With 2022 about to collapse in exhaustion amidst the Christmas wrappings and tinsel, it is timely to look toward the coming year and to consider just what will be carried forward as unfinished business from 2022?

A new year never starts completely new; it always starts from the point that the previous year left off with at least a few matters hanging over.  Here are just some of the 2022 projects that the Network will be progressing for the river catchment in 2023.

Portlink Industrial Park:  The sight of a solid stack of shipping containers blocking view of the Port Hills and dominating the environment near Tunnel Road, Woolston will continue throughout the holiday period and beyond, unfortunately.  A resource consent application by the developer, Braeburn Property Ltd, lodged at the end of November seeks approval to store containers four to six high, to do so within the 30m landscaping setback from the river, to leave an earth bund in place within the reserve space and, distressingly, to erect a 2.4m high wooden “acoustic” fence along the top of the bund facing Ferry Road.  If the last of these is approved, expect the eyesore of stacked containers to be underpinned by a 2.4m high wall of graffiti. The Network is particularly outraged by the intrusion of development within the 30m landscape area – a real disservice to the notion of providing for the ecology of the river. A decision as to whether the public, concerned community groups or near neighbours will be able to comment on this resource consent will be the decision of an independent commissioner in the new year.  Read this article and watch this space…we are following the matter closely.

Lower Ōpāwaho River Guidance Plan: One of the positive outcomes of 2022 was the adoption of this Guidance Plan by the Christchurch City Council (CCC).  The plan seeks to provide a high-level overview of how developments near and along the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River downstream of Opawa Road can be co-ordinated to help improve the river and its catchment.  It will take some time for planning processes to catch up with the fact that there is such a guidance plan in existence, and to adapt to it, but we are committed to making this happen starting 2023.

Naming the River: You might be surprised by the number of residents who don’t know the name of the river that they walk beside daily.  As a good example of a serpentine river, the twists and turns of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River don’t help it to appear consistently as the same river from its headwaters in Halswell to its outlet into the estuary at Ferrymead…but neither does the fact that there are very few signs along the river that name it.  We are working with the CCC on a project that is going to start to overcame this by naming the river at every point that it is crossed by a bridge.  We started this in 2022 by photographing all 54 public bridges and culverts that carry people and cars across the river.  That little activity pointed up just how often the river disappears beneath Christchurch roads without much in the way of recognition.  Next time you travel down Colombo Street or up Halswell Road, take note of how little recognition is made of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River being crossed – as if the river is of no consequence. We hope to change that for the better in 2023.

Springs: The Ōpāwaho Heathcote River begins as springs and gathers volume on its journey from springs: they are in fact the life-blood of the river and yet they exist as under-appreciated parts of our environment.  In 2022, we undertook a literature review of springs in general with a focus on the information in the public domain about the springs that feed the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River.  To be honest, there is not a great deal of up-to-date information about these springs and so, in 2023, we are embarking on a more practical project to develop community-based monitoring of selected springs, to understand related mana whenua story telling, to develop some educational resources on groundwater/springs interaction and to develop an exemplar project of spring protection/enhancement.  It promises to be a project of on-going significance to the health of the river.

Sediment: When it rains, the river turns brown with sediment from a wide variety of sources.  Perhaps the most significant of these is the Port Hills, particularly the Cashmere and Hoon Hay Valleys.  If there was a simple solution to the issue, it would have been in place already given the number of person-hours dedicated to talking about it.  It is a complex interaction of natural processes, farming, forestry and human activities like roading, housing and recreation.  Somehow, however, we must reduce the overland flow of water on the Port Hills to reduce sedimentation in the river and the estuary.  We will only be able to do that by continuing the hard conversations…and we will in 2023.

All the volunteering: There are 22 community groups active throughout the river catchment, almost all of them involved in planting, weeding, managing and expanding the area of restored native flora that will bring back the native birds and help improve the health of the river through providing increased shade, better filtering of stormwater and increased insect life. Most of these groups will take a break over the holidays but they will be conscious that the weeds do not need a rest.  If you want to be part of one of these groups of volunteers in 2023, just find your local group here.

All the rest and new projects: Of course, we will be embarking on all our usual annual events and undertakings to help spread the message about river restoration: EstuaryFest, Walking Festival, Mother-of-all-Clean-ups, Farmers’ Markets, World Rivers Day, and submitting to CCC and ECan on their Annual Plans. There will be some new projects too which we will keep you informed about as 2023 begins. 

Until then, have a safe and restful holiday!