POWER SCHEME WAIKAREMOANA
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 01.07.14 // 30.06.15 15 Disclaimer interested parties. provide furtherdetails or technical reports ordiscuss matters directly with information, rather to provide asummaryofit.GenesisEnergy ishappy to It isnottheintention ofthisreport to reproduce orreplicate this environmental initiatives andagreements thathave fed into thisreport. There are anumberoftechnical reports, research programmes, 30 June2015(hereafter referred to as‘thereporting period’). Waikaremoana Power Schemefor theoperating period 1July 2014to This report provides asummary ofkey environmental outcomes atthe
HIGHLIGHTS 1 July 2014–30 June 2015 02 01 INTRODUCTION 02 1.1 Document Overview Waiotukupuna Trap Every five years, the Waiotukupuna 02 1.2 Resource Consent Process Overview Stream trout spawning run is trapped to assess the health of 02 1.3 How to use this document the Waikaremoana fishery. During the winter of 2014, the Lake 02 1.4 Genesis Energy’s Approach Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust operated the fish trap to Environmental Management for 10 days a month from May until August. 02 1.4.1 Environmental Management System The results have been assessed by Fish and Game and 03 1.4.2 Resource Consents Management System compared to previous data (see Section 3.2.3). 03 1.4.3 Hydrology 03 1.5 Feedback Recreational Release Attendance Up to six recreational releases are provided from Piripaua Power Station annually. 04 02 WAIKAREMOANA POWER SCHEME Seven kayakers attended the September 2014 releases, while a 05 2.1 Operating the Waikaremoana Power Scheme record number of 34 kayakers attended the April 2015 release 05 2.2 Climate and Power Generation weekend. Both HBCC and Whitewater NZ worked hard to 07 03 LAKE WAIKAREMOANA promote the April release weekend as an event, and it was 08 3.1 Hydrology pleasing to see such high numbers of kayakers enjoying the 09 3.1.1 Level Trends at Lake Waikaremoana recreational release flows (see Section 4.5). 09 3.2 Ecosystems and Water Quality 09 3.2.1 Terrestrial Vegetation Kaitawa Transformer Replacement Kaitawa Power Station’s 11 3.2.2 Aquatic Vegetation two in-service transformers were replaced after being 11 3.2.3 Trout Monitoring operational for around 63 years. No additional resource 11 3.2.4 Ecological Restoration Programme consents were required for the project and environmental 12 3.3 Sediment (Erosion, Transport and Deposition) compliance was assured by way of environmental management 12 3.4 Event-Driven Monitoring plans for contractors and project audits. Work was completed in 13 04 WAIKARETAHEKE RIVER April 2015 (see Section 5.1.1). 14 4.1 Hydrology Migrant Eel By-Pass The first video evidence of adult 14 4.1.1 Lake Kaitawa migrant eels (‘Tunaheke’) using the new eel by-pass on the 14 4.1.2 Waikaretaheke River from Kaitawa Spillway to Whakamarino tip gate structure was captured during the Lake Whakamarino reporting period. The by-pass was manually opened on 13 rainy 15 4.1.3 Lake Whakamarino nights from 1 March to 31 May, the peak migration season. 15 4.1.4 Waikaretaheke River below Piripaua Power Station The by-pass allows eels to safely migrate downstream avoiding 15 4.1.5 Maximum Flows: Waikaretaheke River and Lakes Piripaua Power Station (see Section 4.2.3). Waikaremoana, Kaitawa and Whakamarino 16 4.2 Aquatic Ecosystems and Water Quality Weed Cordon One of the more significant actions coming out 16 4.2.1 Macro-Invertebrates of the lagarosiphon incursion response has been to establish a 16 4.2.2 Waikaretaheke River Trout weed cordon at Home Bay to reduce the risk of aquatic weeds 16 4.2.3 Tuna (eel) Migration Programmes entering the lake at this popular boat ramp, and spreading to 19 4.3 Water Quality the rest of the lake. The cordon is one of the largest built in 19 4.3.1 Routine Monitoring New Zealand (see Section 6.4). 19 4.4 Sediment (Erosion, Transport and Deposition) 19 4.5 Recreation and Tourism 20 4.5.1 Piripaua Power Station ABBREVIATIONS 20 4.5.2 Whakamarino Dam AER Annual Environmental Report 21 05 SCHEME-WIDE OUTCOMES BMS Business Management System 22 5.1 Scheme-wide Maintenance Activities DOC Department of Conservation 22 5.1.1 Kaitawa Transformer Replacement Project EMS Environmental Management System 22 5.1.2 Operational Consent Review GPS Global Positioning System 22 5.2 The Waikaremoana Sportsfish Habitat Enhancement Trust GIS Geographic Information System 23 5.3 Dam Safety GWh Gigawatt hour 23 5.4 Oil Spill Response kWh/yr Kilowatt hours per year HBCC Hawkes Bay Canoe Club 23 5.5 Public Complaints HBRC Hawkes Bay Regional Council 23 5.6 Publicly Available Hydrology Information LWHRT Lake Waikaremoana Hapu Restoration Trust 24 5.7 Hawkes Bay Regional Council Compliance Reporting masl meters above sea level – Moturiki Datum 25 06 COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES MPI Ministry of Primary Industries 26 6.1 Lake Waikaremoana Hapu MW Megawatt Restoration Trust Partnership NIWA National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research 26 6.2 Whio Forever NZSOLD NZ Society on Large Dams 27 6.3 Waikareiti Biodiversity Project NZTA New Zealand Transport Authority 28 6.4 Aquatic Weeds RECC Renewable Energy Control Centre RCMS Resource Consent Management System 29 07 KEY OBJECTIVES RMA Resource Management Act 1991 30 7.1 Review of Key Objectives for 2014-15 WERP Waikaremoana Ecological Restoration Programme 31 7.2 Key Objectives for 2015-16 WHIONE Whio Nest Egg project 32 08 REFERENCES WPS Waikaremoana Power Scheme WSHET Waikaremoana Sportsfish Habitat Enhancement Trust WSFF Waikaremoana Sports Fish Fund WTA Waikaremoana Tribal Authority
Front cover photo: Kayakers enjoying a recreational flow release on the Waikaretaheke River (photo: HBCC)
Back cover photo: HBCC member revelling in the rapids of the Waikaretaheke River (photo: HBCC) 02 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 addressed numerous issues andinmost cases outcomes were with affected andinterested parties.The consultation process via aformal consultative group, andthrough oneonconsultation consultation, technical assessments, recommendations andreview granted inNovember 1998.Thisfollowed aperiod ofintensive Resource consents for theon-goingoperation of theWPSwere 1.2 RESOURCECONSENTPROCESS OVERVIEW www.genesisenergy.co.nz copy ofthisdocument,can befound onthewebsite: More information aboutGenesisEnergy, includinganelectronic references). undertaken (refer to specifictechnical reports listed inthe information onmonitoring programmes andotherinitiatives Annual Reportfor thisinformation) orprovide extensive detailed It doesnotdetail company strategy orperformance (refer to the environmental andstakeholder activitiesrelating to theWPS. the company’s AnnualReport.Itprovides anoverview ofall This AERbridgesthegapbetween site specificreporting and Energy’s performance asacompany. The Company’s AnnualReportprovides anoverview ofGenesis site/local level. requirements to stakeholders. They address specificissues ata detailed technical reports, auditreports andvarious reporting documentation onitsactivitieseachyear (Figure 1).Theseinclude Genesis Energy produces asuite ofreports andother 1.1 DOCUMENTOVERVIEW within thecommunities inwhichitoperates. issues asthey ariseandto develop closer working relationships Genesis Energy aimsto beaccessible to thepublic,to address attheWPS; report. Thisreport will: ninth AERfor theWPSandfollows theprevious year’s (2013/14) and 30June2015(the‘reporting period’).Thisdocumentisthe range ofactivitieswhichoccurred attheWPSbetween 1July 2014 report isto update thecommunity andstakeholders onthewide the Waikaremoana Power Scheme(WPS).Thepurposeofthis Welcome to the2014/15AnnualEnvironmental Report(AER)for hihiko motenei rohe oWaikaremoana. Nau maihaere maikitenei Ripoata Taiao epaanakite mahi 01 INTRODUCTION defineenvironmental objectives for thenext 12months. report oncommunity andenvironmental initiatives; and report backonkey projects; provide anupdate onmonitoring andresearch programmes; provide anoverview ofresource consent compliance FIGURE 1//Reporthierarchy atGenesisEnergy.
areas ofthescheme: This report documentsenvironmental outcomes basedontwo key 1.3 HOW TO USETHISDOCUMENT Section 5.1). managing theeffects oftheseactivitiesontheenvironment (see to undertake routine maintenance activities,whilst effectively Regional Council(HBRC).They provide anefficientmechanism maintenance activitiesattheWPSwere granted byHawkes Bay scheme-wide resource consents to undertake various routine for onanas-required basis.Duringthe2012/13reporting period, maintenance activitiesaround theWPSwere generally applied Up to 2012,scheme-wideresource consents for routine consents asandwhenrequired. Genesis Energy isproactive inreviewing andchangingtheresouce nor undertaken byHBRC.Thenext review isduein2024,however of theresource consents wasnot requested byGenesisEnergy An opportunityfor areview occurred in2014;however areview completed in2006. Plan andtheWaikaretaheke River Monitoring Planswere varied in2005.Subsequently theLake Waikaremoana Monitoring adopted therecommendations andtheresource consents were Lake Waikaremoana andontheWaikaretaheke River. TheHBRC conditions to allow for more targeted monitoring programmes at Genesis Energy soughtchangesto themonitoring andreporting The first resource consent review wasin2004andatthistime years, subjectto arange ofconditions, includingperiodicreviews. agreed. Forty-five resource consents were granted for aterm of35 www.genesisenergy.co.nz/environmental-management policy can alsobefound ontheGenesisEnergy website: documents intheBusiness ManagementSystem (BMS).This by theGenesisEnergy Board, andisnow oneoftheoverarching and CommunityEngagementPolicy Statement wasapproved During thereporting period,theEnvironmental Management andcommunities. The EMSalignswiththecore Companybehaviours of: day operational activities. stage ofanyproject through to GenesisEnergy’s normalday-to- physical resources and theenvironment, from theconceptual The EMSappliesto allactivitiesinvolving theuseofnatural and tools thatare well integrated withothercore business systems. (EMS) whichincorporates asuite ofmanagementprocesses and Genesis Energy operates anEnvironmental ManagementSystem 1.4.1 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 1.4 GENESISENERGY’S APPROACH background information onspecificissues. Orange text like this the report thatrelate to specificresource consent conditions. Consent Description#(condition) Bold text like this The report alsoprovides information for: Waikaretaheke River. Lake Waikaremoana; Dowhat’s Right–For eachother,ourcustomers Keep itSimple –Make iteasyfor ourcustomers andourselves. Make itHappen–Bebrave, smart,real anddeliver together. Community andEnvironmental Initiatives. Scheme-Wide Outcomes; willhelpyou to find your wayaround thereport. throughout thereport provides useful
identifies thepartsof
or processes to best achieve 100%compliance. identify anyimprovements thatcould bemadeto RCMS systems the auditisto ensure correct procedures are beingfollowed andto undertaken onabiennialbasisatgeneration sites. Thepurposeof An internal RCMSandenvironmental compliance auditis party agreements. or view potentially confidential information contained withinthird Environmental Team can make changesand update/sign offtasks, company’s intranet butonly designated administrators withinthe All GenesisEnergy staff can access theRCMSthrough the are notoverlooked. stakeholder RCMS isto ensure thatGenesisEnergy managesitsstatutory and conditions, andreports onthestatus ofthese. Thepurposethe defines prompts andmonitors actionsrequired bytheir consents, third partyagreements, andpermitted activities,and (RCMS). This system holdsallinformation relating to resource Energy has developed aResource ConsentManagement System To helpmanagecompliance across allgeneration sites, Genesis 1.4.2 RESOURCE CONSENTMANAGEMENT SYSTEM environmental managementsystems, namely ISO14001. be alignedwhere appropriate, withinternational standards for Policy Statement intheBMShierarchy. GenesisEnergy’s EMSwill Processes, Instructions andGuidelineswhichwillsitbelow this Genesis Energy iscurrently reviewing itsEnvironmental Standards, where itoperates. withTangata Whenua,communities andkey stakeholders through implementation, monitoring, auditandreview. respect to environmental andstakeholder management environmental managementstandards. seeksto minimiseusewhile meetingbusiness requirements. ManagementPolicy. procedures andinaccordance withtheEnterprise-Wide Risk riskappetite through theCompany’s riskmanagement managedinamannerthatisconsistent withtheCompany’s operations are identified,documented, audited andeffectively itsbusiness commitments. solutionsto avoid, remedy, ormitigate thesewhile achieving operations ontheenvironment andseekscollaborative isrespected. withintheirrohe (land)andtheTreaty ofWaitangi principles (guardians) ofthenatural resources andtaonga (treasures) GenesisEnergy. asaresponsibility ofallpeople working at,orfor, inwhichwe operate. towards theenvironment, stakeholders andcommunities ensure that: Management System thatalignswithcore Companyvalues to The Companyachieves thisbyimplementing anEnvironmental around ourassets. people, communities andtheenvironment isexercised atand Company’s business activitiesandthatadutyofcare towards cultural awareness andresponsibility are cornerstones ofthe Energy iscommitted to ensuringthatenvironmental, socialand Whilst meetingitscommitments to itsshareholders, Genesis TheCompanyseeksfullregulatory compliance asaminimum Therole oftangata whenua(thepeople oftheland)askaitiaki TheCompanyseeksto foster robust, long-term relationships The Companytakes acontinuous improvement approach in The Companyalignswithinternationally accepted The Companyaccounts for itsuseofnatural resources and The Companyensures thatenvironmental risksfrom its TheCompanyinvestigates andunderstands theeffects ofits TheCompanypromotes environmental andsocialawareness TheCompanyoperates withintegrity andadutyofcare standard andpublicly reports onitsenvironmental performance. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ANDCOMMUNITY obligations ENGAGEMENT POLICY STATEMENT
