Historical 1889 rabbit weir removed from Ākitio River to improve fish access

A rabbit weir built over a century ago has been removed from the Ākitio River, with parts to be preserved by local communities and a museum.

Horizons Regional Council freshwater co-ordinator for the fish passage, Courtney Bond, said a large section of the Ākitio rabbit weir, located along the river near Waione, was removed in early April to open up more habitat for native fish.

“The weir [a low-head dam] was built in 1889 as part of the Southern Hawke’s Bay Rabbit Fence in an attempt to halt the northward migration of rabbits," Bond said.

The Ākitio River rabbit weir is no longer preventing the movement of rabbits across the Tararua District.

The 29m weir, built in a narrow and relatively steep-sided valley carved into hills and low terraces of sandstone and mudstone, slowed but ultimately failed to stop the migration of the invasive and destructive species.

According to Te Ara, rabbits were established in Wairarapa by 1863, and by the beginning of the 20th century, large numbers had spread into Hawke’s Bay.

Rabbit populations increased to plague proportions across the country, which caused a loss of production from farms due to the lack of feed for stock.

“The weir, while built with the best intentions, had the impact of creating an impassable barrier for fish trying to get to upstream habitats,” Bond said.

The rabbit weir, built in 1889, was deconstructed to allow native fish to access more of the river.

She said native fish had been prevented from accessing more than 440km of river and tributary habitat since the weir’s construction.

“Removing this barrier opens the upper reaches of the Ākitio River for fish passage.”

Bond said native fish such as tuna (longfin eel), the common bully and redfin bully, introduced trout and whitebait species īnanga, kōaro and kōkopu would benefit from the removal.

The physical removal of the weir with a digger cost $34,800.

“One day in the near future, and after being excluded for more than 136 years, these whitebait species will be able to inhabit the upper reaches of the Ākitio River.”

A 3D laser scan and photogrammetry survey of the weir was completed to digitally record the structure. Horizons will host information about the weir on its website.

Bond said the history of the weir would also be physically acknowledged with parts of the weir provided to the Dannevirke Museum, the Pongaroa Community Hall and the Weber Community Committee as part of a recognition project.

Horizons freshwater and projects manager Logan Brown said the physical removal cost of the weir with a digger was $34,800 and took four days.

“The original purpose of the weir is no longer being achieved.”

Brown said the cost for the removal was shared between the Ministry for the Environment via Jobs for Nature funding, Horizons Regional Council and the Puketoi to the Pacific Catchment Collective.

Brown said other options to make the rabbit weir fish-passable were considered, but at a cost of over $1 million, it was not considered affordable for ratepayers and taxpayers.

Timber and bolts are being donated to the Dannevirke Gallery of History.

Brown said he was not aware of any other rabbit weirs across streams or rivers in the Tararua District.

A Dannevirke Gallery of History spokesman said it was working to arrange a time and date to visit and “grab a piece or two of the weir”.

“I’m not sure what the piece/s would look like we are getting, but each rimu post is around 300mm by 300mm. Some have anchor bolts attached as they were screwed into the bedrock.”

“Once we obtain some of it, we will display it out the back of the museum with our agricultural and forestry pieces.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.