Area sprayed with weedkilller in the Hillary Hope Native Forest Reserve – Image Harbourcare
Blanket helicopter weedkiller spraying has been carried out on a block in the Ed Hillary Hope Native Forest Reserve. Whaingaroa Harbourcare is concerned that using weedkiller in this way on this very steep area on the western side of the divi summit on SH 23 will cause more erosion. This would result in sediment flowing down into the Waitetuna River and then into Raglan Harbour.
The reserve was opened earlier this year on 23rd May. The 275 hectares of rough farmland straddling State Highway 23 between Hamilton and Raglan moved in 2013 from the Hope family estate to the NZ Native Forest Restoration Trust for just over $1m. It took the name Ed Hillary, the trust’s original patron, and entered the public domain as the Ed Hillary Hope Bush Reserve.
The Native Forest Restoration Trust donated $860,000 towards the project. The project is part of the Waikato Regional Council’s Halo Project, which involves active pest animal control at selected sites near Hamilton to support bird life such as tui and kereru. The WRC contributed about $500,000 of ratepayer money towards the cost of the land.
The Council has been quiet on the weedkiller incident and have not answered questions put to it, although the WRC Chair Paula Southgate said on Saturday 3rd, “The staff are looking at this. I will have a response to you within a week.”
Fiona Edwards of Whaingaroa Harbourcare has asked the WRC to clarify whether land clearance of this scale on highly erodible land with a gradient greater than 25 degrees requires a consent and if so has one been issued?
Harbourcare is concerned that erosion in the plantation zone will be accelerated – Image Harbourcare
Harbourcare say that they are concerned about the high probability that soil erosion will occur as a result of the spraying and that the sediment will be deposited into Whaingaroa Harbour. They are also concerned about the increased fire risk and the potential for landslides (similar to those occurring in the logged forestry area adjacent to this reserve).
Worker planting manuka species in plantation zone – Image Harbourcare
The zone sprayed with weedkiller has been leased by the Native Forest Restoration Trust to Comvita for use as a plantation growing manuka. In a NZ Farmer article published earlier this year, Comvita senior research manager Jonathan Stephens said, “A range of different manuka cultivars were being tested for growth rates, disease resistance, flowering ability and their dihydroxyacetone (DHA) level in nectar on each site around the country. DHA is the chemical that produced the unique manuka factor (UMF) in the honey.” He added, “UMF contained antioxidants and inflammatory enzymes”.
One of the manuka that have just been planted in the plantation zone of the Native Forest Reserve – Image Harbourcare
Sandy Crichton from Native Forest Restoration Trust said, “We have an arrangement with Comvita on this part of the reserve whereby the land is leased to Comvita for the purposes of manuka planting and subsequent honey production. The Native Forest Restoration Trust insisted that Comvita used locally sourced manuka seed, which is in fact low in UMF, and they accommodated. From the Trust’s point of view this is purely a conservation initiative. No revenue will be generated from the arrangement but this is estimated to be a $120 – 130,000 planting programme. Comvita are planting Waikato provenance plants on around 27ha of recently retired farmland. This is a new approach for the Trust but very much a part of the restoration process, the reserve has approximately 180ha of forest and approx 286ha of farmland well suited for restoration.”
“When complaints were raised around Comvita’s methods we immediately followed up. Comvita replied as follows: ‘This is very standard and permitted land preparation activity. The cost and effectiveness of any alternative does not stack up on this class of country with the weed spectrum, lack of access and ability to treat in a timely manner. We went through the same issues with Hawkes Bay Regional Council Manuka plantings between 2011 and 2013. With early concerns over the practice etc. on much steeper country. The results there speak volumes about the effectiveness of aerial application for crop vigour with no environmental ramifications.’ “
“While this type of manuka planting doesn’t look good now, it will ultimately be good for the reserve. As I’ve said this is very much a new approach for the Trust, designed to replant a large area quickly and give nature a kick start. It’ll certainly be interesting in years to come to see how this part of the reserve stacks up against the bulk of the reserve which will now be allowed to naturally regenerate and other parts of the reserve which will be planted by volunteers.”
Whaingaroa Harbourcare say that their preference would have been for a kanuka plantation to be planted from locally eco-sourced seed and for minimal spot spraying or nil spraying to be undertaken.
While the Native Forest Restoration Trust intends to protect the entire property with a QEII covenant in perpetuity, currently only 16ha of the property is protected by a Queen Elizabeth II covenant. That area is not close to the area that Comvita has planted. It is an area of established bush known as the Michael Hope Memorial Bush.
