Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

Research on what residents think about Tauranga Harbour was recently presented to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

The study aimed to find out what is important to residents with regard to Tauranga Harbour, determine what actions they most want for Tauranga Harbour management and how they would prefer to receive information about the harbour.

The items rated highest in terms of both importance and satisfaction were:

• the visually appealing look of the harbour and harbour foreshore

• monitoring and study of the harbour's water and natural ecosystems.

The issues most needing improvement were:

• water quality

• minimising contamination from discharges, such as stormwater and sewage

• minimising sedimentation entering the harbour

• minimising the effects of industrial, orcharding and farming activities on the harbour.

The most frequently stated reasons for perceptions of declining water quality were:

• pollution, runoff and effluent (45 per cent)

• sea lettuce and mangroves (25 per cent)

• the grounding of the MV Rena (21 per cent).

The most desired actions for on-going management of Tauranga Harbour were:

• sustainability of the natural ecosystem, including management of the water

• quality, cleanliness, natural habitats, plants, wildlife, fish and shellfish

• management of sea lettuce, mangroves, black swans and silt

• management of discharge into the harbour, including management of sewage, effluent, farm runoff and pollution.

More than one third of respondents felt they didn't have enough information to make decisions and would like access to more information about the state of the harbour. As a result, council will be enhancing its communication of Tauranga Harbour issues and actions.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please email me: neesj@xtra.co.nz or phone: 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website: www.janenees.co.nz