The mechanical removal of 92 hectares of mangroves from Tauranga Harbour has been recommended following a consent hearing.
Recommendations have been issued to Environment Bay of Plenty and the Minister of Conservation, Tim Groser, in support of mass mangrove removal from the Waikaraka Estuary.


Minister of Conservation Tim Groser is expected to approve the mechanical removal of 92 hectares of Mangroves in Tauranga Harbour.

EBOP now only needs the minister's final approval before the cull can go ahead. EBOP intends to use a low ground pressure machine with a mulching unit attached to clear the mangroves. The machine exerts a pressure of approximately 2psi (pound per square inch) - less than a human footprint.
'We used to remove them with handheld brush cutters and had to cut them off at ground level. We are a hardy bunch of citizens,” says David Lind, former chairperson of the Waikaraka Estuary managers.
It is a commonly held myth that New Zealand grown mangroves are good for the environment, says David.
After enlisting the help of scientists from NIWA and the University of Waikato in 2000, Waikaraka Estuary managers found this was not the case.
'In the subtropics mangroves are critically important but they are not in New Zealand, according to our research.
'The reason mangroves have thrived in Tauranga is because there is a huge amount of redevelopment, causing sediment in our streams. This is ideal for mangroves to thrive,” says David.
Contrary to popular opinion, mangroves are thought to debilitate the harbour's ecosystem and restrict social and recreational activities.