The Draft Whangamata Harbour Plan identifies the issues that are a risk to the harbour, what could be done to address them and how we could work together to ensure the community's vision for the harbour is achieved. This harbour plan has also led to the development of two supporting documents - the Draft Whangamata Catchment Management Plan and Whangamata Mangrove Management Options Report. Find out about the issues involved and how you can give us feedback on them.

• Background to the harbour plan
• Key concerns and risks to the harbour
• Download the harbour plan and overview
• Community feedback

Background to the harbour plan

The Draft Whangamata Harbour Plan has been developed following two years of consultation on how best to manage Whangamata Harbour and the surrounding land (the catchment).¹

The plan's development was initially prompted by a community meeting held in November 2005 to discuss the spread and management of mangroves in the harbour. Those attending the meeting agreed there needed to be an integrated plan that addressed the risks to the harbour's health, particularly sedimentation, which is the main reason why the mangroves have spread.

The harbour plan recognises that the land and harbour are connected - what we do on the land surrounding the harbour can affect the harbour's health. It also recognises that the harbour has:

• multiple uses
• contains many types of habitat (places where plants and animals live)
• provides attractive views and is a place for recreation and food gathering.

The extent and importance of key concerns and risks to the harbour are identified in the plan, and the actions needed to address them are outlined. The harbour plan also led to the development of two supporting documents - the Draft Whangamata Catchment Management Plan and Whangamata Mangrove Management Options Report.

Key concerns and risks to the harbour

The key concerns and risks to the harbour identified in the plan are listed below in order of priority. The priorities are based on what is currently underway to correct the issue and the long-term impact on the harbour of doing nothing. If future conditions change, then the priorities will also change. For example, nutrients from agriculture are currently not a serious issue but if agricultural use intensified then nutrient run-off from farmland would become important.

• Sedimentation.
• Invasive weeds and pests (land, freshwater and marine).
• Harvesting pressures on shellfish.
• Habitat management and restoration.
• Bacteria in water.
• Mangrove expansion.
• Flooding.
• Whitebait and eel numbers.
• Accidental spills of oil or contaminants.
• Nutrients in water.
• Contaminants in stormwater.
• Reclaiming land by filling in wetlands.
• Ecological corridors connecting the different ecosystems.

Download the harbour plan and overview

You can download the following documents in PDF format below and use our feedback form to give us feedback on them.

Draft Whangamata Harbour Plan and its maps
(1289 kb, 184 seconds to download, 56k modem)  

An overview of the harbour and catchment plans and mangrove management options report
(1004 kb, 143 seconds to download, 56k modem) 

You can also download the full Draft Whangamata Catchment Management Plan and the Whangamata Mangrove Management Options Report.

If you would like to have a copy of these documents or the feedback form sent out to you, please call Environment Waikato's freephone 0800 800 401.

All of these documents are also available to view at:

• libraries in Thames, Whangamata and Hamilton
• Environment Waikato's offices in Hamilton and Whitianga
• Thames-Coromandel District Council's offices in Thames and Whangamata.

Community feedback

The opportunity to provide feedback closed on Wednesday, 7 November 2007.

Footnotes

1. The requirements of relevant local and central government regulations and legislation have been considered during the development and consultation of the Whangamata Harbour Plan 2007, Whangamata Catchment Management Plan 2007 and associated documents. This includes Environment Waikato’s Regional Coastal Plan, Regional Policy Statement and 2006-2016 Long-Term Council Community Plan, among others.