Pearl Creek is a spring-fed stream that flows into the Waimeha/Waimea Inlet. The aim of this project is to restore healthy native habitats from the stream source to the tidal margin.
Pearl Creek provides habitat for the native fish species including kōkopu, longfin eel/tuna kuwharuwharu, and īnanga.
It is also important habitat for a number of native bird species that are in trouble, including kōtuku, Australasian bittern/matuku, fernbird/mātātā, marsh crake/koitareke, spotless crake/pūweto, and banded rail/moho pererū.
Riparian rehabilitation was initiated by landowners in the 1980s, and in 1994 a QEII covenant was put in place.
Restoration work on this site has included fencing, willow tree removal, general weed control and native planting, with funding from Canterbury Community Trust, the DOC Biodiversity Condition Fund and some private contributions organised through the Tasman Environmental Trust.
Partners in the restoration project include landowners, Tasman Environmental Trust, Forest & Bird, Fish & Game New Zealand, Tasman District Council, Department of Conservation, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, and Appleby School.
