The reports describes: 1. The methods of sampling & analyses used based upon questionnaires completed by iwi members. 2. Results for bioaccumulative contaminants, e.g. DDTs, PCBs, heavy metals, arsenic. 3. A discussion of the significance of these results to respective Iwi. 4. Recommendations for future research. Questionnaires were used to survey Te Arawa iwi members about their past and present consumption rates of traditional kai species. Hair samples were also collected from Te Arawa participants to assess possible exposure to mercury, a highly accumulative contaminant. Fish and/or shellfish (including longfin or shortfin eel, rainbow or brown trout, koura, pipi, mussel, flounder and kakahi) and watercress samples were gathered from multiple important harvesting sites in the different regions, and tested to assess their bioaccumulative contaminant levels. Aquatic sediments, which are known to concentrate contaminants on organic material, were sampled from these locations as well. Analytical data for fish, shellfish and sediment samples was collected for a range of organochlorine compounds, including DDT (historically used as a pesticide), chlordane (a pesticide) and dieldrin (an insecticide), arsenic (As),and heavy metals e.g. cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). Eel and/or trout fillets were also analysed for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Watercress was analysed for heavy metals and arsenic only. Highest total DDT (ΣDDT) concentrations in Te Arawa rohe were detected in trout from the Upper Puarenga Stream site whereas the concentrations of ΣDDT were generally much lower in eels. Mercury concentrations in Te Arawa Rohe were generally highest in trout tissue, with the highest concentrations found at the Upper Puarenga Stream. Arsenic, cadmium and nickel concentrations were highest in pipis and mussels collected from the Maketu site and copper concentrations were higher in koura than any other species, with the highest concentrations ranging in Lake Rotokakahi and in Lake Okareka in Te Arawa rohe. The average concentration of mercury in the hair samples of Te Arawa iwi was three times higher than the study reference group and twice that of New Zealander’s who consume 1-4 meals of fish per month. The low number of Te Arawa responders in this study meant it was not possible to analyse potential links with consumption of wild kai. The ANZECC interim sediment quality guideline (ISQG) low values in Te Arawa rohe were exceeded for arsenic and mercury at 55 percent of sites sampled and for cadmium at 10 percent of the sites. The ANZECC ISQG high guideline value for arsenic was exceeded at 15 percent of sites and at 25 percent of sites for mercury. Based on the ratio of sediment to tissue metal concentrations, bioaccumulation “hotspots” were identified at Maketu (for shellfish), the Lower Kaituna site (for whitebait) and the Ohau Channel (for smelt). This health risk assessment using local iwi data on meal size and weekly consumption showed that mercury and arsenic were the primary contaminants of concern for Te Arawa iwi. The risk assessment indicated that there may be an increased risk to members of the Te Arawa iwi from long-term consumption of trout, pipi, mussel and watercress. Current consumption rates for eel are also close to exceeding safe levels. If kai was mostly gathered at the more contaminated sites then a significant risk exists when eating trout, eel and pipi.

The reports describes: 1. The methods of sampling & analyses used based upon questionnaires completed by iwi members. 2. Results for bioaccumulative contaminants, e.g. DDTs, PCBs, heavy metals, arsenic. 3. A discussion of the significance of these results to respective Iwi. 4. Recommendations for future research. Questionnaires were used to survey Arowhenua iwi members about their past and present consumption rates of traditional kai species. Fish and/or shellfish (including longfin or shortfin eel, brown trout, koura, pipi, mussel and flounder) and watercress samples were gathered from multiple important harvesting sites in the different regions, and tested to assess their bioaccumulative contaminant levels. Hair samples were also collected from Arowhenua participants to assess possible exposure to mercury, a highly accumulative contaminant. Analytical data for fish, shellfish and sediment samples was collected for a range of organochlorine compounds, including DDT (historically used as a pesticide), chlordane (a pesticide) and dieldrin (an insecticide), arsenic (As),and heavy metals e.g. cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). Eel and/or trout fillets were also analysed for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Watercress was analysed for heavy metals and arsenic only. High total DDT (ΣDDT) concentrations were recorded in eel fillet from Winchester, Ohapi Creek and Doncaster in Arowhenua rohe. The concentrations of ΣDDT in trout and flounder were generally much lower than for eels. Other organochlorine pesticides were either below the limits of detection, or measured in much lower concentrations than any of the DDT congeners. