Save The River Trust: Let's get Foxton's stagnated awa flowing again

"Not too many in Foxton that can remember swimming in that water...it was our food basket," says Robin Hapi, chair of Sort.

Foxton's Save The River Trust (Sort*) wants to raise awareness of the state of the River Loop, created in the 1940 when Government works effectively cut the town of Foxton off the Manawatū River, and their efforts to get the river flow reinstated, with an exhibition in Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom from this week.

What remains of that stretch of the Manawatū River is a trickle of the former waterway that was an industrious highway bringing goods to town and taking local products to markets elsewhere.

The blue line follows the river loop, the brown line is the Manawatū River. The grey stripe is the Whirokino Cut and the white one is a proposed cut that might restore the flow into the loop.

The Harbour Board was disbanded in the 1950s as a result. The Whirokino Cut shortens the river's journey to the estuary, but also brings some of the stagnant water and weeds from the loop to the ocean.

Previous generations have swum or fished in the river, now there are signs warning against such activities. In places the river was 100m wide, now it is a tidal backflow full of weeds and bad bacteria. Recent funding from the Government has allowed a lot of sediment to be taken out of the loop, where the new park is behind Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, but it is already filling back up, according to Sort.

"The Government did this and has admitted long ago it was a mistake that needed correcting, but has since offered nothing but promises. We think land drainage was the motivation behind the cut," members of Sort said.

Sort members believe the degradation of the river loop will ultimately have an effect on the river estuary, which is home to many species of migratory birds and has been recognised as a unique wetland habitat by Unesco under the Ramsar convention. People from all over the world come to Foxton for the birdlife in the estuary.

This estuary is unique because it is one of very few that is accessible on foot. But it is under threat in a number of ways and not only from the water quality in the loop.

"Whenever Horizons open the Moutua floodgates, tonnes of crap – they lease the land there for grazing – like nitrogen and sediment, goes straight into the loop as well as the estuary."

When asked about this, John Roygard, Horizons Regional Council group manager catchment operations, said he believed any contaminants picked up through the spillway would be a very small proportion of what gets discharged into the Manawatū River and Foxton Loop.

"The Moutoa spillway is a critical component of Horizons' Lower Manawatū Scheme as it diverts floodwaters away from 30km of slow-moving, winding river channel, protecting people and property downstream of the gates. Since the gates' construction in the 1960s, the spillway has been farmed and, on average, the gates operate once every two years.

"When in operation, floodwaters through the spillway carry sediment, nitrogen and other contaminants from the wider catchment. Any contaminants picked up through the spillway would be a very small proportion of what gets discharged into the Manawatū River and Foxton Loop.

"Overall, the spillway is an important function of the region's climate resilience capability, however, the future of its land use is part of an active conversation for Council and changes may occur in the future," Rogard said.

The land between Foxton and Shannon was largely swamp land and not suitable for dairy, Sort said. "The Whirokino Cut also led to houses and a Māori cemetery being flooded. The social impact of these Government works was enormous."

Matakarapa was a peninsula and a thriving community. The cut made it an inaccessible island, which was quickly abandoned by its inhabitants.

In 1943 Foxton had 3240 residents, now there are 2500. The harbour and the river were crucial for the export of flax, that went to Australia and from there to the world.

Sort's main aim is getting the water flow in the loop restored. To that end they are applying for funding and enabling scientific research into the how of restoring this river flow. They will require a number of resource consents and consulting fees on those alone are estimated to be $250,000.

The Ramsar site at the mouth of the Manawatū River is internationally recognised as a sanctuary for migratory birds.

Foxton locals have been frustrated for decades by political unwillingness, especially in Wellington, to fix this wrong, which is an environmental disaster that has been allowed to go unchecked for 70 years.

"It will never be the way it was, but it can be much better," Sort members said. They can see many benefits of a restored water flow in the loop: from whitebaiting and fishing, to boating.

"The Levin Rowing Club now comes here and waka ama and secondary schools also want to come here with their crews. For the lower North Island, Foxton is becoming the go-to place for canoeists, waka ama, rowers, you name it."

In June 2019, Provincial Growth Fund official Di Grennell said a revitalised Foxton Loop was an issue close to the heart of Iwi and the wider Horowhenua community. "Restoring this waterway has potential to not only spark economic growth in the district but to help address a decades old situation that had had a lasting effect on the region," she said.

The exhibition will be in the foyer for six weeks and can be accessed in library hours.

• *Members of Sort include Robin Hapi, Peter Hammond, Trish Metcalfe, Sarah and Jim Harper.