POHARA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
RORY GRAY
CONTENTS Site Analysis -Context -Cultural Connections -Landscape Character -Landform -Land Cover -Land use Capabilities -Hydrology
4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Strategy -Blue and Green Corridors -Land Use
14 16 17
Design Proposal -Masterplan -Perspectives -Circulation Plan -Land Use Plan -Sectional Elevations
18 20 21 22 23 24
References
26
SITE ANALYSIS
CONTEXT The Waikato region is the fourth largest regional economy in New Zealand attributed to its rich land resources and ease of access to a substantial water supply. Majority of the businesses specialise in agriculture and its related trades. Due to the intensification of agriculture the region is continually facing challenges relating to the availability and quality of natural and physical resources. Pohara Marae is situated in the heart of the Waikato region between the two unique native ecosystems, Maungatautari and the Waikato River. They are the only significant native ecosystems in the area which lack connection ecologically.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
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Pohara Pā
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Pohara is an extremely culturally rich landscape with a very strong sense of belonging for the local hapu. Much of the area is evidence to this with the land littered with significant sites of interest to the Maori people. There are four ex pa sites that overlook the current location of the marae grounds from the top of the volcanic cliffs. Slightly more abstract, but no less important is the Waikato River and Maungatautari, which hold great ! ( PatoSites significance Pohara and it’s people. The Waikato River historical has been Pa Sites the source of much of the areas wealth in culture, from transport Waikato River and trade all the way through to the narrative it told and portrayed. Much more recently it Maungatautari Mountain is used, as an asset economically for is Pa Sites ! ( and water the energy it creates.
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Pa Sites Waikato River
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Maungatautari Mountain
LANDSCAPE CHARACTER The Waikato landscape takes a very unique, but diverse shape. A sea of undulating, grassy, farmed fields stretched across much of the landscape with pockets of exotic and native planting used shelterbelts or inhabiting unusable terrain. Although heavily modified from agriculture the land also shows a strong natural story of being shaped from volcanic eruptions, erosion and sediment build up over millions of years.
LANDFORM
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Pa Sites
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One of the key areas of our focus was 0 - 10 around the slope of the land. With the - 20 undulating 11 features of the region the slope of the land varies substantially 21 - 90 which has taken its toll through farming and its attitude towards its fertile soils
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Pohara PÄ
Erosion in the area is very significant with much of the landscape encountering erosion from the impact of heavy cattle on steep unstable ground and collapsing stream banks to the water runoff from grassland washing away soil nutrients. These processes are not only taking the usability of the land for production but also the health of the wider ecosystems.
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Pa Sites
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0 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 90
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Pohara PÄ
LAND COVER The Waikato area is by majority a production landscape, whether it is dairy farming, cropland or production planting such as harvested forests, orchards or shelterbelts. These landscapes create very unique and specific ecosystems, which do not cater for many of our native species.
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Pohara PÄ
The need to use every last piece of land Legend has restricted the native land cover to very small section in where access is <all other values> near impossible.
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Native Tree and Vegetation Exotic Tree and Vegetation Legend
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Production Exotic Vegetation <all other values> Production Grassland
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Built-up Area (settlement); Lake or Pond; Riv Native Tree and Vegetation Exotic Tree and Vegetation Production Exotic Vegetation Production Grassland
Built-up Area (settlement); Lake or Pond; River
LAND USE CAPABILITIES Land use capabilities shows the most suitable land for cropping in terms of Legend fertility and ability. <all other values>
The fertile land being highly sort after LUC for econical reasons is very valuable for Cropping1 and Production vegetation. The less arable land around the cliff faces 2 is inacessable and has a significantly 3 less value to the owner.
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Pohara PÄ
LUC
5 <all other values> 6 1 2 3 4
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Pohara PÄ
1. Virtually no limitations for arable use and suitable for cultivated crops, pasture or forestry 2. Slight limitations for arable use and suitable for cultivated crops, pasture or forestry 3. Moderate limitations for arable use, but suitable for cultivated crops, pasture or forestry 4. Moderate limitations for arable use, but suitable for occasional cropping, pasture or forestry 5. High producing land unsuitable for arable use, but only slight limitations for pastoral or forestry use 6. Non-arable land with moderate limitations for use under perennial vegetation such as pasture or forest 7. Non-arable land with severe limitations to use under perennial vegetation such as pasture or forest 8. Very severe to extreme limitations or hazards that make it unsuitable for cropping, pasture or forestry
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7 8 lake rive town
6 7 8 lake rive town
HYDROLOGY The catchment of Pohara is very small with only the cliffs above being the top. The stream systems on the site are relatively small, however they are responsible for much of the erosion of the landscape. Starting out as a trickle they are slowly washing away the fertile soils that are essential for the production of crops or the dairy industry.
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Carrying the toxic Dairy waste with them, they eventually run down into the Waikato River. This is a major factor in the pollution and sediment build-up of the river.
