Project Description:

Our Project

The Clean Streams Campbells Bay Project is part of the wider Restore Hibiscus & Bays Stream Restoration Programme, which aims to restore waterways throughout the 34 catchments within the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board area, connecting native biodiversity across our significant ecological areas (SEAs) and other fragmented native ecosystems and contributing to the protection of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park – Tīkapa Moana/Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi.

The Campbells Bay Stream

Campbells Bay stream has a 166 ha catchment that lies to the south of the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board area. It includes native regenerating forest, mature exotic forest open grassland and its approximate 6 km of channel is divided into two main tributaries (the North and South branch), which meet near the Huntly Road access to Campbells Bay beach                  

Much of the southern branch and its catchment lie within the Centennial Park bush reserve, and the upper reaches have few modifications to the original stream bed, with the exception of areas where stormwater flows into the stream. The upper part of the northern branch lies mostly within the Pupuke Golf Course and Park Rise bush area, with the lower stream reaches flowing through residential properties. Some of the uppermost tributary reaches (intermittent) of the southern branch are located in grassed areas within the golf course with no riparian vegetation.

Who we are

Centennial Park Bush Society (CPBS) was formed in 1976 and holds regular weekly and monthly work days in the park. The current focus of these activities is to establish native riparian vegetation, eliminate pest plants, and control pest animals. The Society also advocates with council, raises awareness in the community and connects with stakeholders.

More recently, Campbells Bay Urban Sanctuary was founded – a catchment wide community environmental scheme designed to embrace the natural assets of Campbells Bay, including its streams, and help enhance, protect and promote them. This has involved restoration work along the northern branch of the stream in and upstream of Park Rise Bush and at Campbells Bay Reserve. Please refer to the 2018 Campbells Bay stream restoration plan for further details.

A tributary of the north branch of the stream has been identified as a great place to start private land stream restoration work, and there are a number of experienced and passionate neighbours keen to get going.

A pilot project is underway connecting neighbours who own or border part of the northern tributary (Beacon Ave to Beach Road) Locals are organising working bees and drawing on local expertise for replanting.  The goal is for this project to inspire other groups to form in the catchment.  There is already widespread interest in this concept.

Working at catchment scale 

The Clean Streams Campbells Bay Project will link up this existing restoration activity within a comprehensive catchment-wide stream restoration strategy. This will help to increase the impact or our work and connect habitat for our native wildlife to migrate between significant ecological areas and other fragmented native ecosystems within Campbells Bay and across the entire Hibiscus & Bays Local Board area. Ultimately, the Clean Streams Campbells Bay project will connect with other catchment-wide stream restoration projects, including Taiaotea-Rothesay Bay and Long Bay-Awaruku , as well as other large restoration and pest control projects along the Whangaparaoa peninsula (Pest Free Hibiscus Coast) and around Okura Bush (Friends of Okura Bush and Pest Free Okura).

The Clean Streams Campbells Bay project will involve:

• Education for landowners, residents and visitors on the negative effects for our waterways of pollutants and waste
• Water quality monitoring
• Native planting
• Pest plant control and maintenance

We anticipate the entire Clean Streams Campbells Bay project will be completed across 5 years, with the aim to restore the entire stream and tributaries throughout Campbells Bay catchment.

We need your support

We are currently seeking funding to initiate Year 1 of the Project. In Year 1, we will carry out pest plant control work, including weed removal and appropriate disposal, from July to April 2020-21, preparing the Year 1 sites ready for planting. We will plant the Year 1 areas in May to July 2021 and continue with post planting maintenance from July 2021 to 2024.