Friends of the Maitai

For a cool, clear, clean flowing Maitai river

Contractors fined after sediment destroys native fish habitat in Nelson

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Contractors developing a large Nelson retirement village have been fined $90,000 for "gross pollution" of a stream. At an Environment Court hearing in Nelson, Judge Brian Dwyer said sediment from earthworks discharged into Maire Stream meant the population of indigenous banded kokopu had … [Read more...]

Sedimentation degrading Kaiteriteri, Otuwhero estuaries

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BY CHERIE SIVIGNON The Kaiteriteri and Otuwhero inlets along the Tasman coast are being ecologically degraded by sediment that is smothering plant life, according to a new report. However, sedimentation in the protected Torrent Bay estuary, which has a catchment of native forest rather than … [Read more...]

NZ needs to plant more trees to combat climate change – but what kind and where?

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By Rebecca Macfie To counter climate change, New Zealand must vastly increase its area of forestry. But as recent disasters show, not all trees are created equal. July 2017 had been an unusually wet month on Banks Peninsula, where landowners Philip King and Sarah Lovell-Smith own the historic … [Read more...]

Council retires forestry blocks amid national shake up of forestry practices

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Article by Stuff reporter Katy Jones Nelson City Council is retiring more than a fifth of its forestry blocks and building a wetland along the Maitai River, in response to concerns about the environmental impact of forestry practices locally and nationwide. The council last week released Niwa … [Read more...]