Pohara Catchment
STRATERGY
NATIVE CORRIDORS The neighbouring Maungatautari and Waikato River are two of the very few remaining Native ecosystems that remain in the area. With Pohara siting between the two it offers a great opportunity to support these ecosystem and also allow them to integrate and create a new unique ecosystem in itself. Green corridors will connect Maungatautari to the outside world allowing the Ecological reserve the benefit the wider area in repopulating native species through to other substantial Native Forest patches. riparian planting and shelterbelt understorey planting the fragmented land starts to reconnect providing safe migration corridors for wildlife Creating Blue/Riperian networks through the addition of green corridors will not only help support travel for flora and fauna, but protect their habitats and assist in mitigating and cleaning the water of contaminants before it enters the riverine system.
LAND USE There is a real lack of sustainability in the current use of the land, which stems from the economic efficiency in pushing landscape to their limits. A lack of stability diversity and land use intensification is slowly deteriorating the health of the land. A key move is to add diversity to the landscape. Production trees, such as fruit or nut, on medium level slope not only protects against the erosion from cattle but also creates diversity in the landscape and again reducing water and sediment runoff from important areas. Native forest like planting also adds the ability to provide the local Iwi with a Natural, cultural resource. Manuka and Harakeke is an important resource culturally for the Maori people for construction and weaving. It also provides habitats and ecosystems for native wildlife and vegetation. Buffer zones such as Riparian Planting on the edge of stream systems would combat water pollution from sediment build-up and cattle contamination through natural process that reduces the impact farming would have on the landscape.
Through these diversifying methods we are able to improve the stability of the land including erosion and while protecting the economical benefits of the production landscapes.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
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MASTER PLAN
PERSPECTIVES
CIRCULATION PLAN The circulation of the site is very important in accessibility to the community but also the connections to the greater landscape and cultural Site dotted around the area. Connecting the Papakainga housing on site offers the chance to create unique small shared spaces and allow the natural environment in to the area. Small grass areas will allow informal gathering areas and shared â&#x20AC;&#x153;Backyardsâ&#x20AC;?.
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The gravel pathways to the wider cultural sites of significant will not only allow the Hapu and visitors to the site interact with these historical areas but also connect emotionally and physical with the narrative and story of the landscape and people.
LAND-USE PLAN Applying a land-use strategy plan for Pohara is very important step towards a sustainable landscape. Through restricting many processes that are taking place at the moment we are able to implement Natural process to control and rejuvenate the landscapes resources.
Pa Protective Native Planting
Slope Protection Native Planting Fruit or Nut Production Planting Riperina Planting
Native Planting Manuka Resourse Planting
Revegetated Wetland Manuka ResourcePlanting Extended Pine Nut Trees
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Existing Pine Nut Trees
The restriction of agriculture to flat less erosion prone land is key to the sustainability of the site. A slower water runoff allow more water retention but also the ability to work the land in terms of cropping. Production Planting such as Fruit trees or other resource gives the hapu an alternate option and diversity in an economical sense. A less worked landscape also takes the stress and strain from very over worked conditions. The reinforcing of native vegetation to the inaccessible sites is key to enhancing a unique and a culturally important site. Through the planting of native forest species, which mirrors Maungatautari, we are able to create significant green corridors encouraging a multitude of ecosystems to thrive and add diversity to a productive landscape. Repairing the waterways and flow path of the catchment is essential to reduce much of the sediment loss and stream pollution, which is evident in the area. Enforcing a Riparian buffer of 15m will allow the sediment to be filtered from the runoff and add stability to the stream banks.
SECTIONS
REFERENCES Wetland Restoration Guide. Bay of Plenty Wetlands Forum, 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <https://www.boprc.govt. nz/>. How Green Is Your Grass? Five Steps to Better Pasture and Grazing Management. Premier1supplies, 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://www.premier1supplies.com/>. Anderson, E. N. Caring for Place Ecology, Ideology, and Emotion in Traditional Landscape Management. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast, 2014. Print. Cook, Thomas W., and Ann Marie VanDerZanden. Sustainable Landscape Management: Design, Construction, and Maintenance. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2011. Print. Liu, Jianguo. Integrating Landscape Ecology into Natural Resource Management. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. Parkyn, Stephanie, and Rob Davies-Colley. Riparian Management: How Well Are We Doing? Niwa, 2003. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. <https://www.niwa.co.nz/>. Peart, Raewyn. The Community Guide to Landscape Protection under the Resource Management Act 1991. Auckland, N.Z.: Environmental Defence Society, 2005. Print. Peart, Raewyn. A Place to Stand : The Protection of New Zealand’s Natural and Cultural Landscapes. Auckland: Environmental Defence Society (N.Z.), 2004. Print. Meurk, C,D and Hall,G M, J (2006). Options for enhancing forest biodiversity across New Zealand’s managed landscapes based on ecosystems modelling and spatial design. New Zealalnd Journal of Ecology retrieved from http://newzealalndecology.org/nzje/2297 Price, R. (2008). New Zealand’s remaining indigenous cover: recent changes and biodiversity protection needs