Avian (Bird) Flu – Information from Horizons Regional Council
Kia ora everyone,
Waikawa Beach Environment Group has received the following information from Horizons Regional Council about H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) and wanted to share it with our community.
If you’re out enjoying Waikawa Beach, the river, or our dune areas:
• Keep your distance – Please don’t touch sick or dead birds or other wildlife, and keep dogs well away from them;
• Keep clean – Wash your hands and clean footwear or equipment after spending time outdoors;
• Know when to report – If you find three or more sick or freshly dead birds (or other wildlife) in the same area, with no obvious reason for their deaths, please report it to the MPI Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline: 0800 80 99 66.
If you can, include:
• The exact location (GPS if possible);
• Photos or video;
• Approximately how many birds are affected;
• The type of bird, if you know it.
Finding the occasional dead bird isn’t unusual and doesn’t necessarily indicate bird flu. The advice to report three or more birds together helps MPI identify unusual events that may need investigating.
This is the current advice from Horizons Regional Council and MPI. As the situation develops, recommendations may change. We’ll continue to share any important updates with our community as we receive them.
Thank you for helping look after our local wildlife and our special coastal environment.
Riparian planting Waikawa Stream is creating a healthier environment.
Over recent months, Waikawa Beach Environment Group (WBEG) has worked to deliver a significant riparian and wetland restoration project along the Waikawa Stream, with the support of Horizons Regional Council, Ngāti Wehi Wehi, local landowners Caroline and Te Roera, volunteers, whānau and local rangatahi.
What began with around 1,000 native plants lined up ready for planting in April quickly became a lesson in working with nature. Heavy rain, high stream flows and waterlogged paddocks forced several postponements, but the community spirit behind the project never faded.
Instead, the project adapted. Small pop-up planting sessions emerged between weather windows, with volunteers, Horizons Regional Council staff and Horowhenua College students each contributing to getting plants into the ground bit by bit. Behind the scenes, practical volunteers also stepped forward to assist with weed-eating, weed control and preparing planting areas to give the new plants the best possible start.
By May, momentum was building again. Community planting days brought together volunteers of all ages, each contributing in their own way – from planting native sedges, grasses and shrubs along the stream margins, to helping organise, support and encourage others.
In total, almost 4,000 native plants have now been established along the Waikawa Stream corridor and neighbouring wetlands, helping to strengthen stream banks, reduce erosion, improve water quality and create healthier habitat along the awa over time. While the plants are still small today, they represent a long-term investment in the environmental health of Waikawa Beach.
Just as importantly, the planting days strengthened community connections. There was a real sense of shared purpose throughout the project — neighbours working alongside one another, tamariki getting involved, conversations shared over spades and gumboots, and people contributing however they could.
The initial planting phase of the project is now complete, but the work does not end here. WBEG will continue to monitor the site and next season will once again invite the community to join us for maintenance activities to help ensure these young plants thrive and the restoration gains continue for years to come.
Every volunteer hour, every plant in the ground and every helping hand has contributed to a healthier future for our awa and our community.
Photo above kindly provided by Michele Walls.
These six key words describe our 'reason for being'. They are drawn from our values and form the basis for our foundational pillars. They are the fundamental attributes of our group and remind us every day of our commitment to the diversity of our environment and the unique community we are fortunate to live in. They form the basis of our key messages to all of our stakeholders, whether they be visitors, professionals, scholars, public servants or school children.