Pukorokoro Miranda, Hauraki facts

About the area

Located on the Firth of Thames/Tīkapa Moana, the Pūkorokoro-Miranda catchment flows into an internationally significant 8,500 hectare coastal wetland protected under the Ramsar Convention, which is an intergovernmental treaty providing the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The catchment is home to around 40 different migratory birds, including red knots and bar tailed godwits that fly from Pūkorokoro-Miranda to Siberia or Alaska (respectively) and back every year. These migratory shorebirds rely on the resting and refuelling areas in this catchment, including one of the world’s finest examples of a rare coastal landform – a Chenier plain – consisting of a series of ridges made up of marine shells.

The challenge

The shorebird area and habitat at Pūkorokoro-Miranda has been significantly degraded and reduced in size. Water quality is poor due to increased levels of suspended sediment. Much of this has been caused by various productive land uses in the catchment and the highly modified hydrology and drainage system that has been put in place to reduce inundation and flooding for landowners in the lower catchment.

Living Water’s key focus is restoring and reconnecting a rural freshwater ecosystem and sensitive coastal environment using a community-led ‘mountains to sea’ approach.

Projects include supporting community-led catchment planning processes, developing Farm Environment Plans for farms in the catchment, facilitating a land purchase and restoration project at the Miranda and Pūkorokoro stream mouths, and supporting farmers with catchment scale predator control. 

At a glance

•  6,000ha total catchment area
• 8,500ha international Ramsar Wetland
• 40 different migratory birds
• 3 main types of farming (dairy, sheep, beef)
• 26% of the catchment is dairy farms