Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities

Protecting New Zealand's biodiversity basket.

Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities is a farmer led catchment group situated between Opotiki and Gisborne.

Focused on protecting the crystal-clear waters of the Mōtū and surrounding rivers and their tributaries, as well as the surrounding biodiversity. This is achieved through fencing, riparian planting, pest and weed control, and ongoing conservation efforts.

Our Taonga

Treasured species present in our area

How MotuVated?

We are focused on the stabilisation of the banks of the Mōtū and surrounding rivers through fencing, establishment of riparian planting and weed control. This is a continuation of the work funded by MPI’s erosion control fund and here is what we have achieved so far.

Kms Fencing

Trees Planted

500

Protecting the Mōtū River

The groups major focus is supporting the Mōtū and surrounding rivers of which 35km flows through the area. The rivers are comparatively clean rivers with crystal clear side creeks and healthy aquatic life. Unlike most rivers in Aotearoa, agriculture occurs predominantly in the headwaters with the remainder of the catchments being forested in the native vegetation of the Raukumara Ranges. This creates a unique opportunity for the Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities and a traceability that many other catchments lack.

For this reason, these areas represent some of the most achievable river restoration projects in the country, within a scientifically unique environment.

* pictured here the lower Mōtū below the catchment area

Biodiversity Basket

The area exhibits an incredible array of biodiversity due both to its unique ecosystems and also the conservation work being undertaken by the neighbouring groups – Whinray Ecological Trust and the Eastern Whio Link.

The Catchments are the last remaining stronghold of the North Island Weka. These Weka were once widespread, but on the mainland they are now only found in the hills between Matawai and Opotiki where a few thousand survive. The catchments are also the only place where North Island Weka and Kiwi coexist.

The catchments are also home to one of the few healthy populations of Eastern Brown Kiwi which are at the fastest rate of decline of any Kiwi species in the country and the most critically at risk. Whinray Reserve and the surrounding farmland boasts one of the last significant populations of Eastern Brown Kiwi in the country.

Risks to the Mōtū River

Erosion

River bank erosion is the major threat to water quality. The group has already undertaken an extensive erosion control project with the support of MPI’s Erosion Control Fund.

The impacts of river bank erosion in the Catchments are sedimentation clogging up the naturally cobbled riverbed with silt and degrading important habitat for whio, trout, native fish and invertebrates.

Excluding stock from riparian areas by fencing dramatically reduces destabilising of river banks. The root structure of riparian planting offers further structural stability reducing further erosion.

The group is proposing a further project to trial erosion control measures to identify the most effective methods for riverbank stabilisation.

Predator Control

Given the unique biodiversity of the Catchments and the abundance of suitable habitat the major threat to this biodiversity is predators. Stoats, dogs and cats are the major threat to weka, kiwi and Whio with pigs, possums and rats having a lesser impact.

Lack of available cover has been identified as an issue for Whio in the upper catchments with the riparian planting project set to resolve this in coming years as it matures.

Roadkill is a significant threat to weka as these birds tend to use the roadside vegetation as habitat and cover darting from one side of the road to the other ultimately resulting in many fatalities. The riparian planting project also hopes to mitigate this issue by offering a ‘Wilderness Walkway’ along the rivers edge and a biodiversity corridor between conservation areas as it matures.

Community

The area is home to two small rural villages, Mōtū and Matawai. Each of these villages have their own school and both schools have environmental projects set to deliver water monitoring, tree planting days and a science project around tuna (eel) health and abundance.

The area is the rohe of Te Aitanga a Mahaki with the local Marae being Matawai Marae. The Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities is working towards stronger engagement with the Marae in future and is actively seeking to deliver on Tangata Whenua aspirations for the Awa and Whenua.

Tourism is a strong element of the community with the Motu Trails cycling destination and the Mōtū community house being at the center of it all.

Trout fishing and hunting is also a large tourism drawcard with the Mōtū fishery being one of the best in the region for trophy Brown and Rainbow Trout. The pig hunting is well renowned in the surrounding Raukumara Range and some of the lower tributaries of the Mōtū such as the Te Kahika and Mangatutara are very popular with pig hunters

Working together

The group is made up of MotuVated landowners across a predominantly sheep and beef farming area, with two dairy farms, mixed-age forestry, and a large amount of native bush cover in both private and public ownership. We work together with local iwi, farmers, schools, conservation groups, volunteers, and other stakeholders to protect and enhance the unique environmental values of the Mōtū catchment.

Bordering the Mōtū Catchment Group are three significant biodiversity areas

Help Us Reach Our Future Goals

MotuVated

Our purpose is to maintain, restore and protect the River catchments within the Mōtū and Matawai Communities and to provide habitat for the unique native biodiversity

Our aim is to continue to build on the work funded by MPI’s erosion control fund and carried out by the Mōtū Catchment group.

The vision for the group is that the entirety of the rivers are fenced and riparian planted with prioritised tributaries also stabilised. The overall outcome will be the continuation of the crystal clear waters and restored and protected areas of biodiversity.

Wilderness Walkway

The waterways connect State Forest 93 and the Waioeka Gorge with the Whinray Reserve and the Raukumura Ranges. There are pockets of native bush on each farm along the way. Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities see a unique opportunity to create a biodiversity corridor along the waterways to provide safe passage for weka and other taonga species.

This corridor provides riparian shelter, protection and food for taonga species including Weka, Whio, Kiwi, Kereru, Tui, Korimako as well as Karearea and Pekapeka. Predator control in the form of stoat, possum and cat traps will ensure the species utilising the corridor are protected. The ‘Wilderness Walkway’ will reduce the reliance of Weka on roadside habitat and therefore reduce the number of roadkill deaths sustained by this unique and underrepresented species.

Kiwi on Every Farm

Given the unique nature of the catchments as key strongholds for Eastern Brown Kiwi with Whinray Reserve being at the heart of this sub species continued existence. Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities wish to build upon the success of this project. There are currently Eastern Brown Kiwi living in low numbers across many of the catchments farms. The bush fragments, forested hilltops and scrub gullies lend themselves to being ideal Kiwi habitat.

Mōtū Matawai Catchment Communities will support both Whinray Ecological Trust and Eastern Brown Kiwi by extending the available Kiwi habitat and providing pest control protection.