Environmental Pest Plants

DISTRICT PLAN ECOLOGICAL SITES AND AREAS OF ONGOING HUMAN OCCUPATION AND MODIFICATION ON KĀPITI ISLAND

R3525w

DISTRICTION PLAN ECOLOGICAL SITES AND AREAS OF ONGOING HUMAN OCCUPATION AND MODIFICATION ON KĀPITI ISLAND

Contract Report No. 3525w

May 2017

Project Team: Astrid van Meeuwen-Dijkgraaf - Report author

Prepared for: Kāpiti Coast District Council 175 Rimu Road Paraparaumu 5032

WELLINGTON OFFICE: 22 RAIHA STREET, ELSDON, P.O. BOX 50-539, PORIRUA Ph 04-237-7341; Fax 04-237-7496

HEAD OFFICE: 99 SALA STREET, P.O. BOX 7137, TE NGAE, ROTORUA Ph 07-343-9017; Fax 07-343-9018, email [email protected], www.wildlands.co.nz

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. METHODS 1

3. OVERVIEW OF SITUATION 2

4. ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION 3

5. EXCLUSION FROM THE DISTRICT PLAN 3

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 5

REFERENCES 5

APPENDICES

1. Greater Wellington Region criteria set for indentification of ecological significance 6 2. Site photographs 7

Reviewed and approved for release by:

______W.B. Shaw Director/Principal Ecologist Wildland Consultants Ltd

 Wildland Consultants Ltd 2017

This report has been produced by Wildland Consultants Ltd for Kāpiti Coast District Council. All copyright in this report is the property of Wildland Consultants Ltd and any unauthorised publication, reproduction, or adaptation of this report is a breach of that copyright.

1. INTRODUCTION

Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) notified their Proposed District Plan (PDP) in November 2012. The PDP contains policies and rules for the protection of ecologically significant sites and the identification of those sites (Policy 3.11).

Ecological Sites listed in Schedule 3.1 of the PDP had been identified through previous survey work, using significance criteria available at that time.

Once the PDP becomes operative, it will replace the current District Plan. Until then, the existing District Plan continues to have effect, although some rules do have immediate effect, such as those protecting:

 Areas of significant indigenous vegetation.  Areas of significant habitats of indigenous fauna, and  Historic heritage

Other provisions will come into effect once submissions have been evaluated, hearings have been held, and necessary changes made.

Areas of significant indigenous vegetation and/or significant habitats of indigenous fauna are referred to as Ecological Sites in the Kāpiti Coast District Plan. All Ecological Sites proposed for inclusion in the District Plan have been reviewed and updated (Wildland Consultants 2016). This included revision of Ecological Site boundaries to exclude areas of lesser ecological value, particularly for Ecological Site K017-Tararua Ranges and Foothills. Further revisions have been made to the boundaries of some Ecological Sites to exclude areas of recent and ongoing human modification, and to enable property owners to undertake existing use activities.

Kāpiti Island comprises two Ecological Sites: K116-Okupe Lagoon and K117-Kāpiti Island (Figure 1). Part of the northern end of the island is privately owned, and includes residences, holiday accommodation, accessory buildings, boat slipways, and mown tracks and pathways connecting these. Rules proposed for the District Plan could potentially prevent some of the existing uses. There is no provision within the scope of submissions on the PDP to use a District Plan mechanism to enable some of these existing uses to continue. Wildlands was therefore requested to assess if it was possible to remove areas of lesser ecological values from Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island, to enable the existing uses to continue.

2. METHODS

A site visit was undertaken on 19 April 2017, during which the Ecological Site boundaries were evaluated and revised using high resolution (1:1,240) aerial imagery. Regional Policy Statement (RPS) criteria (Appendix 1) were used for the evaluation.

Vegetation of more recent origin, areas of exotic vegetation, and buildings, were excluded from the Ecological Site. The revised boundary was digitised and an amended GIS Shape file was provided to Kāpiti Coast District Council.

3. OVERVIEW OF SITUATION

The following existing structures, facilities, and activities were noted (relevant examples are shown in Appendix 2: Plates 1 to 11):

 Clearance of vegetation from around buildings to prevent damage to buildings and enable use of solar power, also some clearance to maintain views.  Clearance of vegetation along access tracks (walking and vehicular).  Mowing lawns and access track (walking and vehicular).  Small cemetery.  Deadwood harvesting.  Sewage effluent fields.  Clearance of vegetation to enable placement of beehives.  Slipways to launch boats.  Maintenance of buildings and ancillary structures including visitor accommodation facilities, water tanks and pumps, equipment storage facilities  Replacement of buildings.  Storage of fuel and toxins (e.g. weed spray, possibly pest mammal baits).  Gardening, including composting, vegetable gardens and fruit trees.  Vegetation clearance for the purposes of a helicopter landing area.  Helicopter visits (as set out in the resource consent).  Guided tours (as set out in the resource consent).