effectively
and that
essential
requirements
1.5 FEEDBACK and allcorrect procedures were followed. audited. During thereporting periodthehydrology data hasbeenexternally monitoring stations to provide effective information to theRECC. to provide operational andcompliance data, andupgrading of thisare findingwaysofcalculating flows from fixed structures for safer andmore efficientwaysofoperating itsassets. Examples of plantfor GenesisEnergy. GenesisEnergy isconstantly looking resulted inahighlevel ofcompliance andmore efficientoperation amount ofwork into improving themonitoring network which During thereporting periodhydrology staff putanextensive being collected andprocessed to ahighstandard. of transparency andexternal credibility; thisalsoensures data is independent third partyonanannualbasisto maintain ahighlevel Data collected bythehydrology network isaudited byan range ofplantandmarket information. Centre (RECC),located inTokaanu nearTurangi, together witha information issentto GenesisEnergy’s Renewable Energy Control is collected inreal-time andtelemetered nearreal-time. This around theWPS.Avariety offlow, water level andrainfall data Genesis Energy hasanextensive hydrology monitoring network 1.4.3 HYDROLOGY development oftheRCMSmeanthisproject hasbeendeferred. period, however ITinfrastructure upgrades andthepossible re- planned ensuring thatthesystem ismore user-friendly. Aproject was were identifiedincludingenhanced reporting functionalityand During the2012/13reporting period,improvements to theRCMS Attn: Environmental Lead–NorthIsland TURANGI 3353 Private Bag36 State Highway47 Tokaanu Power Station Genesis Energy and layout. Contact details are asfollows: easy to understand. Your feedback iswelcome onbothcontent Genesis Energy hasworked to make thisreport informative and It to was incorporate
found
that these
the changes data was in collected the RCMS to a in high the reporting standard
03 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 04 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 02 POWER SCHEME WAIKAREMOANA the flow data collected byHawkes BayRegionalCouncil(HBRC) the annualaverage. Themodelled inflows hadacorrelation with row where theLake Waikaremoana inflows have beenlower than long-term average (1930–present). Thisisthethird year ina mean inflows onrecord. Inflows for theyear were 78%ofthe were very low, withFebruary inparticularhaving oneofthelowest months apartfrom September (Table 1).Januaryand February monthly meaninflow wasbelow thelong-term average for all Energy runs amodelfor inflows to thelake. Themodelled inflows to Lake Waikaremoana were down significantly. Genesis rainfall thanaverage over thereporting period.Consequently, The Lake Waikaremoana atOnepoto rain gaugereceived 18%less 2.2 CLIMATE ANDPOWER GENERATION consents (near Turangi) andisresponsible for managingtheresource An Environmental Team isbasedattheTokaanu Power Station scheme locally ifrequired in rare circumstances. other emergency situations.Thisteam can alsooperate thepower Maintenance Asset Team isavailable 24/7to respond to faults or Operator/Maintainer staff are basedatTuai Power Station. The limits (includingresource consent limits). various parameters trend outsideoftheirstandard operating scheme, enablingremote control andalerting theoperators when assists theoperations team, providing details onallaspectsofthe rules. Acomplex operational control system (upgraded in2010) consent conditions andoperating withintheelectricity market revenue market information isalsousedto optimiseelectricity generation variety offlow, water level andrainfall data. Arange ofplantand runs theWPSaseffectively andefficiently as possible usinga Power SchemenearTurangi. A24/7Generation Control team Energy Control Centre (RECC),whichispartoftheTongariro The WPSisoperated remotely from GenesisEnergy’s Renewable 2.1 OPERATING THEWAIKAREMOANA POWER SCHEME events in1997and2006. connection to thenationalgridsuchasduringlarge snowfall to provide power to theEast Capearea whentheEast Capeloses the needfor generation overall. TheWPSisalsoideally situated to Gisborneresults inlower transmission losses, whichreduces transmission circuits. Secondly, theclose proximity oftheWPS voltage supportfor theGisborneandTokomaru BayTranspower for two reasons. Firstly, thegenerators atWaikaremoana provide Supply ofelectricity to theEast Coast from theWPSisimportant on thetransmission system. national electricity gridandassists inmaintaining voltage levels the availability ofwater. Electricity from theWPSfeeds into the Operation oftheWPSdependsondemandfor electricity and scheme’s generation capacity hasincreased from 124to 138MW. The generating planthasundergone majorrefurbishment and the natural outlet ofLake Waikaremoana. before itisdischarged backinto theWaikaretaheke River, the tunnel andpenstocks carry thewater to PiripauaPower Station and discharged into Lake Whakamarino.From here, afurther into Lake Kaitawa. Itisthenpassed through Tuai Power Station passed through Kaitawa Power Station before beingdischarged taken from Lake Waikaremoana viatunnelsatOnepoto Bayandis megawatts [MW]),Tuai (60MW)andPiripaua(42MW).Water is electricity atthree hydroelectric power stations –Kaitawa (36 Waikaretaheke River andanumberof itstributaries to generate and 1948.TheWPSuseswater from Lake Waikaremoana andthe 1992) andthree power stations were commissioned between 1929 Waikaremoana wasrecognised inthe19thcentury (Natusch, The potential for power generation from theoutflow ofLake the backcover. location andfeatures oftheschemeare shown onthemapinside adjacent to Te Urewera inthenorthernHawkes BayRegion.The The Waikaremoana Power Scheme(WPS)islocated withinand 02 WAIKAREMOANA POWER SCHEME requirements and community while and maintaining stakeholder compliance relationships with
for resource the WPS. (16.5%) isthelowest level thelake hasbeensince May2009. maintained between 16.5%and61%full(Figure 2).Thelow point had thelowest meanannuallevel in25years. Thelevel wasstill As aresult ofthree years oflower thanaverage inflows, thelake eastern area ofthelake. at AniwaniwaandTe Kumistreams, bothlocated onthenorth- reporting period. generation capacity oftheschemefor over four months duringthe transformer replacement project (seeSection 5.1.1)reduced the which took place. Inparticular,thecompletion ofthe Kaitawa lower rainfall duringthereporting period coupled withoutages average (approximately 450GWh). Thisisareflection of the the schemeinflows, generation wasalsobelow thelong-term electricity (Table 2)duringthereporting period.Inparallel with The WPSgenerated atotal of358Gigawatthours (GWh) of during thereporting periodwithjust 49.8mm. 285 mm,while February 2015hadthelowest monthly rainfall had thehighest monthly rainfall duringthereporting periodwith the long-term average atthissite (1,916 mm).September 2014 rain gaugefor thereporting periodwas1574mm,342mmbelow The total rainfall recorded attheLake Waikaremoana atOnepoto Annual Average June May April March February January December November October September August July Month Waikaremoana during thereporting period. TABLE 1//Modelled average monthly inflows (into Lake Waikaremoana duringthereporting period. FIGURE 2//Modelled inflows andtotal rainfall for Lake Average Inflow 2013-14 (m 13.68 16.53 16.07 11.46 16.33 35.64 19.67 16.56 11.2 0.94 2.15 9.09 8.47 3 /s) (1930 -present) average Inflow Long Term (m 17.54 23.44 20.02 15.49 17.32 10.96 11.32 13.72 21.57 25.42 27.79 12.4 10.2 3 /s) 0.0857664234 0.779931585 0.705204778 0.802697303 0.942840647 0.903225806 0.210784314 0.803003534 0.617346939 0.773800157 0.595897805 Average (%) 0.73983215 Percent of
1.652
05 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 06 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 demand of45,750households. reporting periodwasenoughelectricity to power theannual Authority, 2013;p1),the358GWh produced bytheWPSin household of8,000Kilowatt hours peryear (kWh/yr)(Electricity Based onanaverage figure ofelectricity consumption per Total Piripaua Tuai Kaitawa Site during thereporting period. TABLE 2//Waikaremoana Power Schemegeneration Generation (GWh) 358 113 179 66 WAIKAREMOANA LAKE
03 07 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 08 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 Monitoring Planwhichincludes information on: controlling discharges above andbelow theoperating range; subsequent changeofresource consent in2005were: Key outcomes oftheresource consents process in1998andthe increasing thewater available for electricity generation. approximately 17cubicmetres persecond (m sealing thelake reduced leakage through thenatural damfrom lakebed atTe Wharawhara Bay. Combinedwiththelake lowering, leaks inthenatural dambyconstructing rock filter blankets inthe After thelake level waslowered, attempts were madeto seal campsites, andpartsoftheGreat Walk track. the lake shore), DepartmentofConservation (DOC)hutsand related sewage ponds(whichhave now beenrelocated awayfrom utilised for assets suchasthecampground atHomeBayand large, flat,unvegetated areas. Thesehave subsequently been Lowering thelake level directly affected theshoreline, creating within a3moperating range. change isentirely natural, even thoughthelake isnow managed scarps are evident inmanyplaces). Someon-goingerosion and the character ofthepre-1946 shoreline (large eroded shoreline level (upto 7m),andthesefluctuationshadsignificant effects on Waikaremoana hasalways experienced significant fluctuations in range changedtheenergy ofwaves actingontheshoreline. Lake Lowering thelake level andnarrowing thelake level operating 3). Thenatural lake level range wasapproximately 7m. was lowered by5mto facilitate theoperation oftheWPS(Figure 580.29 to 583.29masl.In1946thelevel ofLake Waikaremoana area ofapproximately 53km Waikaremoana Power Scheme(WPS).Thelake hasasurface Lake Waikaremoana istheprimaryhydro-storage lake for the leaking through thedam. this natural dam,theWaikaretaheke River wasfed bywater valley down whichtheWaikaretaheke River once flowed. Below The landslidecreated asteep natural damface attheheadof by amassive landslidethatdammedtheWaikaretaheke River. Lake Waikaremoana wascreated approximately 2200years ago 03 LAKEWAIKAREMOANA preparation andimplementation oftheLake Waikaremoana a3moperating range for thelake, withspecificconditions FIGURE 3//Water level atLake Waikaremoana (1929–30June2015). brown trout. littoral ecology; and shoreline morphology; terrestrial shoreline vegetation; hydrology;
2 andanoperating range of3m,from
3 /s) to 5m 3 /s,
Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRCWP982030Mc(3,4) reached orexceeded. discharge from thelake (Table 3)ifthemaximumlake level is to 583.29masl.GenesisEnergy must release acontrolled Lake Waikaremoana hasanormaloperating range from 580.29 3.1 HYDROLOGY erecting information panels. for theGreat Walk track) byplantingnative speciesand enhance theOnepoto Gatehouse area (amainaccess point Protection Society,GenesisEnergy undertook aproject to Region;and Zealandto increase angler opportunitiesintheHawkes Bay enhancement ontheshore ofLake Waikaremoana; morphology andvegetation; level excursions outsideoftheoperating range onshoreline maximum control level during thereporting period. reporting periodisdetailed inTable 4.Thelake didnotexceed the Lake level compliance for Lake Waikaremoana duringthe Lake Waikaremoana for thereporting period. wave effects from thelake level record. Figure 4shows thelevel of lake level compliance. Thisaverage helpsto remove siecheand Waikaremoana. Athree houraverage lake level isusedto assess Genesis Energy constantly monitors thelevel ofLake condition was notexercised inthisreporting period. of obstructions from intake screens (seeSection5.1).Thisconsent maintenance purposes,for example to allow for thesafe removal to allow for temporary cessation ofcontrolled discharge for Genesis Energy hasascheme-widemaintenance consent Lake level (m) Inassociation withDOCandtheRoyal Forest andBird athird partyagreement withFish&GameCouncilofNew athird partyagreement withDOCafocus onecological event-driven monitoring to assess theimpactoflake FIGURE 4//Level ofLake Waikaremoana for thereporting period. when lake level exceeds 583.29masl. TABLE 3//Controlled discharge rates from Lake Waikaremoana 584.09 583.69 583.49 583.29 583.29
Controlled discharge (m No Controlled Release
3 /s)
