Te Waikoropupu management plan presented to iwi
The final version of the Te Waikoropupu Scenic Reserve Management Plan was formally presented to Manawhenua ki Mohua at Onetahua Marae last Friday. The management plan will set out how the springs will be managed over the next 10 years.
The finalisation of document has been delayed many times and has a history of almost 20 years of collaboration between Manawhenua ki Mohua, the umbrella entity for the three Golden Bay iwi (Ngati Tama, Ngati Rarua and Te Atiawa), and the Department of Conservation in recognition of the manawhenua/customary authority status of the three iwi. Tasman District Council also had some input due to Resource Management Act implications.
The co-operation is an expression of the cultural significance of the springs for Manawhenua ki Mohua, who regard the springs as a taonga, a treasured resource. The springs are also a wahi tapu site registered with the Historic Places Trust.
Kaumatua John Ward-Holmes, of Manawhenua ki Mohua, has been involved in the process for many years and said the final handover of the plan meant a great deal to all those involved.
“A lot of the people who started driving this process some 20 years ago, like my sister Janice, are not around any more, and the occasion was hugely emotional. As iwi we had a lot of input into the plan and we are delighted with the result. For a number of years we have developed a good understanding and a better relationship with DOC, and the plan recognises that for us Waikoropupu is a wahi tapu.”
The Nelson/Marlborough Conservation Board has approved the plan. Board chair Judy Hellstrom said provisions in the plan aimed to protect the outstanding values of Te Waikoropupu Springs and the scenic reserve.
“The plan states an intention to improve visitor information and interpretation on the natural, historic and cultural values of Te Waikoropupu so it more appropriately reflects the international and national significance of the springs.”
Bylaws prohibiting recreational contact with the waters were put in place in 2006 by the department to protect the springs from the invasive alga didymo. These are still in effect. Under the plan, drift-diving and swimming are permitted in Fish Creek from an access point below the car park. The plan prohibits contact with the waters of the Main Spring and Dancing Sand Spring.
“These provisions are for the protection of the natural environment, as damage to vegetation and the bed of the springs was occurring where divers used to get in and out of the Main Spring. They are also in keeping with wanting to retain the natural quiet and tranquillity of the springs area,” said Ms Hellstrom. “Additionally, they recognise the concern of Manawhenua ki Mohua that bodily contact with the springs’ waters is inappropriate given the site’s wahi tapu/sacred status.”
Other provisions include a name change, from Pupu Springs Scenic Reserve to Te Waikoropupu Springs Scenic Reserve. The plan also states the intention to seek a name change for the road that provides access to the reserve from Pupu Springs Road to Te Waikoropupu Springs Road.
Concessions for commercial recreational activities are to be limited to guided walking tours and one-off group activities, with guided walking groups to contain no more than 20 people plus one or two guides.
DOC will encourage the Tasman District Council, which manages the water resources of the Takaka Valley, to put measures in its proposed Takaka Water Catchment Management Plan that help protect, preserve, and where possible enhance, the springs’ water quality, quantity and mauri/life force.
The Te Waikoropupu Springs Management Plan can be purchased from the department’s Nelson office at 186 Bridge Street, Nelson, phone 546 9335 and it can be found on www.doc.govt.nz.
Ina Holst