The situation on Kāpiti Island is somewhat unusual in that the lack of pest mammals means that all terrestrial areas - including parts of the island occupied by buildings - are used by various indigenous and/or protected species, including or nationally threatened fauna. The following species were noted during the site visit; geckos and skinks living in buildings, kororā (little blue penguins, Eudyptula minor iredalei, At Risk-Declining) living beneath buildings, weka (North Island weka/western weka hybrid, Gallirallus australis greyi xaustralis, Undetermined), kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi, Apteryx owenii, At Risk-Recovering) and large numbers of kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, Not Threatened) using lawn areas, and kākā (Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis, Threatened-Nationally Vulnerable)), kererū and other indigenous birds using both indigenous and exotic trees and shrubs. Other notable species include resident kārearea (bush falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae "bush", Threatened-Nationally Vulnerable) and takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri, Threatened- Nationally Critical) use the rank grassland near Okupe Lagoon. Technically, the ecological values of these terrestrial areas are such that they meet several of the RPS 23 criteria (Appendix 1) and would qualify as ecological sites (see Section 4 below), given the current management activities, excluding modified areas around the buildings is unlikely to have adverse impacts on the biodiversity of northern Kāpiti Island.

The presence of these species is of key importance to the tourist operations undertaken by the residents. They are therefore unlikely to knowingly compromise these values and the current management appears to have little impact on ecological values.

4. ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION

The site visit confirmed that private land on Kāpiti Island, including the Waiorua Trust lands1, has the following ecological significance as per RPS Policy 23:

 RPS23a Representativeness: Parts of the site, especially Waiorua Kāpiti 6, are dominated by indigenous plant species, regenerating naturally, and are representative of the current diversity in the Kāpiti District. All of the lowland flats are classified as no longer commonplace, with less than about 30% remaining.

 PRS23b Rarity: Buildings, mown grass, gardens, trees, and shrubs are used nearly continuously by a range of threatened animal species including kākā, weka, little blue penguin (under decks and buildings), gecko (common gecko; Woodworthia maculata, Not Threatened), little spotted kiwi at night, and a significant number of kererū (not threatened) were feeding on tree lucerne (Chamaecytisus palmensis) or were grazing on clover in the lawns. Parts of the site also include indigenous vegetation on stony beach ridges, which are classified as a Threatened- Endangered ecosystem. The residents are very proud that so many rare and threatened species occur in and around their residences.

 PRS23c Diversity: Although the plant species diversity is not high, the diversity of fauna is very high due to the lack of predatory mammal species. Fauna diversity on Kāpiti Island, including the Waiorua Trust land, is nearly as high as it is possible to attain in New Zealand.

 RPS Policy 23d Ecological Context: The Waiorua Trust land is contiguous with and part of the larger Kāpiti Island ecosystem and also provides seasonal and core habitat for protected or threatened indigenous species (listed above).

 PRS Policy 23e Tangata Whenua Values: Not qualified to assess this, but the site is likely to be very important, given the history of the island.

5. EXCLUSION FROM THE DISTRICT PLAN

Various structures and vegetation types, which are utilised on a regular and ongoing basis by the residents, and are proposed for exclusion, as per Figures 1 and 2, from Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island:

 Buildings, including ancillary structures, including visitor accommodation facilities, water tanks and pumps, equipment storage facilities.  A buffer around buildings, for fire protection and sunlight.  Mown lawns and access tracks.  Sewage effluent fields.

1 PAR_ID 3830470, Waiorua Kapiti 6 (several family groups) (12.14 ha), PAR_ID 6918966, Waiorua Kapiti 5A1 (0.5413ha), PAR_ID 6918967, Waiorua Kapiti 5A2 (1.0775 ha).

Figure 1: Areas proposed for exclusion from Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island are outlined in yellow. The pink boundary illustrates the previous extent of Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island and the green area is Ecological Site K116-Okupe lagoon.

Figure 2: Vegetation proposed for exclusion from Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island is outlined in red and comprises areas of ongoing human-induced modification.

 Areas that may be utilised for beehive placement.  Slipways to launch boats.  Gardens, including compost bins, vegetable gardens, and fruit trees.  The helicopter landing area.  Areas of predominantly exotic vegetation.

