Te Waihora Forest Corridor.

Ecological Maintenance.

Project Partner Department of Conservation.

The Te Waihora Forest Corridor is part of a nationally significant effort to rejuvenate the mauri and biodiversity of Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) by restoring native habitat along wetland margins and tributaries. Led by the Department of Conservation (DOC) with support from iwi, agencies, and local communities, the corridor has seen over 350,000 native trees and shrubs planted across 40 hectares — reconnecting fragmented forest and wetland ecosystems in a region where less than 1% of native vegetation remains.

This stage, supported by the Environmental Management Fund (EMF), focused on maintaining recent plantings at two key sites — Lakeside Wildlife Management Reserve and Selwyn Wildlife Managment Reserve. These sites received their final plantings in winter 2024, and follow-up maintenance was essential to ensure survival. At Selwyn, exotic grasses had begun to overtake young plants, many of which had to be cleared by hand before targeted spraying could begin. Exotic grasses pose one of the biggest threats to young native species, competing for sunlight, water, and nutrients.

DOC’s field team delivered three rounds of knapsack spraying, plant guard removal, and weed control to give the native plants the best chance of establishing. Their work builds on years of restoration momentum — including aerial mapping, bird habitat protection, and weed control across more than 1,000 hectares of wetland margins — and strengthens the long-term vision of establishing the largest indigenous lowland forest remnant in Canterbury.

The Te Waihora Forest Corridor is a nationally significant ecological restoration project designed to revive the mauri and biodiversity of Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) by reconnecting native forest and wetland ecosystems across the surrounding catchment. Te Waihora is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant wetlands—culturally, ecologically, and historically.

Impact.

Short term.

• Three scheduled maintenance rounds across 20 hectares.
• Weed control, pest plant removal, and plant guard removal as natives establish.
• 160,000 native trees and shrubs supported to reach canopy cover.
• Ongoing site monitoring using GPS tracking, spray diaries, and photo points.

Long term.

• Increased survival rates for one of New Zealand’s largest lowland restoration efforts.
• Creation of a native seed source to regenerate surrounding areas.
• Protection of ecological integrity within the Te Waihora catchment.
• A landscape-scale restoration model supported by iwi, agencies, and local communities.
• Strengthened biodiversity and resilience across public conservation land.