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Objectives

With mounting environmental pressure to protect our waterways and to help improve the water quality of New Zealand’s rivers, the Whitford Estuaries Conservation Society, has been recreated to give the three estuaries of Whitford another voice in the wider Auckland community. 


Our objective is to ‘restore the diverse natural ecosystems of the Whitford Bay estuaries, replanting and restoring native trees, shrubs, ferns and benthic flora and enhancing repopulation of the estuarine environment’

These will be achieved by undertaking the following:


1) Advocating and promoting restoration and preservation of the Waikopua, Turanga and Mangemangeroa catchments, waterways and estuaries;


2) Removing debris and rubbish from the shorelines and islands’ of these estuaries, by undertaking periodic clean up drives organized and led by members of the Society together with residents and organizations of the local and wider communities;


3) Encouraging development of improved methods for mitigating sediment escape from the Whitford Quarry and Whitford Landfill, respectively, during the extraction of rock aggregate and the deposition of refuse. This goal will be undertaken in liaison with members of the Whitford Quarry Community Committee and the Whitford Landfill Community Committee, Mitigation is to be achieved by overseeing and improving the sediment management practices of any site operators appointed now and in the future by Auckland Council;
 

4) Assisting in controlling noxious environmental weeds notified by the Auckland Council, including moth plant, woolly nightshade, Chinese privet and gorse, if expedient, from the estuarine catchments;


5) Strategic planting of eco-sourced, native trees, shrubs and ferns adapted to, and suitable for the respective estuarine eco-systems;

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6) Studying and, if deemed appropriate, controlling and managing mangrove proliferation within the estuaries;

 

7) Seeking means of encouraging estuarine bird populations to expand in diversity and numbers. Particular attention is to be given to the preservation and propagation of rare and endangered species;

 

8) Establishing and preserving public reserves and sanctuaries in their native state, including replanting estuarine riparian margins with selected native trees and shrubs;

 

9) Encouraging by covenant and/or other effective means, and in conjunction with Auckland Council, protection of those areas on public or private property already containing established native trees, shrubs and ferns.

 

10) Advising local, regional and central authorities of problematic issues that the Society believes are inappropriate and taking whatever action the Executive deems necessary;

WECS recognises that they have a number of tasks immediately at hand: 

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  • To hold Auckland Council to account, for improving the pollution already existing in the river, including more frequent testing of water quality.

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  • Removal of fuel and any other contaminants on board an abandoned launch washed up on Wades Island in January 2018

  • Action - The abandoned vessel was declared a wreck and new owners have taken possession and refloated the vessel on a king tide in February 2021. No further action required.

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  • Removal/ co-ordination of a sunken trailer sailer right across the Turanga River channel just south of the end of Wades Rd.

Whitford Residents and Ratepayers Association have been communicating with the harbourmaster on this problem.  To date, nothing has been done to remove this hazard.

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 Action -The sunken yacht was refloated by WECS in late 2019 and handed over to the harbourmaster. It was taken possession of by a person who knew the yachts previous owners circumstances and last seen on a mooring at Shelly Park Boating Club.

  • Removal of some of the tall overgrown vegetation along the Wades Rd walkway. Unfortunately, the view shaft of the river has been lost due to the wrong planting in the wrong location.

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  • Challenging the Auckland City Council’s recent consent variation allowing treated wastewater to be discharged directly into the Turanga River from a new subdivision adjacent to the Whitford Park Golf Club. This council decision goes against the mood of the nation in general and the Auckland Council in particular (as it’s commitment to clean up and improve our waterways).  A challenge to the Auckland Council on this decision has been initiated.

  • Action - An out of court settlement will result in the developer applying for a new discharge consent.

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