Ecological Revival Pohara Marae Development Strategy
Yamen Jawish
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Ko Maungatautari te Maunga, Ko Tainui te Waka, Ko Waikato te Awa, Ko Raukawa te Iwi, Ko Pohara te Marae, Ko Ngati Koroki Kahukura te Hapu
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Contents Client 4 Project Outline & Vision 5 Context 6 Landscape Character 7 Wider Landscape Connection 8 Project One Strategy 9 Analysis 10-11 Landform 12 Aspect 13 Land Use Capabilities 14 Land Cover 15 Hydrology 16 Cultural Connections 17 Development Strategy 18-19 Case Studies 20-21 Strategy 22 Design Principle 23 Master Plan 24 Circulation Plan 25 Planting Plan 26 Planting Structure 27 Model 28-29 Sections 30-31 References 32
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Client Ngati Koroki Kahukura/ Pohara Marae The ambition of Ngati Koroki Kahukura and in specific Pohara Marae as client urge this project. This is where they protect and sustain for future generations. They value the idea of sustaining and evolving the river system so that they can regain what their ancestors previously enjoyed. In order to comprehend our client’s need, the strategy will implement the development of the nearby stream in order to restore the missing links with their ancestors. By achieving this proposal, Ngati Koroki Kahukura will reunite and honour the ones before them and rekindle their spiritual essence.
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Project Outline & Vision The area is situated near Mount Maungatautari in the southern part of the Waikato region. the aim of this assesment is to design an ecological and cultural restoration of the sacred puna at Pohara Marae, and the stream that connects the puna to the tupuna awa. The development project will also implement economic and cultural strategies that will enhance and manage the significant landscape towards mana whenua. In order for this development to progress, certain cultural, economic and ecological values must be taken into consideration. The unity of these factors will establish the foundations for a rational design strategy.
Knowing that Ngati Koroki Kahukura’s ancestral land is essential to their physical, spiritual, social and economic well-being. The vision is to produce an ecologically resilient and culturally reactive strategy that is reliable with Ngati Koroki Kahukura’s idea of restoring,protecting and enhancing its connection to the land, river and streams. This can be achieved through the implementation of ecological and economical strategies to revitalize and reconnect the people to their ancestral land.
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Context
The Waikato is the fourth largest region in New Zealand. It stretches from the Bombay Hills and Port Waikato in the north down to the Kaimai Ranges and Mt Ruapehu in the south, and from Mokau on the west coast across to the Coromandel Peninsula in the east. The region has around 30% of New Zealand’s wetlands and many more wetlands that have been drained to produce farmland. The region also consists of valleys and coastal lands separated by ranges. The Hakarimata and Taupiri ranges produce a boundary among the middle and lower reaches of the Waikato River. Pohara Marae is situated 30 minutes away from the bustling Hamilton city and 5km away from Mount Maungatautari. The Waikato River can be found in the eastern side of Pohara Marae where they used to gather delicacies such as eels.
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Landscape Character
Pohara Marae resides within a landscape that consits of rolling hills, steep ridges and flat agricultural farmlands and dairy pasture. The vegetation located around the marae comprises of a mixture of native and exotic forests that provide a crucial habitable environment for both native and introduced species. The unique rock ridges located behind the Marae serve as a natural buffer encapsulating the togetherness of the people. The ridges resonate cultural connections that the people have with their surrounding landscape
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Wider landscape Connection
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Pohara Marae resides within a landscape that is submerged with an extensive amount of natural and cultural aspects. Maori presence within this landcape dates back to eariler times, amplifying the spiritual connection with past ancestors. Fragments of early Maori settlement are clearly visable by the presence of Pa sites and Kumera Pits located around Pohara Marae. The hapu affiliate themselves with their maunga Mount Maungatautari and their awa Waikato River. These dominant aspects within the landscape resemble a deep connection with the hapu and their ancestors.
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Project One Strategy The zoning map from Project One fixates on possible economic and ecological strategies that can be implemented to restore the essence and spiritual connection the people of Ngati Koroki Kahukura have with their landscape. Through the analysis our group we have determined that farm, cropland and dairy farming would be most suitable for an economic gain within the area. The land surrounding the marae is highly arable and recieves a sufficient amount of northern sun, therefore these areas would be best suited for crop farming. The areas steep slopes prevent any possible activities as the soil is heavily eroded and the implementation of farming projects would be too difficult to maintain. Our strategy has aimed to revegetate native plants as these tie back to the Mana whenua. The land which is closest to the Waikato River will be revegetated in an attempt to reduce pollutants and contaminants sourcing from nearby farms and industrial areas. The implementation of this revegetation strategy will stabilize the river banks and increasing the overall health of the land. Our group proposed to introduce bee colonies to the area around Pohara Marae. The bees would help restore the essence of the Waikato region by improving the surrounding ecology resulting in an increase in biodiversity within the region.
