Enhancing the environment
Surrounded by water, and located at the base of Titirangi, we have a responsibility and a commitment to caring for and respecting the environment.
All our operations must follow detailed consent conditions. Every significant project has its own management plan. We carry out comprehensive environmental monitoring, which we regularly report on.
Our team continue to work on a range of environmental initiatives to help improve the health and mauri of the moana, awa and whenua that surround us.
Stormwater treatment
Our industry-leading and award-winning approach to port-related stormwater treatment is a world first.
The minute it starts raining, our stormwater treatment plants start working. Each one will continue reticulating the water until it’s safe to release. We currently have two plants on port, with a third in the planning stages.
Our testing regime ensures our stormwater discharges not only meet, but exceed, the requirements of our resource consent.
How does it work?
A protected coastal habitat for kororā
The seawall, which runs along our southern log yard and rises up to seven metres high, is a vital line of defence for the port. In June 2021 we started a significant project to maintain and rebuild the seawall, to provide ongoing protection for the port against disruptive swells, large waves and erosion.
Penguin Management Plan
During the construction phase, a number of kororā (little blue penguins) were discovered in the area. In response, we engaged local ecologist Steve Sawyer to create a comprehensive penguin management plan covering the seawall and immediate surroundings at Kaiti Beach.
This plan was then reviewed by local iwi and hapū, Whaia Titirangi, the Department of Conservation and Gisborne District Council. It includes multiple actions to enhance the seawall habitat and protect the kororā.
A penguin exclusion fence was installed to prevent kororā from entering the southern log yard and interacting with port operations. The fence is also acting as a barrier for ferrets, which are known predators of kororā.
Several protected breeding/nesting burrows have been created on the seawall. These are surrounded by low growing coastal plants and provide additional shade and shelter to prevent visiting kororā from over-heating in the summer months.
Improved accessibility at the bottom of the rock wall ensures penguins are able to get up the seawall around the boulders easily and find the nesting boxes and burrows.
Steve Sawyer highlights that, in his experience, kororā mortalities in Tairāwhiti have largely been attributed to both domestic dogs and ferrets. This pattern is recorded at other sites around New Zealand. The nesting area on the seawall is protected from dogs behind a security fence. Signage raises awareness about kororā and encourages dog owners to keep their dog on a lead around the seawall area.
With help from Whaia Titirangi, predator traps are deployed and monitored along the seawall, Titirangi and Kaiti Beach.
Ongoing monitoring
The plan recognises that annual population monitoring of kororā is vital in evaluating the success of the conservation efforts. A specialist dog and handler are brought in to undertake kororā surveys along the seawall between September and October each year.
The locations of individuals and nesting pairs in the rock wall structure and penguin boxes are recorded with GPS. A report is produced annually and includes a summary of the number of pairs, breeding success, chick productivity to fledging, and plans for the following season.
View the Kororā Management Plan
Cleaner awa and moana
Two Seabins in the inner marina help us collect and remove rubbish from the inner harbour. Eastland Port funded one; the other was donated by local woman Melissa Henry, who set up a Givealittle page to raise the funds. Her motivation for the project came after seeing litter in the ocean while out on a boat with her father.
A Seabin is a floating rubbish bin that filters water to collect rubbish, petroleum-based surface oils, detergents and micro plastics down to 2mm small. It’s powered by a small water pump and can catch an estimated 1.4 tonnes of debris per year. The water is then pumped back into the marina, leaving the litter and debris in the catch bag.
Our Seabins are used to teach local students about the impacts of pollutants on our oceans, and the importance of disposing of rubbish correctly.
Concrete recycling programme
Having invested in an excavator and crushing head, we’re saving tonnes of material from going to landfill. We’re crushing concrete and turning it into construction materials that are being used on a range of projects. For example, we repurposed 4,000 tonnes of old concrete from the Wharf 7 rebuild as the base layer for the new carpark at Gisborne Airport, which we also operate.
It’s initiatives like these that are helping us to reduce carbon emissions and waste, and are part of our commitment to sound environmental practices.
