Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai
Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai | ||
---|---|---|
Muriwai o Whata ( Primary inflows Youngs Creek | | |
Basin countries | New Zealand | |
Max. length | 1.15 km (0.71 mi) | |
Max. width | 0.76 km (0.47 mi) | |
Surface area | 2 ha (4.9 acres)[1] | |
Max. depth | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)[1] | |
Surface elevation | 3 metres (9.8 ft)[2] |
Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai is a small coastal
In 1998, Coopers Lagoon was officially given a dual place name as part of a Treaty of Waitangi settlement with Ngāi Tahu, receiving the name Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai.[5]
Ecology
Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai is recognised as a nationally significant habitat for birdlife, forming part of a chain of waituna and
As with several other coastal lagoons in the Canterbury region, Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai is rated as having a poor water quality. Water quality ratings since 2004 have shown the lagoon to have a trophic level index of between 4-5, classifying the lagoon as eutrophic.[1] Despite being 100 metres (330 ft) from the ocean, the amount of springs which feed the lagoon mean that it is primarily freshwater, with the exception of a small portion of saltwater marsh near the lagoon's northeastern corner.[2]
Human interaction
Muriwai has traditionally been of large importance to Māori as a food source and is recognised as a wāhi taonga (place of significance) for local Hapū. The lagoon is associated with local legends, which hold that a person named Tuna-o-ruka-i-te-raki descended from heaven to live in the lagoon as a serpent. This serpent was said to have been captured and dismembered by residents of a local village and its parts cast into the water, where the parts became various species of eel known to Māori.[4] Māori access to Muriwai for food gradually decreased as European settlement surrounding the lake increased, causing the quality of natural resources managed by local hapū at the lagoon to decline.
In 1998, control of the lakebed and surrounding area were vested in Ngāi Tahu with the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, part of a landmark Treaty of Waitangi settlement which also included the renaming of the lagoon to its current dual name. This began a new period of Māori engagement with the lagoon, culminating in the 2016 publication of a joint management plan with Environment Canterbury to support the restoration of the original wetland environment in the area.[4] The lagoon is also popular with hunters and fisherman, with pre-established maimai for waterfowl hunting expressly protected from removal by the Ngāi Tahu Settlement Act.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai". LAWA.org.nz. Environment Canterbury. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d McCombs, Kate. "Wetland Report: Coopers Lagoon (Muriwai)" (PDF). Canterbury Maps. Environment Canterbury. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ a b Kirk, R.M; Lauder, G.A (2000). "Significant coastal lagoon systems in the South Island, New Zealand : coastal processes and lagoon mouth closure" (PDF). Science for Conservation. Department of Conservation. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Te Mahere Whakahaere o Muriwai o Whata (Muriwai / Coopers Lagoon Management Plan)". Environment Canterbury. Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Taumutu Rūnanga. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "Mana Recognition". Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "Fishing in Coopers Lagoon / Muriwai". fishbrain.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.