Covenant to protect wetland

A small puddle surrounded by willows transformed into a thriving wetland has a new name and will be legally protected by a QEII National Trust covenant.

Last week a covenant was signed to ensure the future of Thomsons wetland, a 5ha constructed wetland in the Manuherekia Catchment.

Thomson Project manager Nicola McGrouther said what had been achieved was incredible.

"To see the small puddle surrounded by old willow become the thriving wetland less than two years into the project, is absolutely incredible.

"We now have over 40,000 native plants in the ground and rare birds using the wetland as their home. Having the land protected with a QEII covenant marks an important milestone for the protection and future of the wetland."

At a gathering last week QEII chief executive Dan Coup thanked the McLeod family, on whose property the wetland is, and the Manuherekia Catchment Group for their enthusiasm for the project and their partnership with QEII to secure legal protection.

"It’s great that Pete and Robyn McLeod and their family are protecting this wetland for the future. The land stays in their ownership but will now have a covenant on its title preserving it. QEII has historically not been a big player in the Upper Manuherekia catchment, but we’re delighted to be working with the McLeods and other neighbouring landowners."

The wetland would be protected by a special type of QEII National Trust covenant, known as a restoration agreement, which differed from the more usual open space covenant.

Restoration agreements were designed as an intermediate step to secure potential biodiversity values while an area developed to where it would warrant full open space covenant status, Mr Coup said.

"It is an innovative protection mechanism that recognises the McLeods’ ownership of the land while acknowledging that the Manuherekia Catchment Group will manage the area."

The Thomsons wetland, part of the Thomsons Catchment Project had been constructed from scratch, with Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature funding, to create the wetland over a three-year period.

QEII Central Otago regional representative Rob Wardle said the trust was pleased to be able to offer legal protection of the area.

"Partnering to protect wetlands is a high priority for QEII National Trust.

"Protecting wetlands helps to control flooding, filter nutrients and sediments from watercourses, and ultimately is an efficient and effective way to help protect the habitat of threatened animal and plant species".

The wetland was officially renamed the Orkney Wetland in honour of the farm it was on. The McLeod’s farm, Orkney, was named by the original settlers, the Corrigals, who hailed from the small Scottish island. 

— APL