New Zealand Wilderness Magazine, March 2003

A vision for a National Wetland Interpretation Centre was unveiled in the Waikato on World Wetlands day, last month.

The proposed centre, designed by Chow:Hill Architects, will consist of visitor and education facilities and wetland habitat gardens. It will be located on 0.4ha between Rangiriri and Lake Kopuera, 70km south of Auckland. The land is owned by the National Wetland Trust and lies on the margin of a registered wetland complex of international significance.

The plan for the National Wetland Interpretation Centre is to encourage a better understanding of wetlands in general and New Zealand’s wetlands in particular. Rangiriri was chosen for its position on the fringes of a world-renowned historical and wetland site, and because it is easy to get to and from Auckland and the Waikato.

“Many New Zealanders aren’t entirely sure what a wetland is, and as a result, have little interest in how they are managed,” says National Wetland Trust project committee convenor Gordon Stephenson. “In New Zealand, our wetlands are in a national state of crisis, with 90% of them drained or reclaimed for farming and housing – for example, 85,000ha of peat wetland in the Waikato are now farmland.”

This leaves less than 2% of the country’s total land area to perform key wetland functions essential to the fresh water cycle, such as storing and purifying water, flood control, shoreline stabilization, providing fish nurseries, replenishing groundwater, storing carbon, retaining nutrients and sediments, and mitigating climate change.

“There are economists who believe wetlands are one of the most valuable ecosystems on earth, with an economic value in terms of food production and employment of more than US$14.9 trillion worldwide,” says Stephenson. “Yet New Zealanders just aren’t aware of the need for wetland conservation and sustainable management.

The site of the proposed new centre is within an easy drive of three of New Zealand’s five internationally important wetlands, Whangamarino, Kopuatai, and the Firth of Thames. It would also be an important stop on a proposed national heritage wetlands driving route and a point of origin for walking trails through the area.