55 51 47 43 fertile river delta shorelines. localised areas of exotic grassland, particularly onthe old,more shoreline isnow covered withindigenousvegetation, with is asignificant feature ofthe lake. Muchofthepost 1946 exposed The natural vegetation around the shore of Lake Waikaremoana 3.2.1 TERRESTRIALVEGETATION Figure 6. monitoring programmes, thelocations ofwhichare shown on This sectiondescribesthecurrent ecosystem andwater quality The planwasdeveloped in 2006andreviewed in2014. frequency ofmonitoring to beundertaken onLake Waikaremoana. The Lake Waikaremoana Monitoring Plandefinesthetypeand 3.2 ECOSYSTEMS ANDWATER QUALITY Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRCWP982030Mc(4) natural level fluctuations. period thelevel stayed atlow levels whichalsoresembled the five years at16.5%ofvolume. For theremainder ofthereporting the level dropped significantly untilitreached itslowest level in and dropping steadily through to autumn(Figure 5).DuringMay pattern ofvariability closely byrisingto itshighest level inspring During thereporting periodthelake level mimicked thisnatural managed to reflect thisnatural cycle. and increasing duringwinter andspring.Lake Waikaremoana is heading into summer,reducing duringsummerandautumn Prior to construction oftheWPS,lake levels were generally high 3.1.1 LEVELTRENDSAT LAKEWAIKAREMOANA Take Waikaremoana Spillway HBRCWP982003Ta Take Waikaremoana SiphonHBRCWP982001Ta Take Waikaremoana Kaitawa Intake HBRCWP982010Ta during thereporting period. resource consents. There have beennochangesto thestructures system. Thedesigncriteria ofthesestructures are definedinthe rate oftake through eachstructure isrelated to thedesignof Station, orviaaspillway (atvery highlake levels). Themaximum Lake Waikaremoana viaasiphonsystem, through Kaitawa Power Energy structures. GenesisEnergy can only take water from of thedamwallandflow thatcan betaken through Genesis Outflows from Lake Waikaremoana are limited bythepermeability Minimum level Parameter Maximum level FIGURE 5// reporting period. reporting period. TABLE 4//Lake Waikaremoana level compliance duringthe
Lake Waikaremoana inflows andlevel duringthe Value (masl) 580.29 583.29
Compliance (%) 100 100
Consent Number WP982030Mc (3) WP982030Mc (3) (condition)
integrated (Single 2005;Single andShaw2005). vegetation andshoreline morphology monitoring became more monitoring programme (Shaw,1998)wasformally revised and In 2005,inlinewithachangeofresource consent, theoriginal the level increases again. at lower elevation, where they are atriskofsubmergence when communities dryoutandterrestrial speciesare able to establish Prolonged low lake levels have theopposite effect: turf terrestrial speciesthatcannot tolerate prolonged submergence. at higherelevations ontheshoreline profile, butwillalsokill Prolonged highlake levels enable turfcommunities to establish length oftimethatthelake spendsabove orbelow certain levels. The key driver ofvegetation changeatLake Waikaremoana isthe far more dramatic changes(Single &Shaw,2005). reflecting thenatural range ofover seven metres would result in occur naturally onsimilarlake shorelines. Alake level regime changes, however, isminorandcomparable to thatwhichwould changes within thethree metre operating range have resulted indetectable Monitoring since 1999indicates thatfluctuationsinlake level changes invegetation related to lake level variation. They provide baselinedata whichenable detection ofeven minor surveyed every five years andphoto-points are surveyed annually. substrates andhabitat types.Shoreline vegetation transects are These monitoring sites represent afullrange ofshoreline profiles, established around theLake Waikaremoana shoreline since 1999. A total of100vegetation transects and/orphoto-points have been vegetation structure anddevelopment. the effects ofthelake level managementregime onterrestrial The key purposeofshoreline vegetation monitoring isto assess Minor changesoccurred locally onthefollowing three shoreline types: shoreline typesexcept for boulders/block shorelines andcliffs. herbaceous speciesandwoody seedlingswere evident onmost established on65%ofthebeachesinspected. Recently-established February 2014,andherbaceous speciesandwoody seedlingshave The lake hadnotbeenintheupperthird ofthe3mrange since shoreline thanduringmost othersurveys inrecent years. species ofconcern (Figure 7).Deersignwasless evident onthe erosion species following thelackofhighwater level events, minortunnel vehicle damageto turfs(atMokau),changesinthedistribution of to minorhumantrampling ofshoreline substrates, localised Minor changewasidentifiedatseven sites. These were related species onexposed shores. minor changesto turf,Carex swards, andestablishment ofweedy the monitored sites. Changesobserved were minor,e.g.very period were very minor,andnochangewasevident for 93%of Changes to theshoreline vegetation andprofiles inthereporting level over thisperiod. on anannualbasisover thisperiod,andalsohaditslowest mean showed thatthelake hadremained withinthenarrowest range for theentire year. Analysis ofthelast eightyears oflake levels operating range, staying inthelower three-quarters oftherange During thereporting period,thelake remained well withinthe3m shown inFigure 6. Ltd (WildlandConsultants, 2015)andmonitoring locations are Details ofthekey findingsare reported byWildlandConsultants evaluating allphoto-points, wasundertaken inFebruary 2015. circumnavigation oftheentire shoreline, photographing, and The annualLake Waikaremoana shoreline inspection,involving Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRCWP982030Mc(11-12) Rockplatform orpavement overlain withwave cutterrace. Wave cutterrace withscarp; Stream sedimentary fans; of to substrates the terrestrial at lake vegetation. edge,
and The establishment ecological
effect of pest of these
plant
09 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 10 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 be conducted. when afullfive-yearly vegetation transect re-measurement will The next annualinspectionswillbeundertaken inMarch 2016 with DOCandWaikaremoana Tribal Authority. environment. Thepresence ofthesepest specieshasbeenraised with native terrestrial plantspeciesandmodifytheshoreline particular concern atLake Waikaremoana because they compete (Figure 7),andpoplars lupin Three invasive weeds ofconcern were noted inthe2015survey: health can beconsidered to beanatural event. maorialis) indigenous kowhai mothcaterpillar appeared to bedead.Close inspectionoftrees indicated the had asparse foliage cover andasmallpatch in‘The Narrows’ shoreline intheWairaumoana Arm.Intheselocations kowhai tetraptera) An interesting ecological event wasnoted for kowhai (four sites); No changewasnoted onthefollowing seven shoreline types: Narrow sandybeach. Cliffs; Blocks boulders; Pocket beach; Rockheadland; Sandstone boulders grading backinto wave cutterrace Wave cutterrace -gentle slope; arboreus) (Lupinus FI GURE 6// , whichisthelikely cause. Ifthisisthecase, theill
trees atthewestern endof‘TheNarrows’ andadjacent
Location ofLake Waikaremoana Monitoring Sites.
sp.) (Populus montbretia polygonalis (Uresiphita . Theseweeds are of
xcrocosmiiflora) (Crocosmia (Sophora
FIGURE 7// beach atWhatapo Bay(Photo: Wildlands).
Extensive bandofinvasive Montbretia inflower ona Game (Osborne,2014). during trapping operations. Theresults are reported byFishand trout (68rainbow and189brown) were trapped andmeasured supervision ofFishandGamestaff from Rotorua. Atotal of257 Lake Waikaremoana HapuRestoration Trust (LWHRT) underthe the location ofthefishtrap. Theproject wascontracted to the over the2014winter period(May–August). Figure 6shows in May2014(Figure 8)andwasoperated 10nightspermonth The Waiotukupuna Stream fishtrap wasestablished onsite Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRC WP982030Mc(17-18) 1974, 1975,1986,1987and2009. to previous trapping operations inthewinters of1970,1971,1972, has beeninstigated initsplace. Trapping results are compared trout ontheir spawningmigration intheWaiotukupuna Stream considered satisfactory andafive-yearly trapping operation of major spawningstreams. However, theseestimates were not spawning adulttrout intheWaiotukupuna Stream, oneofthe for Lake Waikaremoana were originally indexed bycounting (Pitkethley andKusabs,2005).Brown trout populationestimates any potential adverse effects ofthecurrent operating regime brown trout monitoring programme wasundertaken to assess trout habitat andadultgrowth rates. Between 2000and2005,a ecosystem andtherefore, could adversely affect bothjuvenile Lake level manipulationalsohas thepotential to affect thelittoral Report for theWPS(GenesisEnergy, 2010). 2010 andwasreported inthe2009/10AnnualEnvironmental requirement was completed between November 2008andMarch angling opportunityasaresult oflake level changes.Thisconsent Energy wasrequired to quantifythechangeinshore-based sites andconsequently lower catch rates. Inthepast, Genesis with otheranglers, more fishingpressure atthefewer fishable technique. to thewater’s edgelimitstheamountoffishable water for this for flyfishermento back-cast: thecurtain ofvegetation close water’s edgeandthevegetation. There isalsovery limited room there islimited room to wadearound theshoreline between the for anglingandaccessibility for moving between fishingsites as High lake levels restrict thenumberofshoreline sites available of shoreline physically accessible duringspringandsummer. levels can affect thisanglingopportunitybyaltering theamount fishing to brown trout feeding intheshallow lake margins. Lake opportunity for anglers to stalk around theshoreline spottingand A key feature oftheLake Waikaremoana brown trout fisheryisthe trout live inthelake’s littoral zone. considered to beofnationalimportance. Duringsummer,brown in 1896for recreational angling.Theresultant fisheryisnow Brown 3.2.3 TROUTMONITORING macrophyte vegetation survey isdueinFebruary 2018. Research (NIWA) inFebruary 2013.Thenext littoral aquatic was undertaken bytheNationalInstitute ofWater &Atmospheric lake, thelocations ofwhichare shown inFigure 6.Thelast survey is monitored every five years along the17transects withinthe The littoral aquaticmacrophyte vegetation ofLake Waikaremoana Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRCWP982030Mc(15-16) communities is,therefore, animportant partoflake management. change themacrophyte speciescomposition. Monitoring ofthese the overall lake level operating range alsohasthepotential to potential to expose shallow-water plantcommunities. Narrowing prolonged periodsoflowered water levels whichhave the Changes inaquaticmacrophyte communities mayresult from zone isimportant to theproductivity andecology ofthelake. macro-invertebrates feed. Assuch,maintenance ofthelittoral for epiphyticalgae,uponwhichmanylittoral (shallow shoreline) North Island.Aquaticplants(macrophytes) provide substrate aquatic vegetation assemblages inalarge, deep,clear lake inthe diversity andcontains thebest remaining example ofnative Lake Waikaremoana hashighnative aquaticplantspecies 3.2.2 AQUATIC VEGETATION and Fewer rainbow places trout to were fish introduced result
in more into frequent Lake Waikaremoana encounters The next trapping operation willoccur inwinter 2019. spawning runwasrecorded duringtheAugust trap operation. operation ofthefishtrap duringJune.Thepeakoftherainbow trout rainbows andthepeakofspawningperiodwasrecorded through seen inprevious trap operations. Brown trout ran earlierthan Both brown trout andrainbow trout run-timingfollowed thetrends lowered compared withthe2009survey. trapped winters. Rainbow trout condition factor wasslightly 2009 winter, butsmaller thanrainbow trout from previously Stream were larger duringthe2014winter compared withthe Upstream migrating rainbow trout trapped intheWaiotukupuna recorded length. the brown trout wassignificantly improved dueto thedeclinein trout trapped duringthe2009winter. Thecondition factor of 2014 winter were significantly smaller andlighter thanthebrown The brown trout trapped intheWaiotukupuna Stream duringthe changes hadoccurred compared withhistorical trapping records. estimated asameansofmonitoring thefisheryto detect if From thedata collected, whole monthspawningrunswere throughout thereporting period(seeSection6.3). biodiversity managementproject intheLake Waikareiti area Waikaremoana Tribal AuthorityontheGenesisEnergy sponsored Genesis Energy continued to work withDOCandthe (See Section6.1). on behalfofTuhoe andhastaken over therole oftheLWHRT now provides oversight ofTe Urewera biodiversity management Urewera Board. AtAniwaniwa,theWaikaremoana Tribal Authority by Tuhoe Te UruTaumatua underthedirectives from theTe With theTuhoe-Te Urewera 2014Act,Te Urewera is now managed (wood rose). TheWERPagreement withDOCconcluded in2008. (kaka-beak), Powelliphanta snails,mistletoe andDactylantus on otherthreatened speciessuchaswhio(blueduck),ngutukaka kiwi programme allowed DOC,withtheLWHRT’s support,to focus transferred to theLWHRT andtheirincreasing contribution to the management ofthekiwiprogramme onPuketukutuku Peninsula kiwi populationonthePuketukutuku Peninsula. Over time, The originalfocus ofWERPwasto helpsecure aviable enhancement around theshore ofthelake. (WERP), GenesisEnergy provided fundingto DOCfor ecological known astheWaikaremoana Ecological Restoration Programme via aten year agreement withDOC.Underthisagreement, development ofmonitoring programmes; others were mitigated issues were addressed through consent conditions andthe were raised andworked through withDOC.Someofthese During theresource consents process manycomplex issues 3.2.4 ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROGRAMME FIGURE 8//
Fish trap ontheWaiotukupuna Stream, winter 2014.
