The McIntyre Wetland.
High‑country landowners on the Rakaia River have retired wetlands and streams from farming to help safeguard a vital salmon spawning area.
In a statement, Fish and Game, which led the restoration project, said Chinook salmon numbers were at historic lows on the Mid‑Canterbury river.
A project to restore the Glenariffe Stream in the upper Rakaia catchment will now help protect more than 380ha of high‑country streams and wetlands – six times the project’s original target.
The Glenariffe Stream contributes about 18% of the wild Chinook salmon that return to spawn in the Rakaia River, but its east branch had been diverted for 70 years to drain farmland.
As part of the project, the east branch has now been returned to its original course, restoring 44ha of wetland habitat and protecting an important spawning site.
The site has been named the McIntyre Wetland, in recognition of a $550,000 bequest from the late James McIntyre, dedicated to restoring sea-run salmon in the Waimakariri River and the Rakaia River.
Minister for Hunting and Fishing James Meager officially opened the site on Wednesday.
“Restoring habitats like the McIntyre Wetland is a crucial step in securing the future of our wild salmon,” Meager said.
“This project demonstrates what can be achieved when communities, landowners and government work together for conservation.”
North Canterbury Fish and Game project manager Steve Terry, who has led the restoration effort from the outset, said in the statement that protecting spawning habitat was one of the few levers available to help the fishery recover.
“Salmon numbers are at historic lows, not just in Canterbury but across New Zealand’s East Coast rivers, with unfavourable, warmer ocean conditions among the key drivers of decline,” he said.
“We can’t control the ocean and we can’t control the climate – but we can make sure that when salmon do return to the Rakaia to spawn, their offspring have the best possible habitat waiting for them.”
Terry said the Glenariffe Stream was one of the river’s most significant spawning tributaries.
“For 70 years, it simply wasn’t functioning as it should,” he said.
“Getting it back to its natural course is a major step forward for the fishery.”
The three-year project was made possible by $784,000 from the Ministry for the Environment’s Freshwater Improvement Fund.
Partnerships with four high-country stations were key – Glenariffe, Double Hill, Mt Algidus and Redcliffes.
Environment Canterbury, the Cawthron Institute, Manawa Energy, Rakaia River Fishing Promotions and the QEII Trust also supported the project.
Fish and Game New Zealand chief operating officer Richie Cosgrove said projects like this were more important than ever, with the decline in salmon numbers.
“Protecting and restoring spawning habitats gives the salmon fishery the help it really needs.
“The scale of what’s been achieved here, 380 hectares secured against an original target of 60, is a testament to Steve Terry’s persistence and the willingness of high-country landowners to be partners in conservation.”
Beyond Glenariffe, the project has secured significant habitat protection across the catchment:
The McIntyre Wetland will now be managed for long-term restoration, with ongoing planting, riparian management and ecological monitoring planned in the years ahead.