Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group

29/03/2026

Tributes paid, ribbon cut, sausages consumed ... and now the Annie Currie Viewing Platform at Te Aka Aka Waikuku estuary is officially open.
Three Christchurch friends of Annie Currie, who funded the project through a bequest, believed she would have been delighted with the outcome.

Pictured: Ruth Cochrane, Cos Jeffrey, Dianne Fenwick, friends of nurse, pscyhotherapist, painter and potter, Annie Currie, lately of Nelson.

Special thanks to ARRG committee member Robert Clark who managed the ARRG project and gave his labour to build the platform.
Also to Waimakariri District Council for support and assistance and Deputy Mayor Philip Redmond for official duties at opening.

12/03/2026

Let's Get Writing

Calling all primary school pupils and teachers in the Waimakariri District - the Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group Young Writers' Competition is being held again.

This year there are four sections with writing and poetry for pupils nine years and under and for pupils 10 years to 13 years.

The subject is: “The Ashley-Rakahuri River is a taonga in our community. All life on the river is connected. How can we help the river thrive for future generations to enjoy? "

Great prizes for the section winners and the Overall Supreme Award winner. Entries should be emailed to [email protected].
The competition closes on May 1.

For all details for the competition and terms and condition please go to the ARRG website:

March 11, 2026 Let’s get writing! Have you ever lifted a stone on the river? Have you watched a bird dive into the water? Have you read books about river birds? Do you know what a ‘braided’ river is? There is so much happening on the Ashley Rakahuri River! The Ashley-Rakahuri Rivercare Group (...

10/03/2026

Annie Currie Bird Viewing Platform

An official opening of the viewing platform at Te Aka Aka, Waikuku Beach estuary, will be held on:
Friday, 27 March, 2026 at 4pm.
This will be followed by bird viewing with commentary.
All welcome.
The platform was erected with a bequest from Annie Currie and built by volunteers.

03/03/2026

THEIR HOME IS IN OUR HANDS

This beautiful image features in the latest publication of the New Zealand Geographic magazine.
It takes readers to our webpage. The link is: https://www.arrg.org.nz/fundraiser/
Please take a moment to go there.
We need everyone's help to keep up the river work.
Together we can save the river birds.
Please share.

https://www.nzgeo.com/

31/01/2026

Water, water everywhere

We all know the river was up, and there's been days of rain. Not even the birds liked that. Check out the unhappy tarapirohe black-fronted tern captured on camera as the rain pelted down.
The scarecrow stayed in place as the water rose and the birds and their youngsters stood their ground. A couple of nests were lost.
Pity the jetboaters couldn't give these bird colonies a wider berth.
Nesting is coming to a close for the season. A fair-sized number of tarāpuka black-billed gulls and fledglings and tarapirohe and chicks still around.
Photos: trail cameras and Grant Davey

17/01/2026

Looks like feral cats are breeding along the river.

They have been active at nests recently - at a colony of tarāpuka black-billed gulls and tarapiroe black-fronted terns. Some are adults and others half-grown youngsters.

Hard to pin down the number of eggs and chicks lost but at least now the chicks are too big for cats.

Earlier, nests were wiped out at one end of a colony by hedgehogs and at the other probably by cats that crossed the river, which was a barrier to hedgehogs.

A few feral cats caught so far.
Work goes on.

15/01/2026

River update

We'll be talking on Rangiora's CompassFM tomorrow morning to bring you the latest news and stories from the river. Catch us from 8.10am. Hope you can tune in.

14/01/2026

The adult tarāpuka black-billed gull looks to be in need of some advice.
Clearly the youngster has got something to say.
But the parent hasn't figure it out yet.
Any ideas what it might be?

Photo Grant Davey

06/01/2026

No holiday for river birds

Making life difficult for nesting birds: rats, cats, hedgehogs, kahu, and rising waters - twice. On the 26th and 31st birds had to scurry for dry ground, but luckily most nests had hatched. A couple were lost. Man on the river Grant Davey rushed to rescue trail cameras, see picture.
The tarāpuka black-billed gull adults were in action rounding up the chicks, keeping them out of the rising water.
Just before Christmas hedgehogs found a tarapiroe black-fronted tern colony.
Fortunately four found their way into traps, though some probably got into nests.
It's not common to see them on the river, but drying braids gave them access.
Kahu were moving into the tarāpuka colony but a hastily dressed second scarecrow did his job and they backed off.
Cats have been appearing on trail cameras, one was photographed carrying an egg and an about-to-be-hatched tarāpuka away for dinner. It's a bit of guesswork what damage cats have done when out of camera range.
By Christmas, there were 218 tarapiroe nests being actively monitored. most have hatched now. Earlier in the season these birds drifted around, disappearing for a while. They took a long time to settle on the river.
Photo Grant Davey

24/12/2025

Happy Christmas from this little poaka pied stilt and all the other braided river birds.

And thank you all for your support for the work on the river.

Photo Grant Davey

22/12/2025

As braids dry up there's quite a congregation of birds searching for food.
In the colonies too there can be a mix of birds. In amongst a tarāpuka black-billed gull colony there are several poaka pied stilt nesting and a couple of tarāpunga red-billed gulls. And, seen recently, a dog on the loose.
Photos: Grant Davey

19/12/2025

CATCH AND RELEASE

A ngutupare wrybill is seen catching what might be a small eel, rejecting it and throwing it back in the river. Operations Manager Grant Davey was on the spot to capture the moment.

Birds' Baffling Behaviour

This bird wears the leg band KOWG. This might well stand for Keeping Our Watchers Guessing?

This season she was first seen by Grant on the river on August 23. So, by now most birds have nested, maybe nested again and their chicks grown. We haven't seen a KOWG nest yet.
She has a mate. They have a territory.

One watcher has had two close encounters.
The first time the pair flew in where she was sitting on a log. They made a bit of noise and left. The second time they landed beside her, danced around, chatted and left when a pohowera banded dotterel shot in and broke up the party.
What was that about? They're just nosey, says Grant.

So, we are waiting. Are they going to nest? Or have we missed it?