11 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 12 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 the middle andupperforeshore. Previously eroding sites suchas change since the2014inspectionis growth ofvegetation on is notoutofcharacter for thistypeof shore. Themainvisual erosion oftheturfshore margins (Figure 9).However thiserosion levels through thereporting period mayhave resulted insome changes to thegeomorphological state oftheshore. Thelow lake and comparison to thephotographic record showed only small The 2015inspectionoftheshoreline ofLake Waikaremoana in Figure 6. Management Ltd(Single, 2015)andmonitoring pointsare shown Details ofthekey findingsare reported byShore Processes and evaluating allphoto-points, wasundertaken inFebruary 2015. circumnavigation oftheentire shoreline, photographing, and The annualLake Waikaremoana shoreline inspection,involving Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRC WP982030Mc(13-14) Waikaremoana shoreline. valuable resource to assist future asset managementontheLake around the shore ofLake Waikaremoana. Thisreport isa the riskposedbylake level changesto activitiesandassets representatives. Thereport presents information for managing Bay RegionalCouncil(HBRC)andto local tangata whenua in 2010(Single etal,2010)andforwarded to DOC,Hawkes A Shoreline Hazard ManagementReportwasalsoproduced lakes (Single, 2005). comparable to orless thanthatmeasured onotherNew Zealand Overall, themagnitudeofchangeatLake Waikaremoana is water level influences duringtheperiodbetween surveys. annual surveys reflected the characteristics ofwind,wave and beaches, softshores andmudstone benches.Variations between Changes duringthemonitoring period1999–2005occurred to future change. wave exposure, andwillcontinue to provide benchmarksfor around thelake for different shore types,for shores withdifferent Monitoring identifiesthemagnitudeandrates ofshore change measurements, whichare designedto assess: photo-point records compliment five-yearly fieldtransect New sites were alsoestablished between 2004and2007.Annual System (GPS)surveys, covering sites established in1999–2000. combination ofbeachprofile anddifferential Global Positioning The current comprehensive monitoring network isbasedona monitoring programmes (Single 2005;Single andShaw2005). erosion risksites withintheshoreline vegetation anderosion significant changewastheintegration ofDOC’s assets athigh incorporated into theLake Waikaremoana Monitoring Plan.A management. Thisprogramme wasformally revised in2005and protection works, andsettimeframes for future erosion hazard shoreline change,to determine theadequacyofexisting erosion which usedanetwork ofprofiles andphoto-points to assess In 1999,Allanetal.developed anannualmonitoring programme shoreline resource. threatens theviabilityofassets andimpactsonuseofthe created hazards atsomeofthesesites. Erosion, inparticular, and otherrecreational andtourism assets. Shore changehas used assites for huts, tracks, camping grounds, sewage ponds soft delta-sediment shorelines. Thesehave subsequently been Lowering thelake level inthe1940’s exposed large flatareas of Lake Waikaremoana Monitoring Plan. shoreline landforms anderosion patterns isakey focus ofthe level managementregime onthestructure anddevelopment of is asignificant natural feature. Monitoring theeffects ofthelake The sedimentary geology oftheLake Waikaremoana shoreline 3.3 SEDIMENT(EROSION,TRANSPORTANDDEPOSITION) measurement oferosion rates onmudstone benches. predictions ofexpected future shoreline changes;and changes inthepositionorpatterns ofshoreline contours; rates ofshoreline advance andretreat; the stability of theshoreline; changes inprofile form over time;
coincide withthefive-yearly vegetation transect resurvey. resurvey andisscheduled for March 2016.Thissurvey date will The next inspectionwillbeafullshoreline profile transect be aresult ofthelake level managementregime. evidence ofanysignificant orirreversible adverse effect thatmight mid-foreshore ataround 581.5mto 582.0melevation. There isno more stable, althoughthere ispossibly greater changeto the Maraunui Hutandthebackshore atHomeBay(WKM1a)appear the reporting period. consecutive days.Event driven monitoring wasnotrequired during 583.29 maslorgobelow 580.29maslfor more than seven Event-driven monitoring isrequired whenlake levels exceed Dam Lake Waikaremoana HBRCWP982030Mc(11-14) of inundation. change inmoisture level andwave energy inrelation to thedegree for how long. Theshoreline substrate alsoexperiences dramatic dramatic change,dependingonwhetheritissubmerged, and Vegetation withinthethree metre operating range can experience outlet andlake levels can risevery rapidly following heavyrainfall. Lake Waikaremoana hasalarge catchment witharestricted 3.4 EVENT-DRIVENMONITORING FIGURE 9// the lower partoftheoperating range (Photo: MartinSingle).
The Lake Waikaremoana shoreline withwater levels in
WAIKARETAHEKE RIVER
04 13 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 14 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 and springflows create flow only ashortdistance downstream. the Waikaretaheke River downstream ofLake Kaitawa asseepage rate ofupto 42m Tuai Intake, located ontheeastern sideofthelake, atamaximum (Figure 10). Water for theTuai Power Station istaken through the operating range ofthelake is3.4m,from 450.1to 453.5masl Lake Kaitawa istheheadpondfor Tuai Power Station. The Dam Waikaretaheke Form Lake Kaitawa HBRCWP982121Mb and anumberofspringsthatflow directly into thelake. at theOnepoto Intake anddiverted from theWaikaretaheke River The lake isfed bywater taken directly from Lake Waikaremoana m, creating alake withasurface area ofapproximately 6.1ha. storage reservoir. Thewater level wasraised byapproximately 3 converting asmallspring-fed lake andwetland into alarger dam andweir across theWaikaretaheke River inthemid-1930s, Lake Kaitawa wasformed following theconstruction ofanearth 4.1.1 LAKEKAITAWA 4.1 HYDROLOGY Diversion Gates; Monitoring Planthatincludesmonitoring programmes for: (NZTA) –to monitor erosion intheWaikaretaheke River; Power Scheme; kayaking opportunitieswithintheWaikaremoana from theWaikaremoana Power Scheme(WPS); WhakamarinoDam; Diversion Structure and5l/sdownstream ofthe Council(HBRC); to provide thisdata annually to theHawkes BayRegional intheWaikaretaheke River andthethree power stations and for Lake Whakamarino; subsequent changeofresource consent in2005were: Key outcomes ofthe1998resource consents process andthe becomes available. to themonitoring programmes to bemadeasmore information The changeofresource consent alsoallows for improvements which isarticulated intheWaikaretaheke River Monitoring Plan. targeted monitoring programme for theWaikaretaheke River, A changeofresource consent in2005soughtamore focused and numbers ofvery large trout. trout fisheries:Lake Whakamarino,inparticular,produces high made lakes, Kaitawa andWhakamarino,have become renowned upper Waikaretaheke River catchment significantly. Thetwo man- lakes for thepurposesofpower generation hasmodifiedthe Damming thenatural outlet, sealingspringleaks andcreating river system. landslide debriscreating avery steep, incisedandfast-flowing Waikaremoana. Below thelake outlet, theriver hascutinto the The Waikaretaheke River isthenatural outlet from Lake 04 WAIKARETAHEKE RIVER preparation andimplementation oftheWaikaretaheke River anagreement withFederated Farmers to provide minimum anagreement withtheNew ZealandTransport Authority anagreement withWhitewater NZ–to provide recreational arequirement to maintain thequalityofwater discharges minimum flows of25l/sdownstream oftheWaikaretaheke arequirement to measure andrecord theamountofflow a3.4moperating range for Lake Kaitawa anda1.8mrange flows asastock barrierdownstream ofPiripauaPower Station; hydrology monitoring. amature eeldownstream transfer programme; and anelver trap andupstream transfer programme; theeffect ofrecreational releases ontrout intheriver; macro-invertebrates below the Waikaretaheke 3 /s. There isnominimumflow requirement in
limits anddidnotspillover theKaitawa TipGates atanytime. and Figure 10.Thelevel wasmaintained withinitsupperandlower Lake level compliance for thereporting periodisdetailed inTable 5 (see Figure 11). the minimumflow required with fullcompliance beingachieved method. Alloftheflow data for this reporting periodwasabove now measures itsconsent compliance inreal timeusingthis gaugings have confirmed theflow calculation andGenesisEnergy from the local water level station to calculate flow. Volumetric measure thisminimumflow requirement. Ituseshydraulic head the annualhydrology data audit,to beamore effective wayto at theintake structure. Thecalculation hasbeenconfirmed, via volumetric flow gaugingsorviacalculation from theflow station Compliance withthisconsent can bemeasured intwo ways:from that they remain free ofanyblockages. Genesis Energy contractors checktheholes regularly to ensure through thegate to release thecorrect flow. To maintain theflow Waikaretaheke Diversion Structure, holes have beendrilled To maintain theminimumflow of25l/sdownstream ofthe Dam Waikaretaheke River HBRCWP982320Mf(6,8) provide somesuitable habitat for native flora andfauna. released downstream oftheWaikaretaheke Diversion Structure to than would naturally have occurred. Aminimumflow of25l/sis numbers intheriver below thediversion structure are lower Investigations into invertebrate populationshave shown thatthe the amountofhabitat available for aquaticflora andfauna. magnitude andvariability offlows downstream, thereby reducing River bytheWaikaretaheke Diversion Structure have reduced the The damminganddiversion ofwaters from theWaikaretaheke TO LAKEWHAKAMARINO 4.1.2 WAIKARETAHEKE RIVERFROMKAITAWA SPILLWAY Maximum level Minimum level Parameter FIGURE 10// period. TABLE 5//Lake Kaitawa level compliance duringthereporting
Lake Kaitawa level duringthereporting period. Value (masl) 453.5 450.1 Compliance (%) 100 100 Consent Number WP982121Mb (3) WP982121Mb (3)
(condition)
range duringthereporting period(Table 6). 246.3 to 248.1masl(Figure 12).Thelake level remained withinthis Lake Whakamarinohasanormaloperating range of1.8m,from undertaking anymaintenance and/orrepair work (seeSection5.1) below theminimumoperating level (246.3 masl)for thepurposeof may lower thelevel ofwater inLake Whakamarinobyupto 1m As partoftheschemewidemaintenance consent GenesisEnergy Dam Kahuitangaroa Form Lake WhakamarinoHBRCWP982420Md(6) 5 l/sismaintained. Below WhakamarinoDamacontinuous minimumflow of side ofLake Whakamarino,atamaximumrate ofupto 49m is taken through thePiripauaIntake, located onthesouth-eastern approximately 29.8ha.Water for thePiripauaPower Station the Kahuitangaroa Stream. Thelake hasasurface area of of anearthdam(whichcontains aspillway structure) across Lake Whakamarinowascreated following theconstruction 4.1.3 LAKEWHAKAMARINO This condition wasnotexercised duringthereporting period. Lake Whakamarinoduringtheseimportant anglingperiods. October, orduringLabourWeekend, to reduce discolouration in Kaitawa isnotpermitted on1October, thefirst weekend after 1 from Lake Kaitawa down theWaikaretaheke River. Spillfrom Lake for two hours, whenever aflow ofgreater than5m³/sisspilled Genesis Energy isrequired to close theWaikaretaheke Diversion FIGURE 11// FIGURE 12//Lake Whakamarino level duringthereporting period. the reporting period.
Waikaretaheke Diversion minimumflow record during
3 /s.
meeting itsintended purpose. regime withFederated Farmers, to assess whetheritisstill Genesis Energy intends to review thePiripauaminimumflow record isshown inthehydrograph below (Figure 13). fully compliant duringthereporting period.Thecompliance The seasonalminimumflow below PiripauaPower Station was of 2m Farmers to provide aminimumflow from PiripauaPower Station flow trials,GenesisEnergy reached anagreement withFederated of low flow from PiripauaPower Station. Following anumberof the river didnotprovide anadequate stock barrierduringtimes River, downstream ofPiripauaPower Station, raised concerns that During theconsent process, farmers along theWaikaretaheke 4.1.4 the reporting period. monthly byGenesisEnergy staff andwasfully compliant during the drainage galleries withinthedam.Thisflow ismonitored Whakamarino. Theminimumflow isbasedonleakage flow from Kahuitangaroa Stream immediately downstream ofLake A minimumflow ofatleast 5l/sismaintained inthe reporting period. was therefore fully compliant withtheseconditions duringthe therefore noalteration oftheirflow capacities. GenesisEnergy have beennomodifications to anyofthesecontrol pointsand criteria, for several discharge control points(Table 7).There Resource consents specify maximumflow limits,basedondesign WAIKAREMOANA, KAITAWA ANDWHAKAMARINO 4.1.5 MAXIMUMFLOWS: WAIKARETAHEKE RIVERANDLAKES Maximum level Minimum level Parameter and 31March 2015. FIGURE 13//Flow below PiripauaPower Station 1 November 2014 period. TABLE 6//Lake Whakamarinolevel compliance for thereporting WAIKARETAHEKE RIVERBELOW PIRIPAUA POWER STATION 3 /s between 1November and31March eachyear. Value (masl) 248.1 246.3 Compliance (%) 100 100 Consent Number WP982420Md (5) WP982420Md (5) (condition)
15 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 16 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 will occur inMarch/April 2019. Solutions Ltd(Montgomerie,2014).Thenext scheduled monitoring were last surveyed inApril2014andreported byFreshwater Waikaretaheke River are shown inFigure 14.These communities Macro-invertebrate andperiphyton survey locations onthe Dam Waikaretaheke River HBRCWP982320Mf(13) HBRC DP982510Wb(11) Discharge Piripaua Station to Waikaretaheke River HBRC WP982420Md(9) Dam Kahuitangaroa Form Lake Whakamarino recommendation was accepted bytheHBRCinOctober 2009. long-term impactsoftheWPSonWaikaretaheke River. This sufficient to provide anongoing dataset thatcan beusedto assess yearly assessments ofsites above andbelow theintake would be five year study. Tonkin &Taylor (2009)recommended thatfive- Tonkin &Taylor inMarch/April 2009were compared to theNIWA structure (Scarsbrook &Bowman, 2003).Resultscollected by Waikaretaheke River below theWaikaretaheke River diversion macroinvertebrates ofincreasing minimumresidual flows inthe a five year study between 1999and2003to assess theeffects on Institute ofWater andAtmosphericResearch (NIWA) to undertake effect offlow reduction. GenesisEnergy engagedtheNational Stream confluence where flow recovery begins, to assess the downstream ofthediversion structure, down to theMangaone of macroinvertebrate communities intheWaikaretaheke River The Waikaretaheke Monitoring Planrequires regular assessment 4.2.1 MACROINVERTEBRATES Figure 14. monitoring programmes, thelocalities ofwhichare shown on This sectiondescribesthecurrent ecosystem andwater quality River. Theplanwasdeveloped in 2006 andreviewed in2014. frequency ofmonitoring to beundertaken ontheWaikaretaheke The Waikaretaheke River Monitoring Plandefinesthetypeand 4.2 AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS ANDWATER QUALITY Tuai auxiliaryturbines Tuai OutdoorSwitchyard cooling water system No.1 Tuai Power Station oilinterceptors Tuai Power Station cooling water system Tuai OutdoorSwitchyard cooling water system Piripaua Tunnel smallsiphon Piripaua Tunnel large siphon Piripaua Power Station tailrace Piripaua Power Station oilinterceptor Piripaua Power Station cooling circuits andpenstocks Waikaretaheke Diversion Canal Tuai Power Station Kaitawa Power Station tailrace Kaitawa Power Station penstock main inlet valve Kaitawa weir drains Kaitawa tunnels Site TABLE 7// Designcapacities ofdischarge control pointswithintheWPS.
