Meeting Paper For West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board

TITLE OF PAPER STATUS REPORT

AUTHOR: Mark Davies

SUBJECT: Status Report for the Board for period ending 3 May 2017

DATE: 12 May 2017

SUMMARY:

This report provides information on activities throughout the West Coast since the September meeting of the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board.

MARINE PLACE – Hautai Marine Reserve: South Westland A team of four staff carried out an intertidal survey within Hautai Marine Reserve during the last week of March. A lot of good information and data was gathered with a view to establishing a baseline for future and on-going monitoring.

Flyovers to check for illegal fishing by the Royal NZ Air Force and other aircraft that regularly fly in the area have been arranged for the Kahurangi and Punakaiki Marine Reserves.

MONITORING The West Coast monitoring team have completed most of the planned field work for the season. Data is now been analysed and all projects will be reported on during the next couple of months.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 1 KARAMEA PLACE

Planning Resource Consents received, Concessions/Permissions, Management Plans

A one-off concession was processed for a sporting event in the Oparara Basin. District comments were completed for helicopter landings.

Visitor Management

Summer Heaphy hut wardens contract ended 21st of April. Mackay Hill gravelling completed finishing the Heaphy track upgrade. However, January storm damage meant more work around the coastal track is underway to fix track damages including re-routing the track inland to keep away from wave surges on south Heaphy beach.

Community Involvement/Initiatives

Rangers have been working with Karamea School and the local community setting up an on-going restoration area at the Oparara Reserve focusing on native planting and predator control.

Species Management Trapline maintenance work in the Oparara/Ugly basin has been undertaken.

Coastal cress has been surveyed, and planted, at several sites along the Heaphy coastline.

Animal Pest Control – Oparara / Kohaihai - No Goat Control work undertaken this last period due to pesticide caution periods and risks to hunter’s dogs. Inspections Planned for late May / June.

Weed Pest Control

Aerial weed control of eucalyptus trees in the Oparara basin along with pampas control in the Karamea Estuary and Heaphy Coast has been completed this period.

Habitat Protection

Nil

Fire No fires this period

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 2 Monitoring

Surveys of great spotted kiwi have been competed in the Heaphy Valley. Rodent monitoring has occurred to gauge population abundances to ascertain need for BFOB aerial treatment.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 3 KAWATIRI PLACE

Planning

RMA, Concessions/Permissions, Management Plans

Two one-off concessions were processed for drone filming and earthquake research.

Four district comments were completed for guiding, easement re-issue and photography tours.

Two district comments were made on SLM proposed disposals.

Two RMA applications were completed for the construction of sea wall bunds and another for coastal protections works. Two applications were received, one on coastal protection works and another for black sand mining.

Visitor Management

Charming Creek track closure between the Ngakawau carpark and Mangatini Falls still in place due to severe rockfall and visitor safety hazard. A business case is underway to get the rockfall cleared and stabilised to reopen the southern end of the track. The timeline at this point is not available.

Community Involvement/Initiatives

An MoU was signed for the ongoing coastal restoration planting project in Charleston.

The Buller Conservation Volunteers spent a day looking after their nursery at the Westport DOC office. They spent a day releasing and planting at Charleston and another day planting 100 plants on the Cape Foulwind walkway, this was in conjunction with the Buller High School restoration programme.

The Buller High School spent a day with a ranger continuing with the restoration work at Cape Foulwind by undertaking planting and having a discussion of the biodiversity and recreation values of the area.

SGS New Zealand have partnered with DOC to create a predator control programme at the Kawatiri Beach Reserve. This will join Predator Free Waitakere and Predator Free Truman Track initiatives which have been set up in the last few months. DOC is working closely with the local communities at all these sites.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 4 Historic

Historic maintenance is currently underway for the Charming Creek and Coalbrookdale tracks.

Species Management None this period.

Animal Pest Control – • Mokihinui / Lyell Trust (staff and Contractors) are undertaking aerial and ground control work on / and adjoining areas to the Old Ghost Road track, including sections of the open river flats from Stern Creek to Specimens Creek in the Mokihinui Forks area.

• The Department supports this Goat Control programme by undertaking aerial control in buffering areas and the ground work is focused in the Upper headwaters of the South Branch Mokihinui prescription, this work has just commenced in April due to pesticide caution periods posing risks to our hunter’s dogs.

