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Auckland Council has restored a key fish migration route at Te Arai in a bid to help save the critically endangered tara iti/fairy tern, reconnecting Te Arai Stream with inland dune lakes that provide vital feeding grounds for the species.
The project replaces a culvert under Te Arai Point Road that had blocked native fish such as inanga from reaching Lakes Slipper and Spectacle — an important food source for one of the world’s rarest birds.
The project was funded through Auckland Council’s Natural Environment Targeted Rate, which supports environmental protection and restoration work across the region.
Auckland Council senior freshwater advisor Matt Bloxham said the project was critical for the survival of the tara iti, with only 11 breeding females remaining in the wild.
“If they can’t access fish-rich areas like these lakes, we risk losing them forever.”
At the centre of the problem was a culvert beneath Te Arai Point Road. Known locally as ‘Coulters Culvert No. 2’, it had long blocked fish like inanga, a key whitebait species, from reaching the lakes. Erosion beneath the pipe created a sharp drop that native fish, unlike salmon, simply can’t jump.
“Native fish don’t have the leaping ability people might imagine,” Bloxham said.
“Even a small drop or protruding pipe becomes a brick wall for species like inanga.”
This isn’t an isolated issue. Across New Zealand, thousands of small, poorly designed culverts block access to kilometres of freshwater habitat, rendering them lifeless despite appearing healthy from above.
What makes this Te Arai project exceptional is that it was pre-emptive.
“Usually, action happens only after infrastructure fails,” said Bloxham.
“But with tara iti, time is too precious. We couldn’t wait for the culvert to collapse; we had to act now.”
The result is a new box culvert, purpose-built to support fish passage, and barely noticeable to the beachgoers and surfers who travel the road to Te Arai Regional Park.
But for native fish, and the tara iti who feed on them, the difference is monumental, Bloxham said.
The project is part of a broader ecological restoration driven by the local iwi, Te Uri o Hau, who have revegetated more than 1.3 kilometres of the Te Arai Stream. All native plants were grown from seed in their nursery, creating a thriving buffer zone to support aquatic life.
“It’s a quiet achievement in a quiet place,” Bloxham Bloxham, “but it’s the kind of work that underpins the survival of species and the health of our ecosystems. It’s restoration at its most meaningful.”
