The Kaituna River Re-diversion and Te Awa o Ngatoroirangi / Maketū Estuary Enhancement Project is the 2020 winner of the Terry Healy Coastal Project Award from the New Zealand Coastal Society (NZCS).
The award acknowledges a coastal project which has made a significant contribution to New Zealand's coastal and marine environment and is the second award for excellence that the project has received in the last six months.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council Coastal Catchments Manager Pim De Monchy said that pivotal to the project's success was the long-term commitment and persistence of all of those involved in calling for the project, securing the funding, recreating the wetland and returning an average of 600,000 cubic metres of the Kaituna River's freshwater flows to the estuary every tidal cycle.
"None of this could have been achieved without the collaboration and partnership of tangata whenua, landowners, and the wider community.
"By working together and standing on the shoulders of those who have worked on this kaupapa in the past, we are helping to solve some really complex environmental and social challenges for the long term benefit of the estuary," Mr De Monchy said.