In addition to the main accommodation areas, three other small areas are also proposed for exclusion:

 Mown grass around a caravan and utility shed north of the landing, in mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) forest (Plate 10).  Visitor shelter and toilets.  A Department of Conservation hut and utilities shed at the northern end of Okupe Lagoon (Plate 11).

These are all areas where vegetation modification will be required on an ongoing basis, to enable current existing use activities.

Tracks outside of the main accommodation area have not been excluded as trimming of vegetation to maintain access and walking tracks should be enabled by proposed modifications to the rules.

No changes are required to the description in the District Plan. The extent of Ecological Site K117-Kāpiti Island would need to be changed, from 1,910.6 hectares to 1,901.89 hectares.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

John Barrett and Minnie Clark from Kāpiti Island Nature Tours are thanked for their hospitality during the site visit and for taking time to discuss their concerns and provide commentary on parts of the island. Emily Thomson and Suzanne Rushmere from Kāpiti Coast District Council provided project liaison.

REFERENCES

Wildland Consultants 2016: Kāpiti Coast Proposed District Plan: review of ecological sites, related submissions and plan definitions. Wildland Consultants Ltd Contract Report, No. 3525c Prepared for Kāpiti Coast District Council, Wellington: 98 pp.

APPENDIX 1

GREATER WELLINGTON REGION CRITERIA SET FOR INDENTIFICATION OF ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Obligations of the Kāpiti Coast District Council to identify indigenous ecosystems and habitats are set out in Policy 23 of the Regional Policy Statement for the Wellington region. Ecosystems and habitats will be considered significant if they meet one or more of the criteria below.

Policy 23: Identifying indigenous ecosystems and habitats with significant indigenous biodiversity values - district and regional plans

District and regional plans shall identify and evaluate indigenous ecosystems and habitats with significant indigenous biodiversity values; these ecosystems and habitats will be considered significant if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

(a) Representativeness: the ecosystems or habitats that are typical and characteristic examples of the full range of the original or current natural diversity of ecosystem and habitat types in a district or in the region, and: (i) are no longer commonplace (less than about 30% remaining); or (ii) are poorly represented in existing protected areas (less than about 20% legally protected).

(b) Rarity: the ecosystem or habitat has biological or physical features that are scarce or threatened in a local, regional or national context. This can include individual species, rare and distinctive biological communities and physical features that are unusual or rare.

(c) Diversity: the ecosystem or habitat has a natural diversity of ecological units, ecosystems, species and physical features within an area.

(d) Ecological context of an area: the ecosystem or habitat: (i) enhances connectivity or otherwise buffers representative, rare or diverse indigenous ecosystems and habitats; or (ii) provides seasonal or core habitat for protected or threatened indigenous species.

(e) Tangata whenua values: the ecosystem or habitat contains characteristics of special spiritual, historical or cultural significance to tangata whenua, identified in accordance with tikanga Māori.

APPENDIX 2

SITE PHOTOGRAPHS

Plate 1: Private areas at the northern end of Kāpiti Island are usually clearly indicated.

Plate 2: Mown areas and regenerating indigenous coastal scrub north of the lodge.

Plate 3: One of several weka seen on the lawn surrounding the lodge.

Plate 4: Areas of mown grassland and non-local pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), around buildings and the slipways (centre).

Plate 5: Boat slipways.

Plate 6: Mown areas around compost bins adjacent to the lodge.

Plate 7: Access tracks between houses, the lodge, and visitor facilities are maintained by mowing.

Plate 8: Quad bikes are used for transport between the landing site and other parts of the flat . Overhanging vegetation needs to trimmed away from such tracks occasionally.

Plate 9: Vegetation encroaching on buildings and solar panels being trimmed.

Plate 10: Caravan and utility shed adjacent to mānuka forest.

Plate 11: Department of Conservation hut and utility shed north of Okupe Lagoon.

Plate 12: Common gecko abound on the island. These were beneath the seats in the public shelter. The entire underside was black when the lid was first lifted and these are the stragglers.

Plate 13: Kākā use the buildings as perches.

Plate 14: Kākā frequent and roost in the trees surrounding the buildings.

Plate 15: Kererū grazing in mown grassland adjacent to a veranda.

Plate 16: Each tree lucerne near the lodge had at least one kererū and up to three feeding on foliage. At least 50 kererū were observed on Waiorua Trust lands during the site visit.

Plate 17: Kererū feeding on clover in mown grassland.