• Indications from Wild Animal Recovery Operators of a possible viable goat meat market, although the department is working through these options, the West Coast has very limited sites to regularly obtain consistent numbers of goats.

Weed Pest Control The weedbuster weed control program continues to come across infestations of pampas and gunnera. These are being controlled. The annual aerial control of old man’s beard in the Buller gorge was completed successfully. This long-term project in conjunction with LINZ has successfully stopped the establishment of old man’s beard in coastal Buller.

Aerial spraying was also completed in the Mokihinui Valley along with wilding pine control at Charleston.

Monitoring Rodent monitoring has occurred to gauge population abundances to ascertain need for BFOB aerial treatment.

Fire No fires this period.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 5 PAPAROA PLACE

Planning Resource Consents received, Concessions/Permissions, Management Plans

Four District comments completed on taking kakahi samples, guiding, and photography tours.

Visitor Management Fox River Caves remain closed between the Fox River junction and the caves. This is aimed to have barriers installed and the track re-routed for caves access in June/July. Track maintenance is ongoing on the remaining Punakaiki tracks.

Community Involvement/Initiatives

The Paparoa National Park Management Plan Opening was held at Barrytown Hall to celebrate the work of the Department, Conservation Board, Ngai Tahu and Ngati Waewae in the creation of the new park plan.

A ranger had a discussion with Rangiora School about the history and wildlife of the Paparoa area.

Predator Free Truman Track was set up by the community in conjunction with the Department.

Species Management Te Papa staff are continuing with their research work in the Westland petrel colony.

Animal Pest Control – • Goat Control – DOC aerial control (only) undertaken this last period removed 116 goats and 3 deer from Paparoa National Park.

• Indications from Wild Animal Recovery Operators of a possible viable goat meat market, although the department is working through these options, the West Coast has very limited sites to regularly obtain consistent numbers of goats. • Stoat – trap check of DOC200 carried out in the Pike River catchment with low stoat catch. 26 Rats, 5 Stoats, 4 weasels for March – April period.

Weed Pest Control • Ground control of weed species along Pike access road and the Croesus Road. • Ground control in the Moonlight area hampered by combination of weather and logging operations by PF Olsen, but some control along accessible roads has been undertaken.

Habitat Protection Nil

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 6 Monitoring • Rodent monitoring has occurred to gauge population abundances to ascertain need for BFOB aerial treatment in the Roaring Meg Ecological Management Unit. Current Rat Tracking Index is at 30%. • Seedfall traps are open to measure levels of seed rain following heavy flowering last year to assist the BFOB decision as above.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 7 INANGAHUA PLACE

Planning Request for comments received and processed - 1 mining access arrangement application for low impact suction dredging - 2 research and collection permits - 1 easement concession for overhead powerlines - 1 land exchange proposal received and being evaluated - 1 section 95 affected party application received

Visitor Management • Kirwins track vegetation clearance work completed • St James Walkway vegetation cleared and Cannibal Gorge and Ada Huts have both had maintenance work completed. • Montgomery Hut interior repainted • Our campsites on the Lewis Pass highway continue to be extremely busy visitor sites and don’t show any sign of slowing down.

Community Involvement/Initiatives Greymouth community and biodiversity team organised and ran - Bat survey work with Maruia School - Assisted and provided technical advice in setting up a plant propagation programme with Maruia School for a plan to start a long-term riparian planting programme

Historic • Normal historic sight maintenance work

Species Management • Long Tailed bat monitoring and capture completed for the year. Involvement with Maruia School pupils. Results suggest population around Blue Haze is stable, with possible increase in catch compared to 2016 catch. Catches for Marble Hill colony proved difficult with weather issues and roost sites that are difficult to trap safely. • Black billed gull monitoring finished following birds leaving site. Site experienced heavy flooding late January 2017 pushing the birds out early.

Animal Pest Control • Goat Control – DOC operations removed 59 goats (ground hunters) and 22 goats (aerial control) from Victoria Forest Park. Although goat numbers remain consistent in adjoining (Manuka / Ranger Creek) areas , encounters have reduced over recent visits, (8 goats removed / 266hrs) from the Waitahu / Shaw catchments to the south.

