Tukituki ecological monitoring 2004 / report prepared Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Geoff Walls.

"Feb. 2005"

"Environmental Management Group Technical Report, Internal, Environmental Monitoring Section."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 20).

Regular monitoring of ecological condition and trend is built into the planned management of Tukituki Estuary, Hawkegass Bay, by the Hawkegass Bay Regional Council. In late November 2002, a regime for monitoring the ecological condition and trend of the estuary was set up on contract for the Hawkegass Bay Regional Council by Geoff Walls. This was done using the experience gained in establishing a similar monitoring regime in Pekapeka Swamp in 1998, in Whakaki Lagoon, Lake Poukawa and Lake Hatuma in 1999, in Waitangi Estuary in 2000 and in Lake Runanga in 2001. It also had the benefit of the local knowledge of Department of Conservation staff. Baseline surveys of vegetation and fauna were carried out at the same time. The findings of the baseline survey and ecological monitoring set-up were reported on in Walls 2002b (Tukituki Estuary Ecological Monitoring 2002). A companion report provides more background information and forms a plan for ongoing ecological monitoring (Walls 2002a: Tukituki Estuary Ecological Monitoring Plan, December 2002). Hawke's Bay Regional Council produced a management plan for Tukituki Estuary in May 2002 (Cheyne & Addenbrooke, 2002). Ecological monitoring is factored into that plan. In November 2004 the wetland was revisited and the monitoring was repeated. This document reports on the findings. - Intro.