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analysed in eels from Arowhenua rohe. The most elevated levels of PCBs were found at Doncaster and Winchester. The concentrations of mercury were generally highest in eel fillet whereas arsenic was only present in flounder and trout. The average concentration of mercury in the Arowhenua hair samples was similar to levels found in the study reference group. The low number of Arowhenua responders in this study meant we couldn’t analyse potential links with consumption of wild kai. The results show that if kai was gathered randomly across all sites throughout the Arowhenua rohe, then there is no significant risk to members of Arowhenua from eating eels, trout, flounder or watercress. If kai was mostly gathered at the more contaminated sites then a significant risk exists when eating eel. A number of potential “hotspots” (i.e., area of increased risk) were identified for Arowhenua rohe. From the risk assessment, consumption of eel from Doncaster, Ohapi Creek or Winchester should be less than once per month. Furthermore, consumption should also be limited for eel harvested from Waihi River, Temuka, Opihi River upstream and below Pleasant Point to 1- 4 meals/month. With respect to trout, a degree of caution should be exercised when consuming individuals from Opihi River mouth, Temuka or Orari Ohapi. Flounder from Washdyke Lagoon and Orari Ohapi also represent a risk, with allowable consumption limits of 1-4 meals/month. Watercress consumption risk was highest when harvested from the Opihi River (below Pleasant Point site), with consumption limits of 2.7 meals/month.

The New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI) is a national database of physical land resource information. It comprises two sets of data compiled using stereo aerial photography, published and unpublished reference material, and extensive field work: 1. An inventory of five physical factors (rock type, soil, slope, present type and severity of erosion, and vegetation). A 'homogeneous unit area' approach is used to record the five physical factors simultaneously to a level of detail appropriate for presentation at a scale of 1:50,000. 2. A Land Use Capability (LUC) rating of the ability of each polygon to sustain agricultural production, based on an assessment of the inventory factors above, climate, the effects of past land use, and the potential for erosion. The NZLRI covers the country in 11 regions, each with a separate LUC classification. The first edition NZLRI provides national coverage from mapping between 1973 and 1979 at a scale of 1:63,360. A limited revision regional upgrade of the north Waikato area was completed at a scale of 1:63,360 in 1983. Second edition NZLRI regional upgrades at a scale of 1:50,000 have been completed for Northland, Wellington, Marlborough and Gisborne-East Cape. Third edition NZLRI layers contained a restructured polygon attribute table to allow the core NZLRI to complement the newly created fundamental soil layers with minimal duplicationThe first edition NZLRI provides national coverage from mapping between 1973 and 1979 at a scale of 1:63,360. These data were digitised for GIS retrieval in 1981 (Version 1.1) A limited revision regional upgrade of the north Waikato area was completed at a scale of 1:63,360 in 1983. (Version 1.2) A polygon boundary and attribute validity edit over the whole database was completed in 1992. Attributes to accommodate second edition classifications were added in preparation for incorporating 1:50,000 remapping (Version 2.1) Second edition NZLRI regional upgrades at a scale of 1:50,000 were completed for Northland in 1988 and Wellington in 1991and incorporated into the datbase (not present in this layer) in 1992. (Version 2.2) A second edition NZLRI regional upgrade at a scale of 1:50,000 was completed for eastern Marlborough in 1995 (Version 2.3) A second edition NZLRI regional upgrade at a scale of 1:50,000 was completed for Gisborne-East Cape (not present in this layer) in 1999 (Version 2.4) In 2000, at the time the first generation fundamental soil layers were created, the (mainly soil elements of the) polygon attribute table was restructured so that the two datasets would be complementary with minimal diplication (Version 3.1) Incidental error correction has occurred as necessaryThe multi-factor, homogenous unit area mapping, method tends to result in themes being delineated at lower resolution than a single factor map of equivalent scale. Erosion and Vegetation were often recorded within units defined primarily on the basis of Rock, Soil, and SlopeWhile mapping scale remained constant (at 1:63,360 and later 1:50,000), polygon resolution increased in detail as the survey progressed, and was variably constrained by the quality of source information available to the mapperSurvey date, and therefore currency of data, varies from 1973 to 1998. Rock, Soil, and Slope are less affected by survey date than vegetation and erosionhttps://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/135/ & https://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/48134-nzlri-north-island-edition-2-all-attributes/