Cattle grazing in wetlands by Uretara Stream 'disappointing'

Some of the cattle grazing in the wetlands.

Concerns were raised by a local resident after cattle were seen grazing in the wetlands along the Uretara stream bank.

Rex McDonald, who lives nearby, said the cattle had seemingly strayed from a paddock in Binnie Road into the wetlands.

He said the animals had been roaming for about three weeks.

He contacted Bay of Plenty Regional Council to see if they knew who owned them.

Council's Regulatory Compliance Officer Matt Davis said they did eventually locate the land owner, however the cattle did not belong to them. The land owners were unaware cattle were grazing on their land.

After widening the scope of their search and with help from the public, Mr Davis said they found the owner of the cattle who explained he would remove the stock, but needed to wait for the track to dry. Council followed up on Monday and the cattle owner confirmed the cows had been removed.

Mr McDonald was concerned about any damage to the wetlands and pollution from animal waste. Mr Davis said they didn't make a damage assessment.

"Our priority was to look into the complaint about cattle grazing on a wetland. However, stock should never be grazed on wet soils as their hoofs pug the surface. Fortunately in this instance we're not talking about many cows, but this is far from best practise."

Animal waste entering any waterway is always concerning, he said.

"Because parts of this area are tidal, and these parts have not been fenced off, there is a possibility of some pollution, so it's very disappointing. Especially in light of all the work happening in the Tauranga Harbour area to reduce the amount of faecal bacteria, nutrient and sediment run-off that enters the waterways and receiving harbour."

Mr Davis said council was grateful Mr McDonald had called them, as they rely on the community to notify them of such incidents.

"If we don't know, we can't follow up."