Cyclone Gabrielle: Gravel extraction buffer zone in Tukituki catchment extended

The Upper Tukituki River in flood in July.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has extended the gravel extraction buffer zone in the Tukituki catchment, so farmers can use the gravel for critical cyclone-related farm repairs.

On July 1 this year Hawke’s Bay Regional Council issued a Controlled Area Notice for a section of both Tukituki and Waipawa rivers, which allowed farmers to extract gravel to address farm damage following Cyclone Gabrielle.

Regional council integrated catchment group manager Iain Maxwell said the council had assessed how the controlled area was working and was actively listening to feedback from the farming community.

“The farming community had expressed the controlled area in the catchment was not working for them. We went back and reviewed the access controls we had in place and where the extracted gravel was going. After this review, it was decided there was an acceptable level of risk associated with extending the area where the gravel can be used,” Maxwell said.

“I will emphasise that if an individual wants to take gravel from the catchment, they will still require a consent, as we need to understand where this gravel is going.”

The regional council has had gravel extraction restrictions in place for the Tukituki and Waipawa rivers due to the likelihood it may contain seed from Chilean needle grass. This pest plant is fast-spreading and can harm stock animals and people. Combined with the costs and difficulty of control, Chilean needle grass can have a severe impact on the environment and the economy.

To protect areas where Chilean needle grass has not yet been established, there has been a 500-metre buffer zone around the rivers. This zone meant that people with properties touching the zone could extract and move gravel to their property.

This buffer zone will now be extended to include a larger area. Properties nearby will be able to source gravel to repair critical infrastructure. The new controlled area notice came into effect on Friday September 1 and goes until the end of March 2024.

Applications to remove gravel from the controlled area can be made at https://www.hbrc.govt.nz/environment/pest-control/biosecurity/tukituki-river-controlled-area-notice/.