Waihi North Project: Assessment of Terrestrial Ecological Values & Effects 62138 WNP AEE 21 4 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT – VALUES ASSESSMENT 4.1 OVERVIEW OF WAIHI ECOLOGICAL DISTRICT AND THE WNP AREA The Waihi Ecological District (ED) spans 43,733 ha within the Hauraki District, and is dominated by hilly to steep country reaching to approximately 750 m above sea level. Vegetation in the Waihi ED was formerly dominated by kauri, podocarp, broadleaved forest (type ‘WF12’, as per Singers & Rogers, 2014) in the central range and hill country, montane podocarp-broadleaved forests (Type MF 25) at higher altitudes particularly around the northern Kaimai and Coromandel Ranges (Singers et al. 2017), and Type WF4 pōhutukawa and pūriri forests near the coast (Kessels et al. 2010). Much of the vegetation, especially the kauri podocarp forest, has been cleared for agricultural use, which remains the primary land use in the area. WNP sits within the lowlands bioclimatic zones of the Waihi ED, sharing the warm, sub-humid climate classification with much of the upper North Island. Historically, the forests in this area comprised characteristic flora including kauri, miro (Pectinopitys ferruginea), rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), toatoa (Phyllocladus toatoa), tōtara (Podocarpus totara), tānekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides), northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta), tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa), taraire (Beilschmiedia tarairi), hīnau (Elaeocarpus dentatus), rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), pūriri (Vitex lucens), and kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides). Vegetation (shrub, woody) cover within and around WNP has increased over the last 37 years with restoration plantings (e.g. around the proposed GOP and NRS, Figure 8) and a pine plantation (around the proposed GOP) having been undertaken over that time as well as changes to farming practices and post-harvest land use in the wider landscape. SNA 166 (68.5 ha) is identified as a significant natural area in the Hauraki District Plan, and is comprised of two fragments (‘northern fragment, 11.5 ha’ and ‘southern fragment, 57 ha’ (Figure 1)) of vegetation adjacent to the existing tailings storage facilities. A district-wide desktop analysis was undertaken by Kessels (2010) for the Hauraki District Council to identify areas which should be SNAs, and from this desktop analysis the features identified as present led to the creation of SNA 166. That assessment determined that the site had local significance, was described (Land Cover Data Base 2) as broadleaved indigenous hardwoods, indigenous forest and mānuka and or kānuka or (RIVI) small-leaved scrub (exotic pines /scrub). “Local” significance and the features related to accepting significance were not then described or articulated, but we understand that an important component was the potential for landscape connectivity functions. An ecological assessment in 2012 (Bioresearches 2012) described the vegetation within the two SNA 166 fragments as predominantly pine, young scrub and relatively dense rewarewa forest. Moko skink (Oligosoma moco) were also identified in two localised areas, being one location on the northern sides of each of the two fragments. Large areas of the southern fragment of SNA 166 comprised bare ground, pine or scrub in early stages of regeneration some 40 years ago (Figure 7). Restoration plantings, elsewhere within the Project area, are mostly less than 20 years old (Figure 8).
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