Our places: View Hill School – The Kowaro of Kowhai Creek
Planting day image: Bu Windsor, View Hill School
Key Actions
In 2020, Chris Thomas in conjunction with the Department of Conservation, discovered that Canterbury mudfish kōwaro (Fig. 4) were living in Kowhai creek running through his property, Kowhai farm at View Hill, just outside Oxford. As the fish was critically endangered, Chris was keen to see the area enhanced and restored so that the fish, an iconic species found nowhere else in the world except the Canterbury Plains, could thrive.
Chris, an ex-pupil and also ex-parent of students at View Hill School knew that Bu Windsor, the principal, had an interest and was looking for just such a project. Bu saw it as the perfect conservation project for the school, so she contacted Working Waters Trust as she had worked with them previously on regeneration projects in the area around other creeks where Kōwaro were located.
- Working Waters Trust then contacted the Waimakariri Zone Committee and Silverstream Reserve Volunteers.
- Working with view Hill School, Working Waters Trust applied to the Environment Canterbury Biodiversity fund for the costs of plants to enhance and expand the riparian areas around the kōwaro habitat.
- Over 2021, Working Waters Trust kept in contact with Chris and Bu, arranging for visits to prepare the area and to teach the children about the kōwaro. They decided on a planting day and devised a plan that would enable every child in the school to assist with planting.
- On planting day, everyone worked in teams, supported by staff, parents and volunteers, to plant 350 native plants eco-sourced from Wai-ora Nursery (Top image and Fig. 1)
How this helps mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change
- Today, small ephemeral streams and wetlands are some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems.
- As Canterbury’s climate grows ever warmer, smaller rivers and springs are likely to dry up more often.
- Restoring the stream and wetland habitat for kōwaro also provides habitats for other aquatic animals and plants, and a hub from which native land plants can expand into surrounding areas.
- This helps restore essential ecosystem services including nutrient recycling, seed dispersal, pollination, and long-term carbon sequestration in native shrubs and peaty wetlands soils.
- Flooding is also expected to increase as the climate warms. Wetlands and riparian plants along small streams act as sediment traps, help to maintain the health of waterways downstream and support mahinga kai.
- Involving the school and other community groups in restoring the wetland and stream reinforces the growing message that everyone can take action to help restore our natural ecosystems so that, in turn, they can help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- The school, in turn, has a wonderful outdoor class room where students can learn about science in a real environment and take pride in being part of a restoration project to protect one of Canterbury’s iconic species (Figs. 2 & 3).
Next steps
The school has returned to check on plant health and to do some stream science. This will be a continued science focus throughout 2022 and beyond.
About mudfish kōwaro
Mudfishes kōwaro belong to a family of fishes called Galaxiidae, so-named because their mottled skins are reminiscent of galaxies in the night sky.
The Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius) is found only on the Canterbury Plains. It can grow up to 180mm and has a very tubular body. They typically live in still or slowly flowing shallow water that has thick aquatic vegetation and overhead cover. They can ‘breath’ by taking a bubble of air into their mouths and gulping it down over their gills. They are also able to absorb some oxygen through their soft, scaleless skin.
Before Europeans arrived, the Canterbury Plains were a patchwork of small springs and creeks in the midst of forests and vast sprawling braided rivers. In warmer months, many of the smaller wetlands and streams dried out. The mudfish adapted to live in this environment by going into a state of aestivation until the water returned (Video 1).
Unfortunately, following the arrival of Europeans, most of the wetlands across the Canterbury Plains were drained and converted to agriculture, while small streams were buried or regarded as drains. The all-important riparian shrubs and trees that once provided cover and kept the waters cool, were replaced with grass to graze sheep and cows or planted with willows that draw out so much water that these small but crucial habitats supporting a diversity of native species have all but vanished.
Discovering that pockets of these habitats are still around Canterbury is a treat for those who find them. At Kowhai Farm, it was also an opportunity to collaborate with their local school and the wider community to protect and enhance the habitat of this unique ‘air-breathing’ fish, kōwaro.
Fig. 4: Canterbury mudfish kōwaro; image – Angus Mackintosh
