Whitford Estuaries Conservation Society was originally created back in 2006 -with the objective 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’. 

Of immediate concern back in 2006, was the dredging’s consent for the Pine Harbour Marina and channel. The tailings were being dumped in the tide in an area between Cockle Bay/Howick Beach and the Pine Harbour Marina, known as the Whitford Embayment. The Society was successful in this action at the Environment Court - at having the tailings taken further out to sea and away from a sensitive marine environment.

The society also was involved in the planting of esplanade reserves walkways along the Turanga River and other walkways in Whitford.

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In 2019 the estuaries were coming under increasing pressure from the changing environment of Whitford due to subdivision and increased housing development.

Once again the Society has had to stand up to protect the river from becoming a dumping ground with its lodging of the Judicial Review in the High Court in 2020, against treated wastewater being directly discharged into the Turanga River.

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There is still much more work to do - to remove the continual pollution into the river which the two councils still haven't addressed since the 1990's, which has been been a bugbear of the community since water testing first started in the Turanga River. Now they choose not to test the water as they already know what the outcome will be.