0:30:00
Kaitiaki
Wairau River, the Health of a River
Season 2
,
Episode 4
Local iwi help to protect and conserve the mouth of the Wairau river. The Wairau bar has for hundreds of years been the bread basket of local tribes, mainly Ngati Rangitane. The Wairau River is under threat, In 1997 there were 2655 acres of vineyards planted in Marlborough, today there is more than 22,000. The need to irrigate in a chronically dry area is just one of the threats to the river. Dairy farm runoff and increased use of agrichemicals has all contributed to the unavailability of clean water. Now Trust Power is aiming to build six new hydro power stations along the Wairau.