September 02, 2022
Iwi helps clear rampant weed from awa
A Papamoa iwi has teamed up with Biosecurity New Zealand to eradicate the aggressive aquatic weed salvinia from its awa.
Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore Trust Chair Verna Gate says Te Ara ō Wairākei has significant historic, cultural, spiritual and ecological value to the iwi.
Over the four year effort Ngā Pōtiki ensured appropriate cultural processes were respected, and monitored for eels that might be affected by the removal operation.
Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says salvinia grows rapidly and can smother the surface of rivers and lakes, destroying the environment for native life and causing a drowning hazard.
Even very small fragments can survive and grow.