On behalf of Hamilton City Council, 4Sight Consulting has undertaken an assessment of significant natural areas (SNA) within Hamilton City (Kirikiriroa). This report provides a summary of the ecological value and relative significance of terrestrial and wetland habitats remaining in Hamilton City within a regional and national context.

The SNA database will assist Hamilton City Council (HCC) in their development of policies, incentives, and rules in relation to their obligations under the Resource Management Act (1991), primarily under section 6c, to protect significant habitats of indigenous fauna and flora.

Based on the findings, recommendations were made on methods to maintain and protect existing SNA and indigenous biodiversity. Those recommendations will be given to HCC, who are currently in the process of a District Plan review process, in which they will take this assessment into consideration.

The data resulting from this project will be held and maintained in an SNA database by HCC. It is important to recognise that the inventory produced for this study is an indicative and provisional data set of SNA in Hamilton City and it is expected to be updated periodically as new information becomes available. In particular, feedback from iwi, Department of Conservation (DOC), Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, other key stakeholders, and data obtained from consenting assessments will provide valuable information which will be used to validate the data.

Indigenous terrestrial and freshwater wetland natural areas were assessed as part of this inventory. Lake, stream, and riverine ecosystems were also included in this assessment, as they form an intrinsic part of the ecosystems within the landscape.

Refer to the report: Significant Natural Areas of Hamilton City District: Terrestrial and Wetland Ecosystems