The Sanctuary is a 30ha wetland in the lower Waimakariri River that has undergone extensive weed control and planting over the last 12 – 15 years to protect and enhance the valuable native flora and fauna present. In addition to Environment Canterbury’s work, organisations such as Forest and Bird and Sustainable Coastlines are active in the area and have been carrying out community planting days over the past 6 years and managing a trapping network that runs throughout, containing approximately 70 traps – a mix of Timms and DOC 200.

Site 2: McLeans Island Habitat Restoration Area

The riverbed behind McLeans Island regularly has notably high population densities of braided river birds over the summer nesting season, particularly banded dotterel but wrybill, black-fronted terns and black billed gulls can also usually be found here. This area would greatly benefit from some targeted habitat enhancement including weed and predator control, hare control and increased monitoring. We have already started some weed control to remove woody weeds greater than 1m height and have plans to continue enhancing the area as nesting habitat.