Discharge groundwater anddrainage water Discharge to anunnamedtributary ofthe Discharge to Kahutangaroa Stream Discharge to anunnamedtributary
Discharge to Waikaretaheke River Discharge to Waikaretaheke River Discharge to Waikaretaheke River Discharge to Waikaretaheke River Discharge to Waikaretaheke River Discharge to Lake Whakamarino Discharge to Lake Whakamarino Discharge to Lake Whakamarino Discharge to unnamedtributary 4.2.2 WAIKARETAHEKE RIVERTROUT Plan, seekinputfrom stakeholders andprovide training for local input from NIWA. Anumberofhuiwere heldto helpscope the contracted to assist GenesisEnergy to prepare thisdocumentwith The Lake Waikaremoana HapuRestoration Trust (LWHRT) were resource andadesire to develop aspecificmanagement plan. Waikaremoana community expressed concerns for theirtuna workshop heldinTuai inJanuary2008,where members ofthe developed for theWaikaremoana area following atuna In additionto this,aTuna FisheriesManagementPlanwas immediately downstream ofPiripauaPower Station. programme beganin1996/97withtheinstallation ofatrap catchment. From thisfinding,anelver catch andtransfer upstream passage oftuna(eels)withintheWaikaretaheke In 1996Stricklandrecognised thepotential for improving the 4.2.3 TUNA(EEL)MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME for October 2018. by FishandGameinNovember 2013. Thenext survey isscheduled The last Waikaretaheke River trout driftdive survey wasconducted Dam Waikaretaheke River HBRCWP982320Mf(13) HBRC DP982510Wb(11) Discharge PiripauaStation to Waikaretaheke River HBRC WP982420Md(9) Dam Kahuitangaroa Form Lake Whakamarino drift dives becarried out. Waikaretaheke River Monitoring Planrecommends thatfive-yearly trout andfour -eightyears for brown trout). Consequently, the after oneto two generations (three -sixyears for rainbow flow releases onthetrout populationwould only become apparent Kusabs (2002)stated, however, thatthelong-term effects ofthe abundance intheupperWaikaretaheke River. impacting ontrout numbers (Kusabs,2002).Thestudy found that: September) to determine whetherrecreational flow releases were River were monitored bytwice-yearly driftdives (Mayand Between 1999and2001,trout populationsintheWaikaretaheke recreational flow releases didnotadversely affect trout the Waikaretaheke River below Piripauasupported moderate Waikaretaheke River densities ofrainbow trout andlow numbers ofbrown trout; and Take for cooling Take for cooling Discharge Type
Design Capacityl/s 400 100 150 200 110 100 100 110 700 100 1.4 20 11 15 10 80
Consent No. DP982415W DP982414W DP982413W DP982412W DP982403W DP982503W DP982501W DP982515W DP982512W DP982323W DP982220W DP982114W DP982111W DP982020W WP982511T WP982113T
HBRC WP982510Wb (11) Discharge PiripauaStation to Waikaretaheke River programme andto determine meansofalleviating adverse effects. tuna migrations, to evaluate thesuccess oftheelver transfer assess the effects oftheWPSonupstream anddownstream Regular monitoring isaresource consent requirement, to structures; and man-made); Management Planinclude: On-going work streams oftheWaikaremoana Tuna Fisheries necessary to ensure the sustainability oflocal tunastocks. ordinated approach to managingtunalocally andisconsidered Tuna FisheriesManagementPlanprovides acontext for aco- Waikaremoana/Wairoa catchment, butnationally. TheWaikaremoana whanau, statutory agenciesandotherstakeholders, notjust inthe need to integrate alltunaactivitiesacross awiderange ofiwi,hapu, The local tunapopulations”. culture atWaikaremoana through thesustainable managementof tuna fishers onkey issues. ThePlanaimsto “Maintain thetuna advocacy andeducation. managementofdownstream migrant tunaatWPS migrant capture, tagging, transfer andmonitoring; populationmonitoring inlocal streams andponds; elver migration surveys atknown barriers (bothnatural and elver trap and transfer; complex FI GURE 14// life cycle
Location ofWaikaretaheke River Monitoring Sites.
of tuna
means that there is a strong
and
urgent
early April.Thebulkof theelvers were captured inJanuary. until late February andthendeclineduntilthe trap wasclosed in numbers notcaught until late December. Numbers remained steady The 2014/15migration season wasslow to start withsignificant elver Lake Whakamarino desiltingpond. in pondsassociated withtheMangaoneStream aswell asinthe and Potaka pond(Figure 16).Smallnumbers were also released Kahuitangaroa River, Lake Kaitawa, theupperMangaone Stream majority oftheelvers were released into Lake Whakamarino,the were transferred to upstream habitats duringtheseason.The retained for ageingpurposesitisestimated that59,530elvers season (Figure 15).After accounting for mortality andelvers 4,533 longfins) captured duringthe1December to 31March 1996/97 withanestimated 61,185elvers (54,959shortfinsand second highest since trap andtransfer operations beganin captured andtransferred duringthereporting periodwasthe Elver Trap andTransfer Programme outlined below. management programme duringthereporting periodare reported byNIWA (Boubèeetal,2015).Key outcomes ofthe tuna supported withtechnical oversight from NIWA. Theresults are Plan were continued duringthereporting periodbytheWTA, Various aspectsoftheWaikaremoana Tuna FisheriesManagement locally atTuai from theLWHRT. Taumatua. The WTA have taken over thetunamanagementrole biodiversity managementatAniwaniwaonbehalfofTuhoe Te Uru Waikaremoana Tribal Authority(WTA) now oversee Te Urewera As discussed inSection3.2.4andlater inSection6.1and6.3,the Thenumberofelvers
17 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 18 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 Gate structures. the Lake WhakamarinoSpillway andWhakamarino Sluice to mediumsizedeelswere observed inthepooldirectly below On oneofthesurvey nights,while noelvers were seen,small the Lake Whakamarinospillway duringthethree nightssurveyed. during thereporting periodattheWaikaretaheke Diversion orat Elver Surveys atOtherStructures was slightly less thaninthe2013/14season(11.6%). 2014/15 theproportion oflongfin elvers inthecatch was7.7%which less than10%duringthe2002to 2007periodto 28.8%in2009/10.In least 80%),buttheproportion oflongfins inthecatch increased from temperatures. Most oftheelvers transferred have beenshortfins(at to theslower start to theelver seasondueto cooler December number declinedbyabout7500elvers in2014/15possibly related increasing andpeaked atabout68,730elvers in2013/14.This each seasonhave varied, since atleast 2010/11thecatch hasbeen the 267,000 elvers have beentransferred to thecatchment upstream of Since theinception ofthetrap andtransfer programme, atleast (Photo: BlairWaiwai) FIGURE 16//Elvers swarmafter release into alocal Tuai stream SFE =shortfins,LFElongfins. tailrace between 1996-97and2014-15. FIGURE 15//Annualelver catches from thePiripauaPower Station Piripaua Power Station. Although Noelvers were observed the numbers of elvers
captured
harvest events. with anumber‘disappearing’inwhatislikely to have been Piripaua Intake. Theseeelsappearhighly susceptible to harvest - searching thelake for asafe outlet anddonotreadily enter the with developing migrant features tend to spendconsiderable time Intake. Incontrast to thesewell-advanced migrant eels,those eel bypass oropenspillway they willinevitably enter thePiripaua main flow suchthat,unless they can findandusethedownstream characteristics spendvery little timeinthelake andfollow the seasons undertaken to date show thateelswithmarked migrant avoidance behaviour. However, theresults ofthefour telemetry over theintake inJanuary2014asadeterrent, hasenhanced this Piripaua Intake structure. Itispossible thatlightinginstalled Whakamarino hasconfirmed thateelsdonotreadily enter the Electronic tracking ofacoustic-tagged migrant eelsinLake in 2012,to three in2013,seven in2014andseven in2015. captured inhabitats upstream ofPiripauahasincreased from two number oflarge females withmigrant features thathave been to catch andtransfer migrants from thecatchments. Thus,the the local tunateam hasdeveloped expertise thatcould beused opportunity for safe downstream passage, inthelast four years nights itwasopeninautumn2015(Figure 17).In addition to this spillway indicates thatitwasusedbyatleast four eelsover the13 downstream migrant eelbypass attheLake Whakamarino Migrant Transfer andBy-Pass Operation period. ponds thatreceive elvers wasundertaken duringthereporting Population Monitoring to seetheirtunamanagementinaction. The WTA tunateam alsohosted anumberoftheirboard members programme. Genesis Energy isworking withtheWTA onitstunamanagement took advantage oftheopportunityto learn more abouthow Figure 18). NgatiHikairo alsohave astrong tunaculture and members ofNgatiHikairo kiTongariro from Rotoaira (see During thereporting period,theWTA Tuna Team hosted visiting dangerous waterfalls withinthe catchment. eels safely transferred past intake structures andpotentially ‘tunaheke’ would significantly increase thenumberofmigrant Furthering local expertise to capture andrecognise migrant scheme to continue theirspawning migration outto sea. at least somelarge migrant females are released below thepower fishers to learn andimplement managementpractices thatensure and utilisesthelocal eelpopulation, there isaclear needfor Knowledge Sharing by-pass (Photo: NIWA). FIGURE 17//Amigrant tunausingtheWhakamarinoSpillway eel Because theTuai community interacts with Nopopulationmonitoring ofstreams and Monitoring ofthe
Table 8 shows that oil and grease concentrations have remained below the required consent limit at all monitoring sites. Lead results from the Tuai Penstock Slope Sump also remained compliant, below the 0.005 g/m³ consent limit.
It is noted that sampling of the Tuai Outdoor Switchyard Cooling Water discharge [HBRC DP982403W (5)] is no longer required. The Upgrade of the Tuai Transformers in 2005 means these are now oil cooled and there is no cooling water discharge. This resource consent was therefore surrendered during the reporting period. 4.4 SEDIMENT (EROSION, TRANSPORT AND DEPOSITION)
During the resource consents process in 1998, NZTA expressed concerns over the impact that variable flows from the Piripaua Power Station may have on the NZTA’s ability to carry out new construction works and routine maintenance of its structures and roads in the vicinity of State Highway 38. Genesis Energy and the NZTA entered into an agreement to facilitate consultation and the sharing of information to ensure that the NZTA’s construction or FIGURE 18 // Ngati Hikairo tuna project member John Morgan maintenance activities are not unduly impeded by the operations releases elvers from the Piripaua Elver Trap into a local Tuai pond. of the WPS.
The NZTA also expressed concern that variable flow from the power station may cause bank erosion, potentially impacting on the roading network. Genesis Energy and its predecessors have Ageing Ageing of both elvers and migrant eels indicates that never accepted that the operation of the scheme is a primary transferred elvers can grow quickly within the catchment, with cause of downstream erosion. A pragmatic decision was made, some eels making the return journey to sea as females over a however, to establish an erosion monitoring programme at a metre long 18 years after being released as elvers. The elvers first selected number of sites. released as part of the elver trap and transfer program that began in the 1996/97 season have thus now reached a size when they Since the signing of this agreement in 1998 the NZTA has provided need to migrate downstream. This will require additional focus on Genesis Energy with advanced warning when construction and the safe translocation/passage of migrant eels in the future. maintenance work is planned. During these occasions Genesis 4.3 WATER QUALITY Energy has taken all reasonable steps to control the flows from Piripaua Power Station to facilitate their works. There were no 4.3.1 ROUTINE MONITORING requests from NZTA in the reporting period.
