Popular recreational area Grovetown Lagoon has a new management plan.
The draft Te Whānau Hou Grovetown Lagoon Management Plan went out for consultation last year with 34 submissions received. A hearing, chaired by Councillor Brian Dawson, was held over two days with eight submitters appearing.
Recommendations were approved at Council’s Infrastructure and Community Facilities September meeting.
A management plan was originally developed in 2003 by the Te Whānau Hou Grovetown Lagoon Incorporated Society but the Society asked Council to prepare a new plan to ensure the ongoing protection and restoration of the lagoon for the future.
Grovetown Lagoon is a horseshoe lake next to the Wairau River, located off Steam Wharf Road near Grovetown. It is popular with hikers, dog walkers, picnickers, bird watchers, school groups and locals who enjoy taking visitors from outside of the region there.
The area is mostly maintained by volunteers, including corporate and community groups, who have carried out many native plantings in recent years.
It includes several parcels of land with different land statuses and different land managers. The management plan helps to ensure the future protection, development and management of the lagoon as a whole, so the community can continue to enjoy this important wetland area.
A key issue raised in submissions was game bird hunting at the lagoon. In future, bird hunting at the lagoon will be managed through a permit-based system developed collaboratively with iwi, Fish and Game and the Lagoon Society.
“This ensures a balanced approach that enables the activity to continue alongside recreational public access,” Mr Dawson said.
The final plan is set to be approved by full Council in October.
