Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Freyberg GATE 2013

This year the Freyberg GATE team is going to be investigating issues facing the Manawatu River. Our river has been described as "one of the most polluted in the western world". Some support this claim and others fiercely dispute it. Before starting to think about the issues I'd be interested in hearing what the river means to you.

For me personally, I live in Aokautere and I am able to walk across a couple of paddocks to enjoy the river, usually for swims on a hot day with my family. I sometimes wonder if the river is safe to swim in, given what I've read and I'm not 100% sure but it doesn't stop me going in. That said, I'd love to be able to swim in it and be confident it was healthy to swim in. Another important place for me with the river is the Manawatu Estuary. I spend lots of hours down here each year following the coming and going our of migratory shorebirds and the other species that make the estuary their home. It's a pretty amazing place that sometimes needs a closer look to be appreciated - don't get put off by it just looking like mudflats, it is a RAMSAR site for a good reason.

So, how about you?

8 comments:

  1. Kate.
    The Manawatu River is very important to me. I love to swim but do not want to swim in the river becasue it is so dirty. I also love wildlife. All of the fish that live in the River are dieing becasue of low oxygen levels in the water, which is casued by the river being dirty. I would love to see it cleaned up.

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  2. I love the Manawatu river, even though its dirty, because its so pretty to ride alongside on the bridal track, with the sun setting. Its a shame its so dirty because if it got cleaned up, I would probably be in there most weekends swimming. I think usually think of farmers waste when i think of the manawatu river. I have heard a lot of stories saying thats the main reason its dirty. Manawatu River needs to be cleaned up.

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  3. The Manawatu River is held with strong value in the community. Around it are wrapped a number of myths and legends that hold significance in the cultural worth of the Manawatu. I love hearing of and reading local legends, and the stories of how the river was formed are some of my favourite. It is also a great place to cool down on a hot day. I love biking to the part of the river near the saddle in Ashhurst and swimming there. I’ve never put much credence into the claims of its pollution, as if it will pose any health problems, it has yet to show. It would be nice to have total peace of mind on the matter though.

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  4. I did a report on the Manawatu River last year for Social Science. When I searched up what made it polluted was the waste from the farms. I think everyone would love if the river got cleaned up, it would make people a whole lot happier I think :) It would be a great sight also, yay for clean rivers I say! ;D

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  5. When I think of the Manawatu River, I think of pollution, based on all the stories and reports I hear. I enjoy swimming in the river & biking alongside it on the Bridle track, but it would be great to be able to swim in it with confidence, knowing that there's nothing wrong with the quality of the water. It's a very important part of our region for many people & it's something that we should appreciate & look after.

    - Michael

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  6. My family and I have always enjoyed swimming at the river, but since it is supposedly so polluted we have always had to travel far upstream where the water is much cleaner, but also so COLD! I would also love to see more fish and wildlife, such a shame that the levels of oxygen are so low and its so dirty. Farmers should be more considerate occurding to claims of the rivers pollution. Lets help clean our river up!

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  7. I live right up against the river bank so I am quite familiar with the river as its just out our back gate. I like to walk the dogs down there and let them play in the river. If the river was safer then I would be more likely to swim in it as well, but at the moment there are too many sources of pollution in it.

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  8. I love the manawatu river it feels good to know that there's a water source nearby even if that nearby is a couple of kilometers away and it looks beautiful from a distance even if it isn't entirely clean. All the polluting going on really is a problem and it's kinda scary to think about what might happen to it in the future but if it were to get better then I might swim in it every now and then. It's kinda a shame I can't already.

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