Genesis Energy carries out routine monitoring via annual grab Genesis Energy has participated, and will continue to participate, samples of the water discharged from sediment traps on the in erosion monitoring where it is practical and helpful to do so. Tuai Penstock Slope and all power station and switchyard oil 4.5 RECREATION AND TOURISM interceptors to measure for concentrations of lead, oil and grease. Discharge Contaminants Kaitawa Station Oil Interceptor A number of recreational releases from Piripaua Power Station HBRC DP982116Wa (5) and Lake Whakamarino occur on specified weekends annually, as Discharge Tuai Switchyard Cooling Water agreed with the Hawkes Bay Canoe Club (HBCC) and Whitewater NZ. HBRC DP982403W (5) Discharge Contaminants Tuai Penstocks Slope In June 2015, Genesis Energy sought a variation to the recreational HBRC DP982404W (4) release resource consent conditions at the WPS, in agreement Discharge Contaminants Tuai Oil Interceptors with Whitewater NZ and the HBCC. This variation is to align the HBRC DP982413W (5) consent requirements with changes in the process for organising Discharge Contaminants Tuai Switchyard Oil Interceptors the recreational releases that have been agreed on an adhoc HBRC DP982414W (5) basis with Whitewater NZ and the HBCC over many years. Discharge Contaminants Piri Station Oil Interceptor System These changes will result in greater flexibility for all parties. HBRC DP982515Wa (5) Genesis Energy continues to work with both parties to boost participation in the WPS recreational releases. // 15
TABLE 8 // Water quality monitoring results for the reporting period.
Sample Location [Consent Number] Parameter Date Measured Total Concentration Compliance (g/m³) Kaitawa Interceptor Hydrocarbons (Consent Limit 1.0g/m3) 6/10/14 0.7 Full compliance [Kaitawa Power Station DP982116Wa (5)] Piripaua Interceptor Hydrocarbons (Consent Limit 1.0g/m3) 6/10/14 0.7 Full compliance [Piripaua Power Station DP982515Wa (5)] Tuai Outdoor Switchyard Interceptor Hydrocarbons (Consent Limit 1.0g/m3) 6/10/14 0.7 Full compliance [Tuai Power Station DP982414W (4)] Tuai Interceptor Hydrocarbons (Consent Limit 1.0g/m3) 6/10/14 0.7 Full compliance [Tuai Power Station DP982413W (4)] Tuai Penstock Slope Lead (Consent Limit 0.005g/m3) 6/10/14 0.00184 Full compliance
[Tuai Power Station DP982404 (4)] REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL Tuai Outdoor Switchyard Lead (Consent Limit 0.005g/m3) Consent n/a n/a Cooling Water Discharge surrendered
[Tuai Power Station DP982403W (5)] 19 20 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 release flows. see suchhighnumbers ofkayakers enjoying therecreational the Aprilrelease weekend asanevent, anditwaspleasing to weekend. BothHBCCandWhitewater NZworked hard to promote record numberof34kayakers attended theApril2015release Seven kayakers attended the September 2014releases, while a (Table 9). compliant for thereporting periodfor bothflow andduration All recreational releases from PiripauaPower Station were fully replacement project (seeSection5.1.1). with Whitewater NZandHBCC,dueto theKaitawa transformer Planned releases for November 2014were cancelled inagreement recreational releases from PiripauaPower Station went ahead. During thereporting periodthere were two weekends where HBRC DP982510Wb(4) Discharge PiripauaStation to Waikaretaheke River ensure safe kayaking. undertake maintenance work onthedownstream river channelto No-flow dates are alsoagreed inadvance, allowing theHBCCto released releases but HBCC requests thataminimumof12m Dam releases. There isnoconsent requirement around these recreational releases from Piripauacoincide withWhakamarino and HBCCfor aduration ofnotless thansixhours. Additional between 25–35m Station annually. Thereleases are required to beasetflow of Up to sixrecreational releases are provided from PiripauaPower 4.5.1 PIRIPAUA POWER STATION 27/4/15 26/4/15 7/9/14 Piripaua Power Station (25-35m Date TABLE 9// at Piripaua Piripauarecreational release compliance for thereporting period 3 /s, asspecifiedinadvance byWhitewater NZ to
supplement 3 /s) the Required flow Whakamarino 28(m 34(m 28 (m 3 3 3 /s) /s) /s)
3 Minimum flow /s be release (m
flow. 30.3 40.1 3 /s) 30 transformer replacement project (seeSection5.1.1). agreement withWhitewater NZandHBCC,dueto theKaitawa from WhakamarinoDaminNovember 2014were cancelled in during thereporting period.Theplannedrecreational releases No recreational releases from WhakamarinoDamoccurred attracting greater participation. is to focus recreational interest onone‘larger’ event inthehopeof Whakamarino Damperyear to oneweekend event peryear. This agreed to reduce thecurrent four recreational releases from In August 2011GenesisEnergy, Whitewater NZandHBCC HBRC WP982420Mc(6) Dam Kahuitangaroa Form Lake Whakamarino confluence oftheWaikaretaheke River and Kahuitangaroa Stream. Whakamarino, andtheflow must have reached 20m March andMay. Aminimumflow of17m occur between September andNovember, andtheotherbetween a duration ofnotless thansixhours. Oneofthesereleases must occur oneachofupto two consecutive days,twice annually, for Recreational releases from theWhakamarinoDamSpillway 4.5.2 WHAKAMARINODAM Maximum flow (m 30.5 30.7 40.9 3 /s) Average flow (m 30.1 30.4 40.6 3 /s) Duration (hrs) 6hrs + 6hrs + 6hrs + 3 /s isreleased from Lake
Full compliance Full compliance Full compliance 3 /s atthe Compliance SCHEME-WIDE OUTCOMES
05 21 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 22 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 project audits. by wayofenvironmental managementplansfor contractors and required for thework andenvironmental compliance wasassured in April2015(Figure 19).Noadditionalresource consents were compliance input,returning T7to service inMarch 2015andT6 achieved project completion, withregular healthandsafety and site establishment andmobilisation.Genesis Energy successfully Downer performed themajorcivilworks component, suchas and install thenew transformers andassociated electrical works. and T7transformers, GenesisEnergy engaged Hyosung to supply Following anextensive scoping project for thereplacement ofT6 to endoflife. asset condition monitoring indicated thattheinsulationwasclose refurbishment allowed continued useuntil2012whenon-going of 30years andwere inservice for around 63years. Amid-life Kaitawa’s two in-service transformers T6andT7hadadesignlife upgrade project wasundertaken atKaitawa Power Station. During thereporting period,asignificant maintenance and 5.1.1 KAITAWA TRANSFORMER REPLACEMENT PROJECT Table 10. maintenance activitiesconsent. Theseactivitiesare detailed in occurred attheWPSthatwere covered bytheschemewide During thereporting periodtwo significant maintenance activities Abrasive Blasting HBRCDP120399W Temporary DammingandDiverting HBRCWP120398M Vegetation Clearance andSoilDisturbance HBRCLU120397V Maintenance ofStructures HBRCLU120396C maintenance consents. control potential effects through theconditions imposedinthe Energy to mobilisephysical work inamore timely mannerand scheme-wide maintenance consent until2032,enables Genesis land use,water, andriver/lake bedusepermits.Havinga Energy acombined consent, encompassing amixofdischarge, In 2012theHawkes BayRegionalCouncil(HBRC)granted Genesis 5.1 SCHEME-WIDEMAINTENANCEACTIVITIES sportsfishenhancement; consultative process include: for theWaikaremoana Power Scheme(WPS).Key outcomes ofthe A numberofissues have beenaddressed onascheme-widebasis 05 SCHEME-WIDEOUTCOMES below inverted siphon Waikaretaheke River Area stilling basin sluicing culvert Lake Whakamarino hydrology information publiccomplaints; and damsafety; anagreement between Genesis Energy andFish &Gameover maintenance activities; TABLE 10// WPS maintenance activitiesduringthereporting period.
about 10m reduce water velocity. Area of up erosion affected area and of existing boulders to shore to prevent erosion. Positioning Realigned creek bedmaterial Description Dam Safety Surveillance. surrounding area aspartof checks across thebasinand basin. Thisenabled seepage and cleared debrisfrom Pumped outstilling basin
2 affected.
Occurance Apr-15 Nov-14
(non-project) for theWPShasbeenexplored. Althoughmost The possibility ofreducing the42existing operational consents process improvements andefficiencies. the Tongariro Power Scheme,was to identifyanyopportunitiesfor The purposeofthisinitiative, inlinewiththesameapproach for of resource consents heldbyGenesis Energy for theWPS. In early 2015,acomprehensive review was carried outonthesuite 5.1.2 OPERATIONAL CONSENTREVIEW information can begainedthrough theFishandGamewebsite information atLake Waikaremoana over afive year period.This The monitoring buoy hasnow beenrecording water quality partner organisations (HBRC,Ngai Tuhoe andGenesisEnergy). for ongoingdeepermonitoring willbediscussed withthe the sensorlines.Innearfuture, themeritsandrequirements manually service thebuoy quarterly to clean algalbuildupoff providing aweather station. Fish andGamestaff continue to concentrations, lightattenuation andtemperature aswell as water conditions includingoxygen parameters, turbidity,algal Buoy. Themonitoring buoy provides real timedata onthelake’s maintenance oftheLake Waikaremoana Water QualityMonitoring During thereporting periodtheWSFFcontributed to the Water QualityMonitoring Buoy. contributed towards: support sportsfisheries-basedprojects. Thefundhaspreviously the Eastern Region Fish&GameCouncilandhasbeensetupto The Waikaremoana SportsFishFund (WSFF)isadministered by Waikaremoana andWaikaretaheke River trout fisheries. for theWPS,inlieuofpotential effects theWPShasonLake (WSHET) wasanoutcome ofthe1998resource consent process The Waikaremoana SportsfishHabitat Enhancement Trust ENHANCEMENT TRUST 5.2 THEWAIKAREMOANA SPORTSFISHHABITAT with theHBRC. Energy. Anappropriate application procedure isbeingconfirmed but grouped together, would bringtangible benefitsfor Genesis consents held, yet havingthesameenvironmental requirements the consent conditions are thesame.Anyreduction intotal stations, someare largely identical andcould becombined where consents are uniqueto aspecificactivityfor eachofthethree installation andongoingmaintenance of theWaikaremoana boatramp pontoons; and fisheriesinventories; creel surveys; signageandinterpretation panels; car parkingfor anglers attheHopuruahineRiver; the HomeBaygangwayproject; reprinting theWaikaremoana Fisherybrochure; FIGURE 19//Kaitawa transformer replacement project inprogress.