• Goat Control – DOC undertaken this last period removed 79 goats (aerial) control from Te Maruia / Lake Daniell area. The department has engaged contractors to undertake ground control at this site, these are programmed to commence May / June.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 8 • Wild Animal Recovery Operators indicate there might be a viable goat meat market, although the department is working through these options, the West Coast has very limited sites to regularly obtain consistent numbers of goats.

• Stoat control – low numbers are being caught following the 2016 aerial BFOB treatment with only 11 stoats caught since January 2017. No weasels have been caught since December 2016.

• Rat Control – BFOB Ridge to River tracking lines run in March 2017 showed rodent abundance at 2% RTI. Increased numbers are being caught in DOC200 in March – April with 96 rats [500 traps], predominantly from the main highway, with lower catch in other trapped areas.

• A24 Henry self-setting traps on Marble Hill re-gassed and re-lured within the core bat roosting area. Replacement lures were Solid State – fish lured which provide efficiencies in cost and staff resourcing needs.

Weed Pest Control • Aerial spraying within the Maruia River bed and riparian areas has been completed. • Ground control of broom undertaken in the Rahu Stream with a high number of plants encountered. • Ground control of all weed species concluded in Station Creek. • Roadside spraying on the Lewis Pass and through to Warwick has been suspended following the Kaikoura earthquake as constant heavy traffic flows make this work dangerous for staff and public motorists.

Fire No fires this period.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 9 MAWHERA PLACE

Planning Request for comments received and processed or being processed

- 9 mining access arrangement and annual work programme applications - 2 guiding concessions - 4 research and collection permits - 2 army exercises - 2 one off permits - 8 section 95 RMA affected party applications

Visitor Management

• Jacko Flat hut repaint (Crooked River) • Elizabeth Hut repaint (Haupiri River) • Top Trent hut repainted thanks to Permolat volunteers • Front country tracks, short walks and Amenities area maintenance ongoing.

Community Involvement/Initiatives Greymouth community team organised and ran - Rapahoe beach clean-up with Alternative education school and local residents - Greymouth community team ran 2 Seaweek events with Cobden School and Barrytown School which included a field trip to Cobden Island and a small wetland near the Barrytown School. - A citizen science day with CASRA on Cobden Island - Assisted GDC with tourism infrastructure bid for new toilets and carparking in Blackball which will support visitors that will arrive when the Paparoa Track is opened.

Historic General historic maintenance work plus planning for minor improvements to Brunner Mine site. Species Management

• Reports of possible bat population detected in the Gladstone area were investigated using bat recorders. Only a short timeframe was available and weather was not conducive to bats feeding at great ranges. Will conduct further recording tests next year in this area.

Animal Pest Control – • Goat Control – Although DOC removed 14 goats (ground control) this last period from Rotomanu, goat encounters have reduced consistently over recent visits to the site with 12 of these goats taken in one group and the other pair located at a different location. These efforts of 3 hunters over 20 days (242 hrs) indicated little goat sign at most areas searched.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 10 • Tahr Control – Waikiti and Gloriavale. No DOC control has been undertaken this last period, although trail cameras are due to be checked for presence / absence. The department has engaged contractors to undertake follow-up, ground inspections at these sites, commencing early May. • Stoats – Local group CASRA have continued servicing DOC200 traps on Cobden Island. 23 Rats and 3 Stoats caught since January this year.

Weed Pest Control • Local Pampas control well underway with good gains made on land managed by local and central government agencies that in the past have exacerbated weed issues. • Still resistance to weed control by some landowners for exotic species that are on the RPMS. • RPMS review is yet to be finalised. • Aerial spraying for Pampas and other weeds is planned to commence over the next week or two as weather allows.

Habitat Protection • Cobden wetlands restoration progressing well with a reduction in weed infestations. Three new inanga spawning sites have been found during recent monitoring showing good return for the investment being placed in restoration.