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Analysis
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Landform This map explores the landform of the surrounding landscape, highlighting areas that would be suitable or unsuitable for future development. Areas that were less than 10째 were considered suitable for development. Areas above 10째 were regarded as unsuiatble for development and pedestrian movement, therefore these areas were revegetated to help strengten and maintain the integreity of the soil. This establishes that the terrian is realitivly flat around the Marae with steep ridges that form the backdrop.
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Aspect This map evaluates the aspect of the surrouding area catogorizing it into North/East and South/West. This identifies key areas within the vicinity of Pohara marae that would be best suitible for Papakainga development efficiently utilizing solar gains.
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Land Use Capability The land use capability map evaluates soil conditions, identifies certain limitations and areas which are prone to erosion. Each colour class displays the areas located on site which would best suited for farming and cropping, ranging from Highly Arable to Non Arable.
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Land Cover The surrounding landscape at Pohara Marae consists of a diverse range of vegetation from exotic and indigenous forests to shleterbelts and riperian planting creating a unique ecosystem for birds and insects. The implementation of riperian planting accross the length of the stream would establish a natural buffer preventing contaminants and grazing animals from entering the stream. It also improves the overall health of the stream and provides habitable opportunities for insects and birds to establish themselves within new environment.
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Hydrology Pohara Marae is surrounded by a dense network of water ways fed by the Waikato River and is part of the Waitete Catchment. This map analyzes flow patterns and the accumulation of surface runoff located on site. The extent of flow paths range from very low to high. This allows for the identification of key areas that require extensive riperian intervention to maintain the banks and prevent agricultural contaminants from entering the stream. This produces opportunities and constraints for future development. Areas with high levels of water accumulation would be unsuitable for development on account of high flooding risks.
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Cultural Connections This map displays sites that have strong cultural ties with the people of Ngati Koroki Kahukura located within the region. These sites include historic Pa sites where their ancestors once occupied the land, using the landscape and topography to their benefit. The people dug pits in the ground to store and preserve food such as kumera during warm seasons.
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Development Strategy
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Case Studies Twin Stream Project Twin Streams concentrates on producing sustainable management strategies for the Henderson Creek and Huruhuru Creek catchments. The project aims to restore the degrading banks along the stream create ecological corridors. The restoration process focuses on 56km of urban streams located within the region involving the local community, council employees and contractors.
Environmental Objectives :
Cultural Objectives
• To minimise flooding and reduce pollution and siltation within streams and the nearby harbour.
• Foster expression of iwi and diverse cultural world views through creative methods such as storytelling, art, music and literature.
• Recreate and restore ecological corridors, extending the Green Network. • Create lower impact design strategies for current and future projects within urban environments. • Encourage new sustainable technologies in households, business and the public sector. • Contribute to mitigation of climate change and endorsing the Kyoto protocol.
• Ensure inclusiveness of and learning from different cultural and world views. • Recognise, respect and profile the heritage of local areas. • Promote creative ways for learning and as a key agent of change. • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of using arts and culture to increase the understanding and uptake of local communities and iwi.
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Cove Creek The Cove Creek restoration project is located in the small community of Cove Creek in Watauga County, USA. The aim of the project was to demonstrate design techniques to restore a degraded mountain stream. The objectives were to reduce erosion by restoring the stream to a natural balance, and to improve the aquatic and streamside habitats. The stream restoration included the construction of a 3-5 m floodplain bench on the left bank and the introduction of riparian vegetation along the banks. The banks were planted with a mix of native wetland plants, grasses, low growing shrubs, and trees that can survive periodic floods. Boulder and logs were installed to provide grade control, prevent future erosion and improve aquatic habitat.
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Strategy Health and Ecological Restoration. The restoration of the stream and ecology signifies a spiritual reconnection between the people of Ngati Koroki Kahukura and their surrounding landscape, improving the overall wellbeing of the poeple and the land. The Maori principle of kaitiakitanga is essential to the progressive development of the community and its surrounding. Sustainability and Economy. Are achieved by the presence of a reliable source of income from crops, communal gardens, orchards, bee farms and dairy farming. The stream also provides a natural source of fresh water for the community. These applications promote a unique bond between the people and their land. A productive outcome will arise if the land is cared and nurtured for.
Sustainability
Ecological Restoration
Pohara Marae
For a riparian strip to become self-sustainable, certain considerations must be acknowledged. The strip must be of adequate size in order to attract indigenous birds and insects, and wide enough for the understorey to be protected from the climate changes. Wider riparian buffers are less likely to suffer from wide scale weed infestation therefore reducing the likelihood of a failed riparian system. The greater buffer width should reduce the need for maintenance, and enhance the succession of indigenous vegetation, maximising the probability that the buffer strip will support self-sustaining indigenous vegetation with virtually no maintenance required.