Review reports are available onrequest. Safety Guidelines.Copiesofthe Monthly andAnnual DamSafety professional engineers assuggested bytheNZSOLD(2015)Dam An AnnualDamSafety Review iscarried outbyspecialist which isinternally reviewed byanengineer. and provides GenesisEnergy withamonthly damsafety report, locations. Anexperienced professional engineerreviews thedata assets are inspected anddata iscollected atanumberof inspections atpre-determined intervals. Onamonthly basis, Dam safety surveillance involves routine monitoring and for managingandmonitoring thehydraulic structures oftheWPS. Society onLarge Dams(NZSOLD)provide thecurrent framework The DamSafety Guidelines(2015)publishedbytheNew Zealand 5.3 DAM SAFETY on offer withintheWairoa Catchment. angling information brochure to better promote thetrout fisheries and Waiau Rivers over thecoming summerandto produce anew undertake angler access improvements to theWaikaretaheke The Eastern Region FishandGameCouncilare alsolooking to and Game. details ofthetag number,fishlength andlocation caught, to Fish fishery over thenext few years, they are encouraged to forward If anglers docatch tagged fishwithin the Lake Waikaremoana was madeavailable byFishandGamethrough avariety ofmedia. a move to revisit stocking thelake. Publicityaround thisrelease of tag returns from anglers fishingthelake. Itisnotintended as tool usedto investigate rainbow trout growth andtheincidence (Figure 20).Thisrelease wasundertaken purely asamonitoring Waikaremoana on30April2015at the HopuruahineStream mouth tagged group of500rainbow trout were alsoliberated into Lake Whakamarino with100rainbows placed into Lake Kaitawa. A December 2014.Atotal of400rainbows were released into Lake Trout were liberated atLakes Kaitawa andWhakamarinoon19 Genesis Energy (seeSection3.2.3). Stream trapping undertaken over the2014winter fundedby spawning movements. Thiswork expands upontheWaiotukupuna size andharvest rates while providing anindication ofthetiming This work seeksto increase knowledge ofanglingpressure, trout and summerangler creel survey work atLake Waikaremoana. The WSFFisalsocontributing toward investigations into winter Region /Fishing/ManagementReports. through thewebsite listed above, byfollowing thelinks:Eastern University ofWaikato, though still indraft stage, isalsoavailable Fishing/ Local River Flow andLake Info. Areport ofthefindingsby www.fishandgame.org.nz April 2015(Photo: FishandGame). FIGURE 20//Lake Waikaremoana FishRelease –Hopuruahine, byfollowing thelinks:Eastern Region/ reporting period.GenesisEnergy issufficiently equippedto No oilspillemergencies occurred withintheWPSduring preparedness procedures are reviewed every two years. monthly (prompted bymaintenance reminders) andresponse training andpractical exercises are undertaken, spillkitschecked Piripaua power stations andkey intake structures. Regularstaff spill kitsare located atstrategic locations atKaitawa, Tuai, and compliant withstatutory requirements. Comprehensive oil All oilstorage areas atGenesisEnergy sites are bundedand 5.4 OILSPILLRESPONSE Dam andKaitawa Dam. carried outatWhakamarinoDam,theDredgings Dam,Saddle During thereporting period,anAnnualDamSafety Review was NZSOLD (2015)DamSafety Guidelines. RMA. Inthemeantime,GenesisEnergy willcontinue to apply the Government departmentsto progress bringingdamsafety into the 2015. There iscurrently noindication ofawork programme for Regulations 2008have beenrevoked witheffect from 30June rather thantheBuildingAct.Assuch,(DamSafety) being managedundertheResource ManagementAct1991(RMA) Government hasnow decidedthatdamsafety isbetter suited to has beendelayed onanumberofoccasions over recent years. The Government’s DamSafety SchemeundertheBuildingAct(2004) The introduction ofnew damsafety Regulationsto implement the Safety Guidelines. accordance withtherecommendations of theNZSOLD(2015)Dam civil, mechanical andelectrical engineeringexperts, againin the dams’ Potential ImpactCategory andinvolves independent appurtenant structures iscarried outatintervals basedon A Comprehensive Safety Review ofthedamsandassociated on linein2009. with thepublic,highusageofsite since thesystem went waikaremoana Waikaremoana area isavailable at: Rainfall, river flow andlake level information for the collected inreal timeandtelemetered nearreal time. around theWPS.Avariety offlow, water level andrainfall data is Genesis Energy hasanextensive hydrology monitoring network 5.6 PUBLICLY AVAILABLE HYDROLOGY INFORMATION during thereporting period. There were nopubliccomplaints received inrelation to theWPS recommendations. Theseare sentto appropriate staff to action. Management System. Complaintsare documented along withrelevant Genesis Energy records allpubliccomplaints viaanEvent 5.5 PUBLICCOMPLAINTS expectations were covered, usingrelevant case lawexamples. prevention aspects,Resource ManagementActcompliance for WPSstaff andcontractors inearly 2015.Inadditionto pollution general environmental training module wasdelivered internally pillows, booms,andpersonal protective equipmentfor users. A respond to anyevent, witheachkitcontaining absorbentmats, (Figure 21). Thisinformation hasproved popular www.genesisenergy.co.nz/
23 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 24 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 2013/14 reporting period. 2015, withanofficialrating ofFull Compliance achieved for the for therelevant period.HBRCissued thecompliance report inMay discussed, asaninitiative to assist withtheircompliance review (including hydrology data). Key aspectsoftheWPSAERwere 2014 to present theprevious year’s monitoring information Genesis Energy staff formally metwithHBRCofficers inOctober compliance rating assigned. an inspection,orreview, amonitoring report iscompiled anda every two years, dependingonthenature oftheconsent. After requirement. The consents are monitored byHBRCannually or The WPSResource Consentshave aroutine monitoring inspection 5.7 HAWKES BAY REGIONALCOUNCILCOMPLIANCEREPORTING Energy’s website, please email:hydrology If you require information otherthanthatprovided onGenesis FIGURE 21//Screen shotofthehydrology website. @ genesisenergy.co.nz. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY & INITIATIVES
06 25 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 26 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 with theTrust. Genesis Energy extremely proud to have worked inpartnership The professionalism andhard work shown bytheLWHRT make dedication shown bytheTrust andalarge numberofvolunteers. The hugesuccess oftheLWHRT islargely attributed to the a remarkable achievement. positive future installed inanew generation oftangata whenua, is held bymanywholive orvisitWaikaremoana, andthejobs advances achieved, thepassion for kiwiandtheenvironment kiwi populationonmainlandNew Zealand,thetechnological decades ago.Thelegacy left bytheLWHRT intheform ofarobust possibility. Thisisafar cryfrom thedire situationkiwiwere intwo kiwi populationintheWaikaremoana catchment isavery real has considerably improved, to thepointwhere asustainable recently onWhareama Peninsula, meanskiwisurvival to maturity pest eradication work onPuketukutuku Peninsula, andmore Peninsular isanoutstanding success. TheLWHRT’s enduring To have returned kiwito pre-European numbers onPuketukutuku both to theenvironment andthepeople ofWaikaremoana. tribute to thefounding Trustees for theirvisionandcommitment, 13 years ofdedicated biodiversity work inTe Urewera andpays Genesis Energy acknowledges theconclusion oftheLWHRT after now runbytheWTA from theirbaseatAniwaniwa. maintenance contracts, formally undertaken bytheLWHRT are Tuai Tuna Management,rubbishcollection and othergrounds Functions associated withthePuketukutuku KiwiProject, the Waikaremoana Tribal Authority(WTA). The role andfunctionsoftheLWHRT have now beentaken over by entity andtheagreement withGenesisEnergy came to aclose. During thereporting period,theLWHRT ceased to exist asalegal wider vision. The Kiwiproject wasaflagshipfor theLWHRT’s achievement ofits opposite sideofthelake. the concept was replicated ontheWhareama Peninsula onthe could disperse throughout Te Urewera. To expand theproject, Kiwi produced withinthepredator trapped area eachyear capacity” onthepeninsula,thenremove thefence sothatyoung The goalwasto buildtheKiwipopulationupto “carrying within theprotected area onthePeninsula. unprotected bush.Asaresult thebirds setuptheirterritories preventing theKiwichicksfrom dispersing into thesurrounding proof fence”. This keeps thebirds withintheprotected area, for Kiwi.Theneckofthepeninsulawasfenced offwitha“Kiwi- island andisextensively predator-trapped to create asafe haven The 750haPuketukutuku Peninsula wassetupasamainland Waikaremoana were to beretained. stoats asthekey issue to beaddressed ifKiwipopulationsat Research Ltd.DrMcLennan’s project identifiedpredation by project byDrJohnMcLennanofManaakiWhenuaLandcare The managementprogramme developed from aten year research Waikaremoana, to helphaltthedeclineofKiwiinTe Urewera. (DOC), led aproject onthePuketukutuku Peninsula ofLake The LWHRT, inassociation withtheDepartmentofConservation in March 2005. and lands Genesis Energy entered into aformal partnership withtheLWHRT Lake the waterways, fauna.” of all and Wha flora protection includes of The Trustand this represented theinterests oftheNgatiHinekura,- Te species restoration catchment the in endangered assist Waikaremoana and “facilitate hapu-based charitable trust setupto: The Lake Waikaremoana HapuRestoration Trust (LWHRT) wasa TRUST PARTNERSHIP 6.1 LAKEWAIKAREMOANA HAPURESTORATION 06 COMMUNITY&ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES nau Pani, andNgatiRuapaniHapu.
information from protection sites. Thishasallowed openpublic of data loggers andanationaldatabase to capture whiorelated Population managementcontinues to beimproved withtheuse Clinton/ Arthurhaditsthird best seasonin15years. reports itsmost productive seasonsince managementbegan,and sites: Tongariro hashadarecord 218ducklings,Wangapeka/ Fyfe operations andthishasled to anexceptional year atthree security Eight sites received aboost through “Battle for ourBirds” 1080 is currently beinginstalled for the2015/16breeding season. at thissite isnolonger effective. Anupgrade hasbeenplannedand Whanganui catchment hascontinued to decline,asthetrap network 11). Unfortunately onesecuritysite, Manganui/Retaruke inthe reported average to goodnumbers ofducklingsthisseason(Table support to better managestoats andotherpredators. Most sites been akey focus with17whioprotection sites nationally receiving Forever ManagementPlan.Investment inpredator control has Genesis Energy andDOCworking together to implement theWhio During thelast year significant work hasbeenachieved by Programme thereby securingthefuture ofwhio. over five years to fully implement theNationalWhioRecovery 2011 inWellington. Theagreement commits, infull,$2.5million subsequently signedbyDOCandGenesisEnergy on31August sponsor ofwhio.TheWhioForever Investment Agreement was DOC’s NationalWhioRecovery Group to become thecorporate In 2010,GenesisEnergy received anexclusive invitation from 6.2 WHIOFOREVER in thefuture. over biodiversity andothermatters relating to Te Urewera, the two organisations can work collaboratively withNgaiTuhoe Genesis Energy willcontinue to liaisewithWTA to determine how traffic to theWhioForever website centre displays,press releases andamarketing campaign to drive Zoo. Duringthemonthotherinitiatives were runincludingvisitor advertising campaign andtheWhioFamily weekend atAuckland to raise awareness ofthestatus ofthewhiothrough anational In addition,theWhioAwareness campaign inMarch 2015worked to predation. before beingreleased into thewildwhenthey are less susceptible enables ducklingsto develop theirwhitewater andforaging skills a significant milestone duringtheyear (Figure 22).Thefacility facility attheTongariro NationalTrout Centre inTurangi was facilities nationwide.Theconstruction andopeningofahardening funding supportingcaptive breeding sites andducklingrearing The WhioNest Eggproject (WHIONE)continues to progress with allowing better integration ofwhiomanagement nationally. access to critical whiodata from protection sites across the country, Hardening Facility attheTongariro NationalTrout Centre inTurangi. Executive AlbertBrantley releasing whio attheopeningofWhio TNTCS, TheHonourable MaggieBarry,andGenesisEnergy’s Chief FIGURE 22//Representatives ofDOC,NgatiTuwharetoa andthe www.whioforever.co.nz
TABLE 11 // Whio pairs protected at eight security sites since the start of the Whio Investment Agreement in 2011.
Security Sites Pairs 2011/12 Pairs 2012/13 Pairs 2014/15 Increase in pairs over term of Genesis Energy funding Te Urewera 7 21 21 14 Whirinaki 15 16 23 8 Tongariro Forest 43 114 109 66 Manganui/Retaruke 51 37 22 -29 Wangapeka 20 29 30 10 Clinton/Arthur 40 38 41 1 Oparara/Ugly (Solid Energy and 20 34 32 12 Genesis Energy funding) Styx/Arahura (Solid Energy and 10 13 30 20 Genesis Energy funding) Total 206 302 308 102
6.3 WAIKAREITI BIODIVERSITY PROJECT Trapping networks remain on the mainland and islands at Waikareiti as bio-security and reinvasion mitigation measures. The Lake Waikareiti area of Te Urewera has some of the most Extensive rodent monitoring networks have been established on important biodiversity values within the region. The pristine lake; the islands to track rodent incursion (Figure 24). its islands; the surrounding forests; the wetlands and tarns; and the accessibility of these conservation assets to the Aniwaniwa The current state of rodent presence on the Waikareiti islands Visitor Centre, made the area one of the highest priorities for provides an ideal opportunity to learn more about rodent conservation management in DOC’s Central North Island Region behaviours and to perfect techniques relative to the environs (Figure 23). at Lake Waikareiti. The use of the toxin Brodifacoum was only agreed with stakeholders as a short term control tool and can no In 2011, Genesis Energy entered into a three year conservation longer be considered as a long term solution to manage potential sponsorship agreement with DOC to co-fund a biodiversity focused reinvasion of rodents locally. It is considered that reinvasion on the conservation management project at Waikareiti. This agreement islands is a real and ongoing threat that will happen intermittently. required DOC, in consultation with an Advisory Committee made The project team are looking at options to manage reinvasion up of DOC, Genesis Energy, Ngai Tuhoe representatives and events. A wide range of control tools, techniques and approaches independent scientific advice, to deliver project outcomes. Ngai are being considered. Tuhoe, with the technical guidance and support of DOC staff, undertook field delivery of the management programmes. Observations of biodiversity improvements at Waikareiti suggest The Vision is that: numbers of waterfowl have increased with greater abundance of scaup (black teal) on the lake. Clutch sizes of five to seven “The Waikareiti landscape is pest free and native species thrive ducklings have been observed. Five minute bird counts have also in abundance” been completed over a 4000 ha area of Waikareiti. Results show high native species richness in all ecosystems, with low numbers Key objectives include: of introduced birds. To enhance and maintain the ecological values and natural The project is currently in a state of transition to Ngai Tuhoe character of the Lake Waikareiti area through the use of management, which will see DOC staff merge and become one integrated pest management programmes; team with Ngai Tuhoe. Staff are looking forward to enhancing this To enhance and maintain the cultural values of the Waikareiti project through a Tuhoe/Te Urewera perspective and are excited area by restoring the mauri of the forests and other for the future. ecosystems and protecting the pristine waters of the lake; and To enhance and maintain opportunities for public understanding and enjoyment of the biodiversity and cultural values of Lake Waikareiti and its surrounds. // 15
With the Tuhoe-Te Urewera 2014 Act, Te Urewera is now managed by Tuhoe Te Uru Taumatua under the directives from the Te Urewera Board. At Aniwaniwa, the WTA now provide oversight of Te Urewera biodiversity management on behalf of Tuhoe.
