Appendix 1: Recording form used to assess sites in the Taieri, Kakaunui and Hakatere catchments
Cultural stream health assessment
Site no:
Date:
| Indicators | Unhealthy | Healthy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Catchment land use | 1. Land heavily modified | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Appears unmodified |
| 2. Riverbank condition | 1. Banks eroding | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Banks appear stable |
| 3. Vegetation – banks & margins (100m either side) | 1. Little or no vegetation | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Complete cover of vegetation |
| 4. Indigenous (native) species - margins & adjacent land | 1. All exotic (no natives) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. All indigenous (native) |
| 5. Use of the river banks + margins (100m either side) | 1. Margins heavily modified | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Margins unmodified |
| 6. Riverbed condition (sediment) | 1. Covered by mud/sand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Clear of mud/sand |
| 7. Changes to river channel | 1. Evidence of modification eg stopbanks, straightening, gravel removal, vegetation in river channel | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Appears unmodified |
| 8. River flow | 1. Cannot see movement | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Broken/white water |
| 9. Water quality | 1. Appears polluted eg foams, oils etc | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. No pollution evident |
| 10. Water Clarity | 1. Water badly discoloured | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Water is clear |
| 11. Use of the river | 1. Major takes/discharges | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. No takes or discharges |
12. What other indicators do you use to assess the health of a braided river that are not listed above?
_________________________________________
| How safe would you feel tasting the water at this site? | 1. Completely unsafe | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Completely safe |
| Would you gather mahinga kai at this site? | 1. No, gathering at this site | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Yes, definitely gather kai |
| How safe would you feel eating fish caught at this site? | 1. Completely unsafe | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Completely safe |
| How would you describe the overall health of the river at this site? | 1. Very unhealthy | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Very healthy |
| Please explain your answer | |||||
Birds
Please list the mahinga kai bird species that you can see at this site
1. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________
4. _______________________
5. _______________________
6. _______________________
7. _______________________
8. _______________________
9. _______________________
Plants
Please list the mahinga kai plant species that you can see at this site.
1. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________
4. _______________________
5. _______________________
6. _______________________
7. _______________________
8. _______________________
9. _______________________
Access
Do you consider access to this site is sufficient to harvest mahinga kai?
| Do you consider access to this site is sufficient to harvest mahinga kai? | 1. Not able to harvest at this site | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5. Able to harvest - no restrictions |
| Please explain your answer | |||||
| Would you return to this site in the future? | 1. No | 5. Yes | |||
Final comments
What characteristics of this site should be protected?
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
What characteristics of this site should be enhanced?
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