Fire No fires this period.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 11 HOKITIKA PLACE

Planning The community team has worked on the following:

8 Resource Consents (Regional and District Council) for gold mining, 1 consent for the Kumara Chinese Garden 5 Filming Permits 3 Aircraft landing permits 3 Guiding permits 1 easement enquiry Several complaints about work undertaken on public cconservation land Numerous general enquiries

Visitor Management The Recreation/Historic team has repaired the Rapid Creek cableway. Back country hut and track maintenance has been done in the Arahura, Hokitika, Taipo and lower Whitcombe. The alternative route between the Taramakau River and Morrison Footbridge in the Otira was cleared and re-marked. Preliminary work has been done for the replacement of the Scotties Cableway with a 3 wire bridge. A section of the Mahinapua Walkway has been resurfaced to bring it up to a suitable standard for the West Coast Wilderness Trail. General maintenance has been done on front country tracks and campgrounds.

Community Involvement/Initiatives

- Greymouth and Hokitika community teams ran 2 Seaweek events with Hokitika, Ross and Kokatahi primary schools on Wadeson Island.. - Greymouth community team ran whitebait game at Hokitika Children’s Day

Historic Maintenance of the historic Mahinapua Rail Bridge has been planned and will be done in the next 2 months.

Species Management Whio/Blue Duck At present, we are focused At present we are focused on repairing and up-grading the trap line. Approximately 60% of our 2100 DOC200 kill traps are now stainless steel. We also ran a trial of 20 GoodNature A24 stoat traps in the Styx to investigate captures and bait longevity. Trail cameras we set up caught a few rats on video. We will return soon to see how the bait is lasting.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 12

P. augusta

A release of snails and eggs was completed early February with 104 snails going to Mount Augustus VDT and 471 eggs to adjacent remnant snail habitat.

Currently the Hokitika P. augusta captive population consists of about 1,000 snails and 1,100 eggs. The population is being managed to reduce the amount of eggs being produced, and grow on captive bred juvenile and sub-adult snails to replace aging wild adults. Timeline has all snails back in situ by June 2018.

Animal Pest Control Tahr Control – Northern Exclusion 1. No DOC control has been undertaken this last period.

Weed Pest Control – Contractors completed ground control of gorse and broom in the Taramakau Valley from the Otehake to Locke Stream and Otira-Rolleston from the Otira Bridge to Arthurs Pass. Cotoneaster control at Dillons Flat, Taipo will be completed this autumn.

Aerial control completed during this period included broom and gorse control in upper Taramakau and Taipo valleys, Ross pampas and Hokitika pampas and gunnera.

Ongoing ground control of knotweed, gunnera, pampas and other weed species at a range of sites throughout the Hokitika District.

Fire – No reports of wild fire.

Windblown Timber Timber extraction is continuing with rimu being extracted at Te Taho.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 13 TE WAHI POUNAMU PLACE

Planning – Resource Consents received, Regional and District Plans, Management Planning

Visitor Management Ongoing track maintenance has been completed on the following front country tracks: Harihari Coastal Walk, Roberts Point, Sentinel Rock, Franz Josef Glacier Track, Lake Wombat, Douglas Walk, Canavans Knob, Ōkārito Trig, Pakihi Walk, Lake Matheson, Moraine Walk, Minnehaha, Ship Creek, Lake Ellery, Monro Beach, Roaring Billy and Wharekai te kou.

The Gillespie’s Lagoon Bridge has been repaired and the Miners Tunnel and Galway Beach tracks have been re-opened. The toilets at Gillespie’s Beach will be upgraded in the next couple of months and will provide a more pleasant visitor experience and better cater for the number of visitors to this site.

Ongoing land stability issues at Knights Point mean that we will be removing the viewing platform that is currently closed and we will continue to monitor the stability of the site.

The interpretation panels on the Ōkārito Trig viewing platform are being updated and should be replaced in the next few months.

The track from Cassel Flat up towards Lame Duck Hut was scrub cut. Maori Saddle Hut and Coppermine Creek Hut on the Haast-Paringa Cattle Track received extensive maintenance and were painted. Whymper Hut was painted and had its windows replaced. The bridge at Rocky Creek in the Whataroa had the infill cables and sway wires replaced. Two new bridges have been installed on the Copland track to Welcome Flat Hut to cross creeks that are prone to flooding and impassable in heavy rain.

Community Involvement/Initiatives Haast – A community event was held in Haast to welcome back eleven Haast tokoeka juveniles to the Haast tokoeka sanctuary. These juveniles have been through the ONE programme and had been on Rona Island creche site. This was the first time a community event had been held for the Haast tokoeka and offered a great chance for locals to learn about the tokoeka and the programme supporting them, and to be able to see the juveniles before their release.

