Peacocke Whatukooruru Drive Fish Management

Challenge

Peacocke is one of Hamilton's largest greenfield areas, with a vision to enable the development of an attractive and sustainable community. Hamilton City Council is developing Whatukooruru Drive, to be a new key road in Peacocke, adjoining with new housing developments in the area, including approximately 3,750 homes in southern Hamilton.

Construction of the road network includes a new bridge crossing in the margins of a watercourse, infilling of two artificial ponds and adapting several natural, intermittently wet areas. This involves drainage, filling in, and converting one of the ponds to a sediment retention pond, which could potentially impact local native fish populations.

Schick Civil Construction was engaged by Hamilton City Council as the construction contractor for a new residential development and required a project ecologist to oversee the management of ecological effects to ensure the consent conditions for the development were meet, including creating and implementing a Fish Management Plan to minimise the risks to fish.

Solution

SLR was engaged to provide onsite ecological effects management and ecological advice during the construction phase. This has involved ensuring compliance with the relevant consent conditions and managing potential effects on native fish and fauna, including bats and lizards ahead of and during construction works.

Our Ecology team prepared and implemented a project-specific Fish Management Plan in accordance with best practice guidelines, outlining practical methods for fish salvage and relocation, to ensure effects on native fish from work conducted in waterbodies would be minimised. SLR holds the necessary permits to capture and locally relocate native fish, enabling SLR to implement the plan. We carried out fish salvage in the ponds, intermittently wet areas, and the margins of a natural stream. Fish management and salvage activities have been implemented prior to the dewatering of ponds and wet areas to accommodate planned earthworks. Our ecologists worked closely with contractors to ensure salvage works could be carried out ahead of and during dewatering without impacting construction schedules.

We are continuing to support Schick Civil Construction implement the Fish Management Plan, providing advice and guidance throughout the long-term project as required.

Impact

To date, twenty-six native shortfin eels/tuna (Anguilla australis) have been salvaged and relocated to nearby safe habitats away from the development site. The Fish Management Plan has been successfully implemented with no fish mortalities being recorded.

SLR’s specialist freshwater expertise and experience has enabled Schick Civil Construction to execute works in a practical way that has minimised impacts and disruption to their work programme, while protecting the local fauna. This has assisted with maintaining our client’s social license, demonstrating care and accountability within the community. Our partnership approach and collaboration with the construction contractor has led to positive outcomes for our client, the environment and the local community.

“SLR Consulting has been a reliable partner in our recent project in Peacocke, Hamilton. They consistently delivered high-quality, efficient services which was highly important in the beginning stage of our project that was on critical path. Nicola and her team communicated clearly and promptly, ensuring that we were always up to date on progress, and meeting the needs of our timeline as well. Their onsite service was highly professional, with knowledgeable staff who ensured all aspects of compliance was handled thoroughly. We also appreciate their commitment to a positive health and safety culture, encouraging a safe and positive work environment.”

Jarrod Richards, Contract Manager Schick Civil Construction