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Progress update (first 6-9 months)

STEC update 1

Progress update

Much of the early phase (first 6-9 months) involved:

  • bringing the research team together with stakeholders for a research planning meeting in Palmerston North 26-27 November 2018.
  • dealing with sub-contracting and work schedules
  • beginning more detailed research planning within and across research areas
  • linking with stakeholders and partners to determine locally-relevant aspects of research
  • defining PhD projects
  • choosing study sites and beginning data collection. Several aspects of research have also been presented at conferences, stakeholder workshops and seminars.

Highlights

  • commenced erosion source sampling in Manawatu catchment
  • developing agreed sampling protocols with NIWA and Horizons Regional Council for sediment sampling in the Manawatu.
  • presenting posters at the European Geoscience Unionmeeting in Vienna
  • completed an initial analysis of a 120 km2 area impacted by the ‘Blue Duck’ storm in March 2018 in the Whanganui catchment comprising automated before/after landslide mapping and quantitative spatial analysis of landslide presence/absence in combination with available rainfall, terrain and land cover spatial information
  • sampling of channel banks along the Oreti River to test if bank erosion sources can be spatially discriminated using downstream variations in floodplain geochemistry
  • key Horizon’s sediment and SoE (water quality) sites within the Manawatu Catchment instrumented with acoustic sensors to augment existing turbidity sensors (run by HRC). Auto-samplers are being reinstated to obtain stormflow water samples for analysis of suspended sediment concentration and sediment properties
  • facilitated two CHI (cultural health index) monitoring wānanga with Rangitāne iwi at Te Ahū a Tūranga Marae in Woodville to align with the Tu Te Manawa project; a collaborative effort that aims to re-connect eight Manawatū River hapū with their awa and its restoration
  • held a programme launch and planning workshop attended by partners and
    supporters
  • 2 interviews on national radio

Working with local iwi groups in the Manawatū River

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