Health
Economy 22
Design Principles • A good understanding of vegetation and weed ecology. Some weeds may halt the natural development and cause severe risks to the sustainability of riparian buffers. • Introduce plants in areas such as hills and near streams to reduce surface run-off. • Manage livestock more efficiently by fencing off streams and waterways to reduce direct water contamination. • The establishment of a closed canopy from an early stage is crucial in minimizing the risk of weed invasion. • Weed and pest control will be critical prior to the establishment of plantings. • Specific plants will need to be carefully selected to suit the landform and soil. Species that would naturally occur in particular sites must be taken into consideration. • Fast growing indigenous species should be planted to quickly form a canopy which prevents invasive species from receiving sufficient sunlight in order to suvive.
Food Gardens & Permaculture Permaculture is a design structure that aims at producing sustainable human environments. Permaculture illustrates the use of ecology as the foundation for designing unified systems of food production, housing, technology, and community development. The philosophy behind permaculture originates from the ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways. This resemble the Maori principle of kaitiakitanga which refers to guardianship and protection of the environment. The presence of a vegetable garden as part of whānau homes and papakāinga is important for economic, health and cultural reasons.
• Monitoring and follow-up maintenance will always be a key issue with the establishment of riparian buffers. • Avoid overusing natural water sources during dry seasons. • Careful planning of urban growth and subdivisions must be carefully planned to minimize adverse effects on neighbouring waterways.
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Master Plan Through the comprehensive analysis of the site and the combination of maps, a logical layout of the site of was achievable. Crop and farm land were arranged in areas where the soil is highly arable and recieves a sufficient amount of sunlight. This increases production for the communities personal use and the export of produced crops. The implementation of bee colonies to the design acts as both a source of income and can be used for medicinal purposes for the people. Through the analysis of the landscape, the logic behind the specified location for the bee hives is due to the fact that, • The rock ridges act as a natural barrier against harsh prevailing winds. • The area receives a good amount of northerly sunlight, therefore bees can begin to forage for nectar early in the day.
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• It is located near a natural water source. Bees require water to dilute honey that is too thick and to cool the hive during hot weather.
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• A good distance away from pedestrian traffic. This is a critical aspect that must be considered as constant foot traffic might disturb the bees and activate their defensive instincts.
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• The position of the hive provides ease of accessible once it is time to harvest honey. This also allows for the inspections and care that the hives might require. • Bee hives require good ventilation inorder to properly perform therefore they mustn’t be placed in gullies where the air is still and damp.
Bees favour certain plants over others. Therefore the introduction of these plants will increase biodiversity and provide habitable spaces for insects and birds. These plants include: • Manuka • Kanuka • Cabbage Tree • Flax • Lemonwood
Scale 1:4000
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Circulation Plan The layout and positioning of the pathways and boardwalks are influenced by the marae being at the centre of the community. The pathways diverge and spread across the landscape making each critical area accessible eventually linking to the surrounding roads. Pathways throughout the site can facilitate both pedestrians and cyclists in certain areas. This combination allows the people to shift from different means of transportation to fit their needs. Platforms along the stream allows the people to access the puna and stream. The roads within the centre of the community are designed to collect stormwater by utilizing swales that run adjacent to them. The surface run off is collected and transferred to raingardens where phytoremediation plants filter heavy metals and contaminants.
Legend Boardwalk/Pathway Road
Scale 1:4000
Scale 1:4000
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Planting Plan Revegetation along the steep slopes helps maintain the stability of the ridges and prevents soil erosion. Riparian buffers aid in stabilizing channels, filtering sediment and nutrients, purifying water of bacteria and pathogens before entering water ways. It can also create ecological linkages for indigenous plants and animals. The natural vegetaion provides a habitat for insect and aquatic species to expand and thrive. The increase in biodiversity will draw bird species to the area searching for food. This cycle administers a reconnection between the people, land and its inhabitants. Preventing livestock from grazing is essential in maintaining a self-sustaining riparian margin. Heavy trampling caused by livestock will interrupt regeneration therefore fencing along riparian planting must be implemented. Logs placed within streams can retain sediment, provide habitable spaces and cover for fish. It also acts as a buffer, reducing the speed of water minimizing the possibilities of soil erosion. The implementations of rain gardens throughout the communal area and carpark reduces surface run off from impervious surfaces and filters heavy metals and contaminants reducing the effects caused by human interventions within the land.
