Introduction
1. Introduction: perspectives on advances in New Zealand freshwater science
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Perspective on freshwater science in past
Advances in past 10 yrs
What are the emerging topics/issues?
2. Changes in regional hydrology, water quality and ecology in the last 10 years
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Major hydrological incidents in the past ten years (e.g., Manawatu floods; Waikato drought)
Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation effects on rainfall and flows
Summary of water quality changes in past ten years (from regional council SOE reporting and NIWA national
network). The water quality patterns work should set up later chapters which seek to explain the changes
(i.e., agriculture, forestry etc.)
3. Technical advances in data collection and management
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Sensor technology, real time data, measurement techniques eg ADCP, water quality sensors, soil moisture
technology; electrofishing v night spotlighting, new protocols.
Major networks including who collects what
Availability of databases (e.g. TFBIS)
Important data campaigns conducted since 2004
Evolving standards on environmental monitoring.
Primary research
4. Vertical processes of the hydrological cycle (incl. ecohydrology & models)
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Provide an overview of new research in vertical processes - rainfall/precipitation, interception, land
use/vegetation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture flux
Cover the range of types and scale of vertical processes encountered in NZ
Review the models of vertical processes that have been used in NZ
Review the NZ based research on vertical processes over the last 10 years
5. Lateral hydrological processes
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Provide an overview new research in lateral processes – e.g. ground water flow; overland flow
Cover the range of types and scale of lateral processes encountered in NZ
Review the models of lateral processes that have been used in NZ
Review the NZ based research on lateral processes over the last 10 years
6. “Functional” measures of stream health - Stream metabolism (e.g., functional measures)
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Use of functional measures – stream metabolism, leaf decomp, estimates of primary production/respiration
as health measures, use of isotopic metrics?
7. Primary production (periphyton and macrophytes) in streams
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Advances in understanding of periphyton
Modelling periphyton
Role of shading and invasive species in controlling macrophytes
Macrophytes and nutrients uptake and nutrient spiraling
Use of herbivorous fish to control macrophytes
When do toxic blooms occur in streams, what makes them toxic?
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8. Stream fish communities (migration/dispersal, spawning)
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Advances in our understanding of fish movements & migrations (e.g., otolith microchemistry – fish
movement, GPS tags – eel migrations)
Fish speciation: is fish taxonomy keeping pace with the findings from genetic studies?
The impact of invasive species on stream fishes
Improvements in our understanding of fish habitat use and diel behavior
Effects of flow variability on fish assemblages
The effect of land use change and fish barriers on NZ fish communities
Many freshwater fishes are threatened so how are we combating the decline?
What should managers/stakeholders be doing to improve our freshwater fisheries?
9. Stream food webs (incl subsidies)
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What determines stream food-web structure?
How do parasites and viruses affect stream organisms? (e.g., symptoms, malformations)
How does land-use change alter parasite/virus infection rates and food webs?
Introduced species and their role in modifying food-webs: top-down vs bottom-up
The influence of external subsidies on stream food webs
How might NZ food webs change as climate warms?
10. Primary production in standing waters
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Controls on lake phytoplankton
Relative importance of internal nutrient loads vs incoming loads from surrounding land use
Toxic blooms – what are the key factors controlling their occurrence
11. Lake food webs
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Zooplankton studies
Invertebrates, fish, birds in lakes
Food webs and isotopes in eutrophic lakes (Ellesmere)
Ecosystem & hydrological systems
12. Hydrology and ecology of ponds
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Increased science understanding associated with the growth in the number of ponds used for storage for
individual farmers and by irrigation companies
Understanding temporal unpredictability and the response of freshwater communities
Likely impact that climate change will have on pond community structure
Are NZ pond systems unique?
The importance of ponds as on-farm storage options
13. Wetland hydrology, ecology and management
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Benthic communities in wetlands
Wetland rehabilitation
Advances in wetland management
14. Groundwater systems (hydrology & ecology, incl Cave ecology)
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Advances in knowledge of New Zealand’s extensive groundwater systems, such as new studies on particular
aquifers, water quality and ecology, and groundwater contributions to lakes and their impacts on water
quality.
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Isotope methods in the gains in understanding of groundwater fluxes.
Advances in modelling of New Zealand’s groundwater systems, looking at the successes and learnings from
the application of models to groundwater systems.
15. Hydrology, ecology and management of springs
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Advances in understanding hydrology of springs
Spring energy sources – importance of DOM, isotope work
Biodiversity in springs
Spring food webs
16. Hydrology, and ecology of braided rivers
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Uniqueness of braided rivers
Braided river diversity (inverts, spring spawning, Didymo?, birds)
Recent research on hydraulics processes and modelling of braided rivers
17. Groundwater-surface water interactions (incl water races)
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Research work done on groundwater-surface water interactions
Should include studies on major rivers contribution to groundwater (e.g., Waimakariri and Christchurch
groundwater); hyporheic zone studies in ecology; importance of cool emergent groundwater); spring-fed
streams sources
Instrumentation for detecting gw-sw interactions (eg temperature sensing) (if not covered in
instrumentation chapter)
18. Freshwater-marine interactions (e.g., hydrology, geomorphology & ecology of river mouths & estuaries)
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Hydrology, geomorphology & ecology of river mouths & estuaries plus the influence of river plumes on the
near-shore marine environment (e.g., Motueka study).
Should include urban environment impacts on harbours (eg Manakau & Waitemata harbours).
Issues to cover include sediment; contaminants (e.g., metals and bugs); flow regime on geomorphology.
