Twizel Area

Ohau Conservation Park

Twizel Area Office
Phone:	+64 3 435 0802
Fax:	+64 3 435 0852
Email:	TwizelAO@doc.govt.nz
Address:	Wairepo Road Twizel 7901
Postal Address:	Private Bag Twizel 7944

Twizel Area Office manages over 220,000 hectares of public conservation land, most of which is in the Hopkins, Huxley, Ohau, Ahuriri and Godley areas. There are also some reserves in lower areas of the basin, including Ben Dhu, Lake Tekapo and Pukaki Scientific Reserves and the Pukaki Flats Conservation Area.

Twizel Area manages Ruataniwha and Ahuriri conservation parks, plus 16 conservation areas, two scenic reserves and others.

There are 78 pastoral leases within the Twizel area, with over 40 properties undergoing tenure review. As of September 2006, 14 properties have completed the process; Birchwood, Ben Avon, Ben Ohau, Ben Dhu, Dalrachney, Glenbrook, Glen Eyrie, Longslip, Otamatapaio, Omahau Downs, Pukaki Downs, Rhoborough Downs, Simons Hill and Quailburn.

Conservation highlights

Kaki

Biodiversity work is focused on the kaki/black stilt, one of the world's rarest wading birds. Once widespread in New Zealand, kaki now only breed in braided river and wetland habitats in the Mackenzie Basin. Captive management is a key component of current kaki management. Kaki eggs are collected from both wild and captive pairs, and are artificially incubated until they hatch. The captive-reared young are later released into the wild. The wild adult kaki population currently stands at 100 (June 2006).

As part of the Kaki Recovery Programme the Tasman Predator Control Project was initiated in 2004. This is a trial to test the benefits of large-scale predator control specifically for kaki plus other bird, invertebrate and lizard species.

Other species

Staff are also involved with management of native fish, lizards, insects and plants. They are often called on to provide expert advice on statutory planning matters such as district plans and Resource Management applications.

Project River Recovery

"Project Rivery Recovery" (PRR) was launched in 1991 after an agreement was negotiated between ECNZ (now Meridian Energy) and the Department of Conservation. Under this agreement, Meridian gives DOC funding for Project River Recovery, as a mitigation of the effects of hydro development. PPR aims to restore braided rivers and wetlands, mostly via weed control, but also includes research on riverbed predators, ecological monitoring, advocacy, and the construction of new wetlands and encouraging native birds to nest in these wetlands.

Pest control

Wilding trees are the most significant threat to the high country in the Twizel Area, in particular Pinus contorta, plus rowan is causing increasing concern. Wilding tree management involves considerable staff time and contractor effort each year.

Animal pest control is undertaken on thar, rabbits, wallabies and possums. Thar are managed in accordance with the Thar Management Plan, which was developed through consultation with a range of interest groups.
Possum control is a huge focus in the Ohau forests within the Temple, Huxley, and Hopkins valleys, to protect beech mistletoes and the rare tree Pittosporum patulum.

Recreation and historic

There are 32 huts, five swingbridges, and 150 km of track that the recreation team maintains within the area. As more public land becomes available through the tenure review process, more recreational opportunities are created and visitors to the Twizel area are steadily increasing.
The Department of Conservation operates the Rural Fire Team and this is made up of staff from the area office as well as one local landholder.

Working with Communities

The Kaki Visitor Hide operates over the summer months and caters for visiting tourists to the Mackenzie Basin area. It is also used by many South Island schools on field trips to both Twizel and Aoraki/Mt Cook.
The community relations team collaborates with four community groups, each of which help to restore the unique values of their focus area; Lake Alexandrina, Lake Ohau, Lindis Pass and Waitaki Island near Kurow. They also plan and implement volunteer projects, visit schools to get the children involved in conservation and run a Summer Holiday Programme.

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