Ko te mea tuatahi e mihi ana ki te whānau o Makō ki Wairewa.

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa tauira and Ngāi Tahu kairaranga were privileged to be invited out to Wairewa Marae early this month for a pā harakeke harvest at the pā in Little River.

A closely woven group of keen weavers and whānau travelled out to stay four nights, and took part in many traditional practices of raranga including cleaning and harvesting, preparing and of course weaving the beautiful harakeke grown on the pā. [Read more…]

Over the last five years, Te Roto o Wairewa has shown signs of improvement, with improved water quality, which has enabled macrophytes (aquatic plants) to flower for the first time in many years. The species that has flowered in the lake is Myriophyllum triphyllum, which is known to have high aesthetic, wildlife, and fisheries value. Tim Davie, Environment Canterbury Surface Water Science Manager, said the growth is a sign of a stable lake environment with improving water quality. “Macrophytes grow in lakes along the margins where their roots can reach the lake bottom but in shallow lakes such as Wairewa they can grow almost anywhere. [Read more…]

Between 3-5 March, a huge āwhā off the east coast of the South Island pushed cold south easterly rain onto Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū and Ōtautahi causing significant flooding and land sliding. This was a 1-in-100 year āwhā. SH75 between Wairewa and Akaroa was closed and there was significant surface flooding in the Little River and Cooptown area. The majority of rain fell in a 24-hour period from 10am on 4 March. Rainfall predictions from the MetService were for moderate rainfall up until the evening of 3 March, when it was upgraded to severe. By this time it was too late to open the lake, which was at 1.80m, due to the 5-6m swells rolling in. [Read more…]