Issues
19. Climate change (incl. models)
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Underlying hypotheses and evidence of global change
Global climate models and regional models
ENSO and IPO impacts on NZ climate and hydrosphere
Predictions of climate change impacts on NZ fresh waters
20. Environmental flows (hydrology & ecology – prediction, management, incl irrigation & abstraction?)
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Outline the role of flow setting in river/catchment management
Discuss the different flow components that need to be considered when setting flows
Provide an overview of the methods, tools and models that are (or have been) used in NZ
Provide some examples of rivers where flow setting has been applied, possibly in catchments where it has
had a quantifiable change to the biota during the last decade
21. Distribution, impacts and drivers of Didymo dispersal
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How has didymo arrived, what has facilitated its spread, how far will it go?
What was been the impact to algae, inverts and fish (rivers and lakes)?
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What are the indirect impacts/costs associated with didymo? (e.g., irrigation equipment fouling, impacts for
hydro-power, impact to fishery tourism)
What mechanisms have allowed it to invade so successfully, what are the options for control?
What research is still required to improve our understanding of didymo?
22. Invasive species in standing waters
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The role of invasive macrophytes in altering lake ecosystems
Advances in monitoring tools and lake assessment (Lake SPI)
Advances in our understanding of the impact of invasive fish species on NZ lakes
Using invasives to fight invasives: managing exotic macrophytes using introduced fish
Recent case studies
23. Forestry
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Studies showing the impacts of tall vegetation (mainly commercial forestry) on flow regimes, freshwater
ecology and water quality.
Case study of Pakuratahi (Hawke’s Bay) where all were considered.
Consideration of time scale; short-term pain during harvest c.f. longer term pain in pastoral land use.
24. Agriculture
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Why are we so concerned about quantities of N and how much is too much?
Nitrate toxicity
Agricultural thresholds
Advances in multiple stressors – Sediment & nutrients
Case studies: saving lakes from nutrient overload
25. Urbanization
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Advances in quantifying sources and types of contaminants
Stormwater management
What the major toxicity issues in urban systems – what are the solutions?
In-stream restoration (e.g., fish passage at culverts) and potential tools for environmental offsets
26. Mining
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Role of bacteria
New periphyton, invertebrate & a lot more fish studies.
Food webs studies
Predicting mine impacts & impact thresholds
27. Hydro-electric dams (lakes & rivers)
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Key question: How can we manage hydro-dam systems better?
Predicted climate change impacts on hydro-dam management (e.g., timing of peak water supply will be
changing, what effects will this have on riverine environments)
Advancements in our understanding of geomorphic effects
Improving our understanding and response to fish passage issues
Hydro-dams and didymo: a riverine environment double-whammy
Management
28. Natural Hazards (e.g., earthquakes, floods & risk)
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Detailing work done on the impacts of natural hazards and any mitigation available.
Studies could include sediment transport during floods (e.g., Manawatu floods; Motueka study)
Impacts of Canterbury earthquake on groundwater (e.g., springs and liquefaction) and temporarily on
surface water.
Could/should include work done in the Hazards cluster (NIWA & GNS).
Not to include climate change (being covered elsewhere)
29. Water and human health
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Tracking E. coli
Understanding the sources and transmission routes for Campylobacter
Advances in understanding viruses in waterways
What are the major concerns around Phormidium and toxic lake blooms
30. Lake Management (incl. rehabilitation)
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Advances in our understanding of tools to manage systems (e.g., destratification, lake opening regimes,
hydro-electric lake level)
Chemical control (e.g., flocculants)
Case studies of Lake Management (e.g., Lake Rotorua/Rotoroa)
This chapter would not have a major emphasis on invasive weeds, invertebrates or pest fish which would be
covered in Chapter 23
31. Fisheries management
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Increasing need for co-management where sports fisheries need to be managed with respect to native
fishes (e.g., stopping stocking in lakes where sports fish popns are not self-sustaining)
Pro-active fisheries management: protection of certain key spawning areas despite no conclusive didymo
effect (both sports and native fish examples)
Increasing recognition of the importance of rare native fish (e.g., their role in hearings)
Management tools for ‘at risk’ fish species
Risks/threats imposed by exotic species
Possible perspectives on how we might better manage fisheries (e.g., eel quota, whitebait fishery, sports fish
species)
32. Matauranga Māori freshwater science perspectives
 Different methodologies utilising matauranga Māori e.g. COMAR (Cultural Opportunity Mapping and
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Resilience) work of Gail Tipa; Cultural Health index development; state of the takiwa tool of Pauling;
Waikato co-governance.
Case studies of the above.
Could also include reference to Waitangi tribunal claims on water (Motueka and more recent asset sales
debate).
Discussion on how matauranga Māori provides contributes to a different way of viewing water
management.
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The role of matauranga Māori in setting nutrient and flow limits. Current and potential
33. Economic values of water
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Review of studies that have looked into economic value of water bodies and flow regimes, particularly with
respect to water allocation regimes.
Economic section should update the Robb & Bright chapter in Freshwaters of New Zealand.
34. Conservation of freshwaters (e.g., WCOs, WONI, FENZ, Threatened species classification)
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Review of legislative tools used in the protection of freshwaters.
Include case studies of water conservation order hearings/decisions with significance (Nevis with galaxiid;
Motueka with consensus and water sharing; Te Waihora/Ellesmere extending scope);
The use of new tools (e.g., molecular) to improve species conservation and management (e.g., nonmigratory galaxiids)
Trends in the status’ of threatened species
35. Water planning & policy
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Covering the new generation of water plans (e.g., Waikato RC); how they have evolved from the first
generation, more simplistic plans. Needs consideration of 2011 NPS on Freshwater Management and how
limit setting is being undertaken around the country.
The role of central, regional and local government in freshwater management.
Changes to the RMA in past ten years; should include non-statutory policy (e.g., iwi management plans;
CWMS type initiatives).
Glossary
Index
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