Te Taiao – our environment

The Te Ahu a Turanga Alliance is committed to ‘treading lightly’. Wherever possible, we aim to leave the landscape in a better state than before we began.

Enhancing waterways

Our design has 31 culverts and includes 29 habitat-creating stream diversions to mitigate for the loss of 13.2km of intermittent and permanent stream. To offset the effects of stream loss we are also planning extensive riparian enhancement and fencing of stream gully systems at four sites nearby. Riparian enhancement creates significant ecological benefits by improving stream habitat and water quality.

Ecological enhancement

Careful and considerate design has already reduced our potential impact on vegetation to 11.8ha, from an initial assessment of 30ha.In addition, we intend to replace the 11.8ha impacted with 45.6ha of new vegetation in some targeted locations, enhancing the existing flora population.

We are committed to ensuring that all new planted areas will be managed until they properly establish and will legally protect these areas in perpetuity. We have also committed to fencing 48.3ha of existing forest to ensure the exclusion of stock wandering from nearby farmland.

As our project design and construction methods are refined, we’ll be looking for every opportunity to further reduce potential effects.

For more on the mitigation and management of environmental issues see our consents page.

Consents

Planting plan

Below is a snapshot of some of the plant species we will be using on the project.

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