Monitoring coastal sites on Rabbit Island adjacent to sludge disposal areas to assess for impacts. Temporal coverage: 1996-2008 (on-going) Number of sites: 12 transects Waimea Estuary Sampling Frequency: 5 yearly Bi-annual visual inspections until 2003 & then not until 2006 Main marine environment sampled: Estuarine Depth zone: Intertidal Sediment type: Soft Community association: Mud Sampling method: Sediment and macrofaunal cores, shellfish collection, field observations Parameters collected: Sediment, shellfish, epi- & in-fauna, macrophytes Measured variables: Sediment: N&P concentrations, particle size, metals, organic content; Shellfish: metal content, faecal indicator bacteria; Community: epi- & in-fauna abundance and diversity; Macrophyte: diversity, % cover Species/Community data: Benthic invertebrates, algae Other data collected: Unknown Collection: ongoing Quality assurance: Yes