Kōrero: Wetland birds

Nearly 90% of New Zealand’s wetland area has been lost since the early 1800s, and some remaining lakes and wetlands are degraded. Lake Ōkaro, near Rotorua, has suffered the effects of fertiliser runoff from surrounding farmland. The Birchall family (pictured here) donated 2 hectares of farmland adjacent to the lake to create a wetland area, surrounded with native plants. It will filter farmland nutrients before they reach the lake, improving the water quality. Fourteen bird species have begun to use the new wetland.