Dennis Road track is a Haast Community initiative and the group, under the umbrella of the Haast Promotions Group have a Management Agreement with DOC. Progress on the track is as follows: some remedial work was undertaken on the formed section of the track to help with flooding. Weed control has been carried out and the group are currently exploring options for starting the construction of the unformed part of the track that leads from the Haast Township.

Seaweek – 26th February to 5th March 2017: Theme “Healthy seas - healthy people” and with this we focused on “Estuaries, what lives in the mud”. 20 DOC staff and 10 schools across the West Coast participated in community events and school initiatives encouraging children and community members to get out into the marine environment. With the support of WestREAP, Kate Buckley, artist, followed up the school sessions with an art

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 14 programme giving the children a 2-step learning process. Success of this programme was measured by feedback and surveys, highlighting the number of children who were having their first contact with a marine environment.

The Community Team joined Weedbuster Officer, Nina Robb, to improve awareness of weeds in the community by setting up a stall at the Okarito Market and running a “weed swap.” On behalf of the South Westland Wilderness Trust, the Community Team also set up and jointly manned a stall promoting the proposed cycle trail from Ross to Fox Glacier.

Work has begun on “ground truthing” a suitable track from the Medical Centre to the local Primary School as part of an extension to the Tatare Stream Cycle and Walking Track.

The La Fontaine Stream Restoration Project has completed a Health and Safety Management Plan. Working alongside Martin Abel, we are now actively working to complete the Deed of Grant, the final preliminary work required before restoration efforts can commence.

We are pleased to advise that Michael McMillan has been provisionally appointed as the new Community Ranger in Franz Josef.

Resource Consents received, Concessions/Permissions, Management Plans:

Processed 2 Resource Consents; 4 Research and Collection comments; 5 One-off permits; 13 District Office comments non-notified permits Conducted 9 site visits (grazing and bach concessions predominantly) Fielded a number of general enquiries

Historic

Two huts on the Haast-Paringa Cattle track received extensive maintenance and paint jobs, and regular maintenance work was undertaken on the Ōkārito Pack Track, Tatare Tunnels, Callery and Douglas Bridges, Smoothwater track and the Harihari Coastal Walk. Work will be started next week on stabilising the Landsborough Valley Rangers Hut.

Species Management – Rowi –

Night catching of new adult pairs and replacement of transmitters in currently monitored pairs is in progress in anticipation of a full ONE season this Autumn.

Haast tokoeka –

Eleven ONE tokoeka juveniles were welcomed back to the Haast sanctuary in April with a community event held in Haast. The juveniles were between 18months and 2.5years of age and had been on the Rona Island creche site. This release included Ben, who was named by the local Haast school and has been closely followed by the school since he was lifted as an egg. The event was well attended by Haast locals, offering a chance to see the birds close up before they were released.

Three chicks were transferred from Orokonui in April after weaning to Centre Island creche site.

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 15

Weed Pest Control Contractors spent several days in the Lower Landsborough valley/ Burke and Pleasant flats areas spraying blackberry, this is ongoing work and more areas require further work. Willow control has been continuing on the north bank of Lake Wahapo and surrounds. A trail of a new herbicide is about to commence at Lake Ianthe to assess its effectiveness at controlling the aquatic weed Lagarosiphon.

Animal Pest Control – Tahr Control – This last period AATH operators and DOC removed 1225 female tahr from the tahr range (this includes 696 female tahr from the Whataroa / Wanganui catchments) South Westland staff also aerial removed 981 female tahr covering the area from the Callery River south to the Haast river valley. TIG – Tahr interest group removed 35 animals from the Karangarua valley during an organised hunt, poor weather conditions hindered their control efforts.

Fire Nothing to report

Haast Visitor Centre Statistics 1/10/16 to 30/4/17 = 83,009 an increase of 2.40% from last season

Franz Visitor Centre Statistics 1/02/2017 to 30/04/2017 = 30,068 an increase of approximately 1.16% from last season

RECOMMENDATIONS: That the Board notes the information in this report.

Mark Davies Director, Operations Western South Island

DOCDM-3015153 - Status Report May 2017 16