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Landowners surrounding Duck Creek near Snells Beach have collaborated with Whitebait Connection to build a fish ladder to allow inanga and kokopu to access wetland habitat upstream.
Whitebait Connection regional coordinator Sophie Tweddle said the landowners had made two previous attempts to create a passage in a culvert that had been obstructing the fish, but high flows during flood events destroyed their hard work.
Thanks to funding from Auckland Council Healthy Waters, a fish ladder with mussel rope has been installed, which will allow strong-swimming species to navigate upstream.
Baffles, which slow down the flow of water, have also been placed inside the culvert to provide resting places for tired fish.
As part of the project, pine trees have been removed from the banks and replaced by native seedlings.
Sophie says a few mature kokopu have been found upstream, but surveys in coming weeks will be the true test of whether whitebait are able to navigate the structure.
