In 1999, concerned by the declining state of the Ashley-Rakahuri River near Rangiora, New Zealand, members of the community came together and formed the Ashley-Rakahuri River Rivercare group, ARRG. While different interest groups, from gravel extractors and 4WD enthusiasts to bird watchers, are often on opposing sides of issues, we all had a common desire to reverse the decline in numbers of the unique birds that breed on the river.
From the outset, we worked together with the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, and the Waimakariri District Council to develop and implement a strategy to manage an 18km section of the river from the confluence of the Okuku River downstream to the State Highway 1 (SH1) road bridge.
Regular pest trapping, bird monitoring, and public education campaigns began in earnest in 2004. For the next few years we received funding from WWF, Pacific Development and Conservation Trust, NZ National Parks and Development Foundation, and the NZ Lottery Grants Board. The co-operative model worked. So in 2007, we organised a braided river birds workshop. That led to the formation of BRaid, an organisation that advocates for braided rivers across the South Island.
In 2010 we won the Canterbury-Aoraki Conservation Award, and in 2018 we won the Australasian Wildlife Management Society annual award for Practical Wildlife Management.
Today, some twenty years after that first meeting, our dedicated volunteers build, install, and check predator traps, monitor bird populations annually, undertake field research, support graduate student research, trial programmes to enhance habitats through weed clearing and island formation with the assistance of a local gravel extraction company Taggart Earthmoving, lead ‘river ramble’ walks during Conservation Week, and regularly visit schools and community groups (see our reports for details and this educational video). Apart from large one-off projects, for which we seek outside finances, we are largely self-funded through the work of volunteers, some of whom make DOC200 traps that we sell. Plus we are sponsored by a local business, Karikaas, artisan makers of a ‘braided river birds’ series of award-winning cheeses.
It’s not just the birds that benefit. The community as a whole is enriched by the knowledge that a rare ecosystem is right here in their backyard and some of the most endangered birds in the world choose to call it home.
Our job is to ensure that we protect and nurture this environment for future generations.
The River....
Contact Us
Chairman, Nick Ledgard
03-312-8799
Secretary, Joan Miles
Survey of the lower part of the Okuku River: November 2019
The Okuku is an NW to SE running tributary of the Ashley, joining the latter about 22km inland from the coast. An attempt was made, with Jean Jack of Environment Canterbury, to survey the Grey junction to the junction with the Ashley on 20/10/19, but water levels were too high. On 11/11/19 flow at Fox […]
Lees Valley – Okuku and Ashley-Rakahuri Rivers: 2019 Breeding Season
Introduction The Okuku is a NW to SE running tributary of the Ashley, joining the latter about 22km inland from the coast. It rises in the Pancake Range north of Lees Valley, runs through this valley and enters the Okuku Gorge. The section through the valley is about 3km long, here the river is relatively […]
Ashley River & Estuary trapping update
River Traps The below graph shows a reduction of catch in December compared to November. This was due to fewer ship rats and weasels being caught. Perhaps our baiting programme is starting to work – with weasels being secondarily poisoned? Hedgehog, stoat ,and non-specified rat numbers increased a little. Unfortunately, the January catch, shown here […]
Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group update
Down on the river – bird numbers. Without doubt, the highlight of the last few weeks has been our annual bird survey on November 16. The Group’s mission is to improve the lot of the native birds which annually return to breed on our river, and our once-a-year surveys are the only chance to find […]