Scale 1:4000
Scale 1:4000
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Planting Structure Proposed Plants for Revegetation
Riparian Planting Zone 1 Zone 3
Zone 2
•Flax (phormium tenax) •Karamu (Coprosma robusta) •Mikimiki (Coprosma linariifolia) •Pukio (Carex secta) •Purei (Carex dissita) •Toetoe (Cortaderia splendens) •Oioi (Apodasmia similis)
Zone 1
Zone 2 •Five Finger (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) •Pokaka (Elaeocarpus hookerianus) •Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) •Mapou (Myrsine australis) •Mingimingi (Coprosma propinqua) Zone 3 •Cabbage Tree (Cordyline australis) •Whauwhaupaku (Pseudopanax arboreus) • Horoeka (Pseudopanax crassifolius) • Nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida) • Mountain Flax (Phormium cookianum)
Farming Crops:
Communal Garden:
Orchards:
• Corn • Kumara • Asparagus
• Cabbage • Carrots • Onions • Peas • Lettuce • Tomatoes
• Apples • Strawberries • Pears
Plant in the open (Years 1-3) • Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) • Fivefinger (Pseudopanax arboreus) • Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) • Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) • Kaikomako (Pennantia corymbosa) • Lemonwood (Pittosporum eugenioides) • Pokaka (Elaeocarpus hookerianus) • Ribbonwood (Plagianthus regius) • Rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) • Makomako (Aristotelia serrata) Plant in sheltered areas or among existing plants (Years 3-10) • Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) • Mangeao (Litsea calicaris) • Porokaiwhiri (Hedycarya arborea) • Silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) • Pukatea (Laurelia novaezelandiae) • Rewarewa (Knightia excels) • Wheki (Dicksonia squarrosa) Plant in existing bush areas or under dense canopy (Years 10 +) • Raukatauri (Asplenium flaccidum) • Panako (Blechnum filiforme) • Kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile) • Nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida) • Tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa)
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Model
Eastern View 28
Northern View
Western View
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B Welcoming Area
Pedestrian movement
Pohara Marae
Vehicular movement
Papakainga
Pedestrian movement
Riperian Planting
Riperian Planting
ROCK RIDGES
Revegetation along cliffs
Sections
A A Scale 1:1500
Scale 1:500
B
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c C
Scale 1:400
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Pedestrian movement
Riperian Planting
Stream
Riperian Planting
Pedestrian movement
Pine Nut Tree
References Auckland council. (n.d.). Riparian Facts. Retrieved from http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/environmentwaste/coastalmarine/Documents/streamsideplantingguide.pdf Federated Farmers. (2010, October). Smart Farming For Healthy Bees. Retrieved from http://www.treesforbeesnz.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/60149/New-N2-Waikato-BOP.pdf Lloyd, L. N. (n.d.). Trees for Bees NZ. Retrieved from http://www.treesforbeesnz.org/home Morgan, J. (Director). (2012). How to harvest and process bee pollen for consumption and sale at farmers markets. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGfSfsAbiJM Palmer,J. (2015, Nov 16).‘Apples and pears’, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Retrieved from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/apples-and-pears Parkyn, S.; Shaw, W.; Eades, P. (2000). Review of information on riparian buffer widths necessary to support sustainable vegetation and meet aquatic functions. Prepared by NIWA for Auckland Regional Council. Auckland Regional Council Technical Publication Number 350, 38 pages Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia. Kathryn J. Hatcher, editor, Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Rosenfeld, J., Hogan, D., Palm, D., Lundquist, H., Nilsson, C., & Beechie, T. J. (2010). Contrasting Landscape Influences on Sediment Supply and Stream Restoration Priorities in Northern Fennoscandia (Sweden and Finland) and Coastal British Columbia.Environmental Management, 47(1), 28-39. doi:10.1007/s00267-010-9585-0 Significant Sites. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.waikatoriver.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/26-Significant-Sites.pdf Smith, B. (2010, July 1). Stream restoration for aquatic invertebrates | NIWA. Retrieved from https://www.niwa.co.nz/freshwater-and-estuaries/research-projects/stream-restoration-for-aquatic-invertebrates Waikato Regional Council. (n.d.). Waikato Regional Council’s Strategic direction. Retrieved from http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/PageFiles/19184/Strategic%20direction%202013%20to%20 16.pdf Waikato Regional Council. (n.d.). Biodiversity publications. Retrieved from http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Services/Publications/Biodiversity/ Waikato Regional Council. (2005, October). What to plant in Maungatautari ecological district. Retrieved from http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Environment/Natural-resources/Biodiversity/Planting-guides/ What-to-plant-in-Maungatautari-ecological-district/ Wassilieff,M . (2012, July 13) ‘Gardens - Māori gardens’, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Retrieved from http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/gardens/page-1 Images Fulton County Conservation District. (2010). [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://fultoncountyconservationdistrict.org/map/big-cove-creek-stream-restoration-project-keaton-property Hamilton & Waikato. (n.d.). Rural Living [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.hamiltonwaikato.com/experiences/rural-living/ Visitacion, J. R. (2015). [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.waplag.net/z/55594/173298904--/55559/ All maps produced by Yamen Jawish
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