Genesis Energy extended the original three year sponsorship of the Waikareiti Biodiversity Project for a further year in 2014, to cover the 2014/15 reporting period.
The focus for the project during the reporting period was on operating the pest control network and analysing data collected from two years of monitoring and trap servicing. Deer control and responding to the beech mast of 2014 have also been major priorities.
While control of rodents, stoats and deer on the Lake Waikareiti islands has achieved low pest density, the goal of zero pest density
is yet to be realised. However, significant gains in understanding REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL FIGURE 23 // A stunning aerial view of Waikareiti and Rahui Island, control requirements have been made, particularly during beech under heavy snow during July 2015 (Photo: Tuhoe Te Uru Taumatua). mast years when the forest produces huge quantities of fruit and
seed, allowing rodent numbers to surge. 27 28 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 part oftheTen-Year Strategic Plan with new advocacy, biosecurityandsurveillance measures, isakey some years to ensure eradication isachieved. Thispriority,along is still present atmanysites. Theprocess willneedto continue for to reduce the biomass oflagarosiphon to very low levels, thoughit regular dive visitsto known marked incursion sites, have continued the plantmaterial from known sites. Since thisinitialresponse, Suction dredging wasusedinJune2012to remove thebulkof specially appointed project manager. Plan to managetheincursion. Fieldoperations have beenled bya groups and GenesisEnergy hasdeveloped aTen-Year Strategic and AtmosphericResearch (NIWA), theHBRC,Fish&Game,user including DOC,Tangata Whenua,theNationalInstitute ofWater indigenous macrophyte bedsofthelake. Amulti-agencyresponse, lake area. Lagarosiphon could devastate theoutstanding, largely confirmed alarge number ofincursion sites withinthecentral Further delimitation surveys, including theuseofdive teams, Te RaoaBayonLake Waikaremoana duringroutine surveillance. contractor located lagarosiphon Waikaremoana Lagarosiphon Incursion of sixintheNorthIsland. pests atamore local level. TheHawkes BayPartner Group isone that playacritical role inhelpingto managethethreat ofaquatic regional partnergroups formally established byMPIBiosecurity possible atanationallevel. GenesisEnergy alsocontributes to pest managementremains ascoordinated andeffective as attended various meetingsandworkshops to helpensure aquatic Pest LongTerm ManagementSteering Committee andhas Genesis Energy isinvolved atanationallevel in theMPIAquatic organisations include: the effects ofthoseaquaticweeds thatare already present. These prevent thespread ofaquaticpests inthe NorthIslandandto limit Genesis Energy isworking withanumberoforganisations to help environments inwhichGenesisEnergy operates. impact onbothGenesisEnergy’s operations, andtheaquatic as hornwort andlagarosiphon, have thepotential to seriously with arange ofotheraquaticweed (macrophyte) speciessuch The invasive algae 6.4 AQUATIC WEEDS Fishing &BoatingClubs Whitewater New Zealand Hawkes BayRegionalCouncil(HBRC) Fish& Game Tangata Whenua DOC Ministry ofPrimaryIndustries (MPI)Biosecurity (map: Tuhoe Te UruTaumatua) FIGURE 24//MapofWaikareiti Pest Control Area
geminata Didymosphenia
major) (Lagarosiphon . InFebruary 2012,aDOC
(didymo),together
plantsat Strategic Plan. infest larger areas ofthelake. ThisisalsopartoftheTen-Year mean anysuchweeds can bedetected andmanagedbefore they remain contained. Regularsurveys withintheweed cordon will sourced from boatsand/ortrailers thatlaunchatHomeBaywill buoys guideboatsthrough theopening.Anyweed fragments There isalarge openingto allow boatpassage, andnavigation cordons atvarious locations ontheRotorua lakes inrecent years. by theBayofPlenty RegionalCouncil,whohave installed seven launching area from themainlake. Thecordon hasbeendesigned The weed cordon stretches across HomeBay,isolatingtheboat by heavychain,andpropped upatthesurface withfloatbuoys. weed cordon involves alarge sectionofshadecloth weighted down is theinstallation ofaweed cordon atHomeBay(Figure 25).The the riskoffurtheraquaticweed invasion into Lake Waikaremoana Home BayWeed Cordon Waikaretaheke River duringtherecreational release events. kayaking equipmentandclothing attheentryandexit pointsofthe this ispromoting theuseof‘Check,Clean, Dry’binsto clean continue to bethefocus ofdidymoactionslocally. Oneexample of in theNorthIsland,soon-goingpublicawareness campaigns far better andcost effective optionthanmanagementofdidymo to bekept outofNorthIslandwaterways. Prevention remains a This gives somehopethatthehighly invasive algaemaybeable years since itwasfirst detected inthesouthernSouthIsland. Didymo FIGURE 25//Thenew Weed Cordon atHomeBay,Aniwaniwa. Didymohasnotreached theNorthIslandineleven Oneofthetools beingdeployed to reduce OBJECTIVES KEY
07 29 ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT // 15 07 KEY OBJECTIVES
7.1 REVIEW OF KEY OBJECTIVES FOR 2014–2015
TABLE 12 // Review of key objectives for 2014-2015.
Outcome/Initiative and Objectives Action 2014 -15 How do we do? Waikaremoana Recreational Releases Assess trial of target attendance numbers Successfully completed. Record attendance at Continue the review as to the effectiveness of at releases (with WWNZ and HBCC) and April recreational release. Consent variation to how the recreational releases at Waikaremoana implement actions to ensure releases are confirm the process for recreational releases was are implemented. effectively utilised as necessary. lodged with HBRC.
Signage Signage management system to be The Geographic Information System (GIS) All signage is relevant and reflected in the reviewed and updated. was updated during the reporting period. This Signage Management System. provides a platform for the Signage Management System which will be updated in the 2015/16 year.
Downstream Eel Passage Work with NIWA and LWHRT to open by- Opened for 13 nights between 1 March and 31 Operate and monitor effective migrant eel pass pass when required during autumn and May 2015. A minimum of four tunaheke were in Lake Whakamarino. monitor eel use by completing effective recorded on video using by-pass. electronic surveillance system. Lake Waikaremoana Lagrosiphon Incursion Work with DOC, iwi, Fish & Game and Incursion response ongoing. Biomass down Support the initiative to eradicate Lagarosiphon other stakeholders to implement the 10 to low levels but lagarosiphon fragments still from Lake Waikaremoana and maintain the lake Year Lake Waikaremoana Lagarosiphon present during each dive session. ecology as pristine as possible. Incursion Strategic Plan.
Waiotukupuna Fish Trap Operate trap for 10 days in each of July and Successfully completed. Complete trout monitoring at Lake Waikaremoana. August 2014.
Environmental Management System Ensure consistency of the framework and Genesis Energy’s Environmental Management Integrate the Environmental Management alignment across the business. and Community Engagement Policy Statement System into the company’s new Business was approved by the Genesis Energy Board, and Management System. is now one of the overarching guiding documents for the new Business Management System. RCMS Reporting Work with IT to complete the development A project was planned to incorporate these Enhance RCMS reporting capabilities. of the RCMS reporting process. changes in the RCMS in the reporting period, but due to IT infrastructure upgrades and the possible re-development of our resource consent system this project had to be deferred. Community Investment at Waikaremoana Work with the local community to Genesis Energy is engaging with Te Uru Look at opportunities to support the investigate options of community support. Taumatua and Waikaremoana Tribal Authority to Waikaremoana Community. understand their aspirations and goals for the Waikaremoana area and if there are opportunities to work together for mutual benefit. // 15
WAIKAREMOANA 30 7.2 KEY OBJECTIVES FOR 2015 –2016
Key environmental objectives for the 2015-2016 year build on some of the initiatives and programmes that are underway.
TABLE 13 // Key objectives for 2015–2016
Outcome/Initiative Objective Action 2015 - 16 Waikaremoana Recreational Releases. Continue the review as to the effectiveness Consent variation confirmed by HBRC and of how the recreational releases at implemented with WWNZ and HBCC. Waikaremoana are implemented. Lake Waikaremoana Lagrosiphon Support the initiative to eradicate lagarosiphon Work with DOC, iwi, Fish & Game and other Incursion. from Lake Waikaremoana and maintain the stakeholders to implement the 10 Year Lake lake ecology as pristine as possible. Waikaremoana Lagarosiphon Incursion Strategic Plan.
Environmental Management System. Continue with integration of the Environmental Review Genesis Energy’s Environmental Standards Management System into the company’s new and integrate in the company’s Environmental Business Management System. Management System and Business Management System. Tuhoe Relationship. Continue to work with Te Uru Taumatua and Implement the Tuna Management Plan, including Waikaremoana Tribal Authority to look for summer elver and tunaheke management. opportunities to work together for mutual benefit.
Signage. All signage is relevant and reflected in the Signage Management System to be reviewed and Signage Management System. updated.
RCMS Reporting. Enhance RCMS reporting capabilities. Investigate RCMS transition and/or enhancements as part of wider Maximo upgrade.
Resource Consent Consolidation. Review all operational consents and combine Complete review and work with HBRC to confirm consents if appropriate. application process.
Federated Farmers Third Party Assess if the Piripaua minimum flow is Work with Federated Farmers and local farmers to Agreement. meeting its intended purpose as a stock review the minimum flow requirement. barrier and is appropriate. // 15
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL 31 32 WAIKAREMOANA // 15 and Sea. Rivers, Hawkes Bay. Unpublished Reportfor ECNZ.River, Lake Strickland, R.,1996–FishoftheWaikaretaheke andWairoa Energy. 17pp. Management Ltd,Christchurch. UnpublishedReportto Genesis Monitoring –2015Shore Inspection.Shore Processes and Single, M.,2015–Lake Waikaremoana Shoreline Landform Consultants, Rotorua. Prepared for GenesisEnergy. 26pp. Processes andManagementLtd,Christchurch andWildland Shoreline Hazard Management.Contract ReportNo. 2408bShore Single, M.,Shaw,W., Bycroft, C.,2010:Lake Waikaremoana Rotorua. UnpublishedReport to GenesisEnergy. 17pp. International Ltd,Christchurch andWildlandConsultants, Monitoring Objectives andMethodology. LandandWater Studies Single, M.;ShawW., 2005–Lake Waikaremoana Shore Energy. 13pp. International Ltd,Christchurch. Unpublished Reportto Genesis Morphology Monitoring Programme. LandandWater Studies Single, M.,2005–Assessment ofLake Waikaremoana Shore Prepared for theElectricity Corporation ofNew Zealand.116pp. Wildland Consultants Ltd,Rotorua. Contract ReportNo.151. Shaw, W.B., 1998–Lake Waikaremoana Shoreline Vegetation. Report to GenesisEnergy. Waikaretaheke River: FinalReport.NIWA, Hamilton. Unpublished flows onmacroinvertebrate community composition ofthe Scarsbrook M.,Bowman E.,2003–Effects ofchangesto minimum prepared for GenesisEnergy Power Ltd. Scheme: Brown Trout Monitoring Programme. Reportnumber5 Pitkethley R.;KusabsI.,2005–Waikaremoana Hydropower Eastern RegionFish &GameCouncil,Rotorua, 15pp. Winter 2014. Reportnumbertwo prepared for GenesisEnergy. Osborne, M.2014-Waiotukupuna Stream FishTrap Monitoring behalf ofElectricorp Production. Natusch, G.G.,1992–Power from Waikaremoana. Publishedon Energy, 19pp Solutions Ltd,Tauranga. UnpublishedReportto Genesis Assessment. ClientReportNo.GENE-TUR-003,Freshwater Montgomerie, R.,2014–Waikaretaheke River Ecology Energy Ltd. Waikaretaheke River. Reportnumberthree prepared for Genesis impact ofrecreational flow releases onthetrout populationinthe Kusabs, I.,2002–Waikaremoana Hydropower Scheme:The Unpublished Report.GenesisEnergy, Tokaanu, 29pp. - AnnualEnvironmental Report-1July 2013to 30June2014. Genesis Energy Limited, 2014:Waikaremoana Power Scheme Unpublished Report.GenesisEnergy, Tokaanu, 29pp. - AnnualEnvironmental Report-1July 2009to 30June2010. Genesis Energy Limited, 2010:Waikaremoana Power Scheme March 2013. 3pp. Electricity Authority,2013,ResidentialElectricity Costs Fact Sheet 2015-084, July 2015.NIWA Project HAM2015GPL15212.48pp. Scheme –Tuna Monitoring –2014-15.NIWA ClientReportHAM: Boubèe, J.,Bowman, E.,Waiwai, B.2015:Waikaremoana Power New Zealand.LandandWater Studies(International) Ltd.51pp. shoreline management.Reportto theElectricity Corporation of shoreline changeanddevelopment atLake Waikaremoana for Allan J.C.;Stephenson W.J.; Taylor A.;KirkR.M.1999:Monitoring 08 REFERENCES
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