Do you have a river or stream flowing through your property? If it has a culvert, or another structure, in it – get in touch with us to help endangered native fish thrive!  

Wellington Region’s waterways are home to 20 species of native freshwater fish. That’s more than any other region. 

Most need to move freely from the river to the sea to reproduce. For example: tuna (eels) and inanga (whitebait).  

Structures built in rivers (like culverts, weirs, fords and dams) can threaten the survival of native fish species by making it hard for them to move between rivers and the sea. 

It’s hard for us to know where these structures are. So we’re asking people who have any structures in waterways on their properties to get in touch with us by emailing fishpassage@gw.govt.nz.

We’ll set up a time that works for you to visit and examine the structure to see if it’s making it hard for fish to pass by. We’re happy to provide no-obligation advice about improvements that could be made and any support available. 

This is one of many projects we’re working on to help the diverse plant and animal life in our region, as well as the habitats that support them, to thrive. 

The Improving Fish Passage Project is funded jointly by Greater Wellington and Ministry for the Environment through their Freshwater Improvement Fund.   

Updated February 3, 2023 at 10:18 AM

Get in touch

Phone:
0800 496 734
Email:
info@gw.govt.nz