times a year.
The results of each session are saved electronically in specially designed SHMAK software and sent to the Greater Wellington Regional Council to add to its regional SHMAK user database. In 2003, GOPI was awarded financial and practical support for stream monitoring from the Greater Wellington Take Care programme. Take Care has supplied us with three kits and useful equipment such as waders.
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The SHMAK kit in use
We monitor Duck Creek (2 sites), Horokiri Stream (2 sites), Pauatahanui Stream (2 sites) and, since 2006, the Kakaho Stream (1 site).
Broad land-use types within these four catchments
include urban, rural (farm land, nature reserves, parks, lifestyle blocks), forestry and recreation (golf courses, walking, picnics).
The table below shows the details of each site.
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