NZ Landcare Trust Regional Coordinator Alastair Cole has been busy engaging with groups and communities in the Manawatu/Whanganui region. His aim is to identify potential projects that could make a contribution to increasing the overall health of the Manawatu River.

One particular Manawatu tributary demonstrates the potential for an interesting catchment project. Whitebait Creek flows south from smaller tributaries and springs in the sand country north of Foxton township, through large dune lakes and seasonal wetlands and eventually enters the Manawatu River at the eastern end of Foxton Beach township.

As the name suggests, Whitebait Creek has been prized by locals for generations for its migrating whitebait, but recently catch quantities have been decreasing. This is due to a reduction in habitat quality, resulting from land changes including wetland drainage, land use intensification and the loss of the original streamside vegetation.

Within this years Annual Plan the Horizons Regional Council have set aside $30,000, from a pool of $400,000 as part of the Manawatu River Leaders Accord, to improve native habitat and provide additional funding to organise a fish passage. Currently Alastair is investigating whether the local farmers and landowners would be interested in extending the scope of this project... to a catchment project that could showcase the potential for whitebait habitat restoration in NZ.