Coastal Restoration Trust of New Zealand

Coastal Dune Ecosystem Reference Database

Fine scale intertidal monitoring of Waikanae Estuary, December 2022

Author
Forrest, B.; Stevens, L.
Year
2023
Journal / Source
Salt Ecology Report 116
Publisher / Organisation
Prepared for Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Pages
44 pp.
Summary
As part of its State of the Environment programme, Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) undertakes monitoring and assessment of the ecological condition of estuaries and other coastal environments in its region. This report describes an intertidal survey (undertaken 12 Dec 2022) of a monitoring site in Waikanae Estuary, following the previously used fine scale survey methods adapted from New Zealand’s National Estuary Monitoring Protocol. Findings are compared with four previous surveys undertaken from 2010- 2017, and supplemented with the results of annual sedimentation monitoring undertaken using the ‘sediment plate’ method. The status and long-term trends in estuary health are evaluated, and future monitoring and management needs are discussed.