Mahurangi

MTI Giant Kokopu Release

MTI Giant Kokopu Release In Orewa

In November 2009 MTI provided 30 farm raised Giant Kokopu (Galaxias argenteus) for release
in the Nukumea Stream, Orewa. This project, originally conceived by the aquaculture team in
2005, was funded by the Northern Gateway Alliance, builders of the Northern Toll road, as
part of their policy of environmental remediation.

The Kokopu, which had been raised from eggs at the MTI aquaculture research and training
facility in Warkworth each had a radio transmitter inserted and their movements for the
next two years will be monitored by NIWA via streamside monitoring stations that have been
installed. Provided this trial proves successful, there will be up to 1000 fish released in
2011. It is hoped that this will establish a stable population of Giant Kokopu, a species
that were once common in this catchment but have not been recorded there for many years.

Managing Director, Paul Decker, and TV 3 news crew, with Giant Kokopu prior to their release.

Gateway & STAR Update

NZQA Credit Inclusion for the Certificate in Companion Animal Services

MTI has been granted NZQA credit inclusion approval for the Certificate in Companion Animal Services course. The total credit amount for completing all three courses of this certificate is 56. This means that for those secondary school students undertaking the course through the Gateway & STAR programmes are now able to have the associated credits put towards their NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3.

MTI's Recognition of Contribution to Gateway Programme

For the second year running MTI has been acknowledged for its continuing contribution to
the Gateway programme which runs throughout New Zealand's secondary schools. Open to all
senior students MTI has been delivering the Certificate in Companion Animal Services and its
professional Barista training course to students throughout New Zealand.

Award Success for Hospitality Tutor

MTI A WINNER at The Manaakitanga Awards held recently in Orewa which focuses exclusively on businesses in the Rodney District. 'Manaakitanga' in Maori literally translates to hospitality and these awards highlighted and acknowledged individuals in this industry.

One such individual who received this prestigious award was MTI's very own Kim Pierce, hospitality tutor. Nominated for Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality, Kim is passionate about hospitality and has been making a district wide contribution to the industry for the past six years through his role as a tutor at MTI. In recent months Kim has been extending that contribution to Rodney colleges through the Gateway programme delivering Barista training to senior students.

MTIs Aquaculture Research Team Head to Aussie

New Zealand Redfin Perch Expertise Utilised in West Australian Aquaculture Venture

By David Cooper

On the first of April 2009 two of New Zealand leading experts on the farming of Redfin Perch, Perca fluviatilis, Paul Decker and Dr. Tagried Kurwie of Mahurangi Technical Institute in Warkworth, made presentations to a conference on farming this species held in Collie Western Australia.

The conference was held at the Collie TAFE on April 1 and was organised by Professor Louis Evans of Curtin University on behalf of the hosts the Ngalang Boodja Council Aboriginal Corporation. This organisation is currently establishing a Marron farm at their Ngalang Boodja Aquafarm situated at the Ngalang Boodja mine lake. The thrust of the conference was to look at the feasibility of farming Redfin Perch on the same site as the Marron. Perch eggs would be harvested from the wild and hatched/reared on the farm site to market size thus providing not only an economic benefit but a conservation benefit as well in the form of reduced perch numbers in the local waters.

Mr Decker and Dr. Kurwie were invited to this event as a result of the expertise they and the aquaculture team at Mahurangi Technical Institute (MTI) have acquired over recent years though researching and commercially hatching this species. This activity has lead to the commercial supply of juvenile Redfin Perch to start up aquaculture farms in New Zealand and also to the yearly export of fertile eggs to Ireland for hatching and raising there. Currently MTI are the only facility in the southern hemisphere approved for the export of live Perch and their eggs to the European Union.

MTI has also done considerable work on the farming of Redfin perch in recirculating aquaculture systems with some of this work being in collaboration with the Irish Aquaculture Initiative whose recent publication “Cultivating Perch” a part of the “Aquaculture Explained” series is regarded as the authoritative handbook on cultivating this species.

Also valued by the organisers was Mr. Decker’s’ experience and knowledge of marron farming gained during his time as manager of New Zealand’s only marron farm and as a small scale marron farmer in Queensland previous to this.

Mr Decker spoke on “Redfin Perch Aquaculture at Mahurangi Technical Institute” while Dr Kurwies presentation was on the topic of “Redfin Perch Aquaculture Technology”
The conference was followed by a tour of the farm site which had been opened earlier in the year by WA Commerce Minister Troy Buswell. Mr. Buswell said the Government’s Coal Futures Group had committed $350,000 to the project, which has been in development since 2004. “This is an innovative venture that has turned a rehabilitated mine void into a new enterprise that will provide new employment opportunities through diversifying industry in Collie and the project will demonstrate the sustainable use of old mine voids and could have benefits for a number of industries across the State” said Mr. Buswell at the time of opening.
Wesfarmers Premier Coal has committed $100,000 per year of cash and in-kind work over three years to help develop the project and the aquaculture centre will be run by Aboriginal trainees who have completed aquaculture programs at Collie TAFE.
Following the usual, and in this case very hospitable, social function associated with these events our intrepid duo visited several aquaculture ventures in WA culminating in an extended meeting with the aquaculture team at Challenger TAFE in Perth. This last meeting has resulted in closer ties between them and MTI and the possibility of several exciting joint venture projects.

MTI Fish Assit in Northland Lake Clean-up

MTI Fish Assist in Northland Lake Clean-up

850 grass carp supplied to the Northland Regional Council by Mahurangi Technical Institutes aquaculture research facility were released into Kaipara’s Lake Rotouauru (also known as Lake Swan) on Thursday 14 May in a bid to wipe out two invasive weeds threatening some of the nation’s most precious dune lakes.

The 17.4 hectare lake contains the aquatic weeds Hornwort and Egeria (an oxygen weed) which already form large dense mats in the 5.5 metre deep lake, are smothering native plants and seriously degrading an important habitat for native fish, plants and birds.

The dune lakes in this area are home to the endangered Dwarf Inanga, Galaxias gracilis. This species occurs naturally in only seven lakes in the whole world.

Originally introduced in 1963 Grass Carp are now bred at Mahurangi Technical Institutes Aquaculture education and research facility in Warkworth using technology intensive methods in the laboratory. They are one of the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable options for eradicating aquatic weeds. Grass carp only eat plants, (eating up to their own body weight in plant material each day in summer), are unable to breed naturally in New Zealand waters and have already been used to successfully manage aquatic weeds in many other NZ lakes..

The project, funded by the Northland Regional Council, saw 850 grass carp trucked up from Warkworth to the North Kaipara Head lake and successfully released by representatives from Mahurangi Technical Institute, Te Uri o Hau, the community and local school.

Below: Adrian Paarman, Chief Systems Engineer at MTIs Aquaculture Research & Education Facility, is assisted by a young local community member in releasing Grass Carp at North Kaipara Head Lake (Swan Lake).

Below: Check out the video footage from the day: