Kaipatiki StreamKaipatiki Stream Assessment

Summary of report findings

The Kaipatiki Stream catchment is largely developed to capacity and has predominantly residential land use (75%) with some areas of bush (8%) and open space (3%).  The stream has been highly modified and significant lengths of the channel are piped.  However the Kaipatiki Ecological Restoration Group (KERP), established by local residents in 1997 have completed considerable work to restore the stream to a more natural state within a large portion of the lower main channel.

Documents

Kaipatiki Stream report PDF (895KB)
Kaipatiki Stream maps (PDFs)

Links

North Shore stream assessments overview page

You will need Acrobat Reader to view some documents on this page, which can be downloaded free from www.adobe.com

 
Length

6.5km

Size Of Catchment 200ha
Vegetation Cover 22% (44ha), alongside most of the main channel and many of the tributaries.
Imperviousness 37%
District Plan Land Use Business <1%
Recreation 11%
Residential 75%
Road 14%
Recreational Use High, known high public use of stream locality.
Receiving Environment Kaipatiki Inlet, Hellyers (Oruamo) Creek, Upper Waitemata Harbour.
Substrate Primarily either concrete or silt/mud, with sections of bedrock within the main channel and Tributary 3.
Natural Wetlands Nil.
Artificial Wetlands Nil.
Periphyton Below nuisance levels.
Macrophytes No management issues.
Macroinvertebrates Indicative of moderate condition in the lower stream, good in the upper sections.
Fish 6 species of native fish.
Potential Man-Made Barriers to Fish Passage to Upstream Habitat

9

Channel Modification Significant modification.  8 of 13 tributaries and the upper and lower main channel all between 8% and 84% modified.
Erosion around Structures 2 structures with slight erosion, 6 with moderate erosion and 1 with severe erosion.
Bank Erosion Predominantly slight throughout, severe at the head of Tributary 2, and minor bank erosion in Tributaries 5B, 6, 9 the true right bank of Tributary 10 and at the head of the upper main channel.
Temperature

Recorded temperatures unlikely to have adverse effects, however summer temperatures are likely to be higher.

Suspended Solids, Turbidity And Visual Clarity Low levels of suspended solids and turbidity relative to other North Shore streams.  Of the clarity measurements taken these were typical for North Shore streams.
Oxygen and Oxygen Demand Variable dissolved oxygen concentrations.
Nutrients Moderate to high nitrate levels.
Contaminants Typical of urban streams.
Bacteria and Pathogens Levels of indicator bacteria indicate the stream is not suitable for contact recreation.
Sediment Quality No data.
Debris

Overall insignificant.  Inorganic debris included dumped circulars and household waste and discarded pipes.

Stream Grouping Group 2, High value low disturbance -
Group 3a, Urban semi-modified 42%
Group 3b, Urban modified 23%
Group 4, Concrete lined channel -
Group 5, Piped section

35%