Taranaki Regional Council media release
2 February 2009
For immediate release

Taranaki Getting Its Own ‘Notre Dame’

If you can’t build a cathedral, why not re-establish a wetland? It’s no flippant suggestion, as about 50 people learned at a field day at Auroa, South Taranaki, on Sunday (1 February).

As farmer Kevin Murphy guided visitors around a 2.1ha swamp and stream area that he and his family have protected and enhanced with fencing and 6,500 native plants, he reminisced about a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

“I was interested to learn that it took 200 years to build, so the person who had the original vision never got to see it completed,” he said. “I can’t build a cathedral but this wetlands project is something similar. It will be a legacy that will last well into the future. Imagine what it will look like in 100 years, 200 years.”

Sunday’s event marked World Wetlands Day, which is observed internationally and is designed to raise awareness of the environmental importance of wetlands and their vital role in protecting water quality and enhancing biodiversity. Other speakers included representatives of the Taranaki Regional Council, Fish and Game Taranaki, the QEII National Trust and the Taranaki Tree Trust.

Taranaki Regional Councillor Michael Joyce urged all landowners to seriously consider taking action like the Murphy family to protect and enhance their water ways. He said that besides environmental and stock-management benefits, such projects enhanced the value of properties.

The Murphy family project began in 2007, and they received assistance from the QEII National Trust, the South Taranaki District Council and the Taranaki Tree Trust. The farm also has a riparian management plan prepared by the Taranaki Regional Council.

At Sunday’s field day, Council staff outlined how they could help landowners with such plans.

For more information, call the Taranaki Regional Council on 0800 736 222 and ask to speak to a Land Management Officer.

ENDS

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