NZ greets dawn of World Wetlands Day
02 Feb 2011
The call of a traditional Māori greeting echoed across the waters of Lake Ngatu in the far north today (2.02.2011) as New Zealand became the first country in the world to welcome the dawning of World Wetlands Day.
Local iwi gathered on the shores of the lake - one of New Zealand’s many significant wetlands - for a dawn ceremony to celebrate the international event which this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Ramsar Convention.
Wetlands are of particular importance to Māori and New Zealand now has 55000ha of protected wetland throughout the country.
The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement signed in 1971 to promote and protect the planet’s wetlands and since then more than 186 million hectares of wetlands throughout the world have been protected.
World Wetlands Day
New Zealand joins 160 other countries in celebrating World Wetlands Day, and organisers say the aim is to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands - considered as crucial as forests in the environment.
The special ceremony at sunrise involved waiata / songs, mihimihi / greetings and karakia / prayer, and was conducted by members of Ngai Takoto, the Māori iwi affiliated with Lake Ngatu near Kaitaia.
Ngai Takoto elder Mangu Awarau said it was good for the iwi to be involved because of the importance of caring for the environment.
"When I was a boy growing up near the Waimanoni wetland the frogs were our dawn chorus. Now we can’t hear them anymore. And the eels are becoming more scarce. These things tell me that Mother Earth can’t take too much more.
"If we look after our environment, we look after ourselves and our future," Awarau said.
Wetland creatures
A collection of whimsical wetland creatures, including a flax sculpture, created by children across the country, framed the shoreline of Lake Ngatu.
Organisers say Lake Ngatu was chosen as the venue for the celebration because it is an excellent example of wetland conservation that has been achieved through community commitment and collaboration.
Since 1980, the Bushland’s Trust voluntary community group has re-vegetated the area surrounding the lake with native plants and grasses. The lake is now a recreational reserve administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Local schools and hundreds of people from the local community have also assisted through annual Arbor Day plantings and working bees.
Lake Ngatu is a dune lake and Bushland’s Trustee and wetlands enthusiast Kevin Matthews says people are surprised to learn that dune lakes also come under the wetlands heading.
"People often assume a wetland is a technical name for a muddy swamp. Actually wetlands cover a variety of habitats, including lakes, mangroves, tidal forests, marshes and peat bogs," Matthews said.
New Zealand wetlands
Over the last century New Zealand has seen wetlands drained to make productive farmland and supposedly help with flood control resulting in less than 10 per cent of the wetlands that were present in pre-European times.
The subsequent loss of biodiversity is now an issue being addressed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and local environmental groups.
Organisers of New Zealand’s Ramsar’s 40th anniversary and World Wetlands Day want 2011 to become the year that people address the issue and commit to caring for the remaining wetlands.
"We can change our attitudes to wetlands. View mangroves as allies that protect our coasts from storms. Marvel at peat bogs and swamps as efficient carbons sinks. Enjoy the rich bird and marine life that thrive there. A wetland is just as amazing and important to our well-being as a forest," said Richard Robbins of New Zealand’s Far North Environment Centre.
More information
Visiting New Zealand wetlands
Iconic New Zealand birds
Iconic New Zealand flora
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