Green Goals with Josh Cole Green Party

Drawing on my environmental science degree, wetlands could be our saviour from climate change fuelled Na Nina flooding events and cyclones.

To put it mildly, we in the Bay of Plenty dodged two bullets over Auckland Anniversary weekend AND Cyclone Gabrielle that took human lives. We are the only region in the eastern north island not to experience any major damage.

These cyclones and major storms will not be the last, nor the most severe that will come about because we did not act early enough 30 years ago. As I write, cyclones Judy and Kevin, one day apart from each other, are also narrowly missing New Zealand but, devastatingly, are no doubt taking many lives in Vanuatu.

Not only do wetlands absorb carbon 30% faster than any other land ecosystem, they could also help our existing burgeoning, ageing stormwater infrastructure by absorbing most of the water in the hills like a sponge before they even reach our cities. Then, in times of El Nino, these wetlands can prevent severe droughts and release all that water into our rivers and farmlands. This is especially what Napier, Hastings, Eskdale and the Horticulture industry in the Hawkes Bay needed recently. It is an economic issue as much as it is obviously an environmental and social issue.

Māori have strong cultural, traditional and historic links with wetlands and rivers. These taonga are spiritually significant and closely linked to the identities of tangata whenua. Water is the life giver, it represents the blood of Papatūānuku, and the tears of Ranginui, the Sky Father.

Wetlands can be very easily created in rural areas. Once potential wetland areas are identified, fenced off and drains taken out, there's nothing much else that's needed because in most cases, they will naturally regenerate. Especially if they were already wetlands areas in the past.

The best local urban example of a wetland is Carmichael Reserve in Bethlehem. Wisely, houses were not built on low, flat land (not what we could say in Sapphire Point, Papamoa East, Tauriko West and Te Tumu). Carmichael Reserve provides many different opportunities. Not only is it a nice place to take the kids to feed the ducks (bird food, not bread), but it is also saving the area from floods as well as droughts, housing our unique local native wildlife while absorbing carbon at a higher rate than any other forest type.

Areas that are sorely needing a Carmichael Reserve solution include Owen's Park in Welcome Bay, Carlton Reserve in Bellevue and much of Poike. Opportunities to enhance wetlands exist around Judea as well as a large area from Waiaka Reserve, through Baden Park and Otumoetai Golf Course, all the way down to the estuary around Beach Road, which was flooded 2 years ago in a pretty minor storm. These are areas that will unfortunately need to have a plan for a managed retreat so that property is not damaged and lives can be saved.

We can even do our own bit in our own backyards. There are numerous how-to guides on the internet to create permeable surfaces for rain to be absorbed into the ground as well as rain gardens, swales and ponds. There are many opportunities for householders to utilise their stormwater. As our city populations increase and climate change causes occasional severe droughts that impact our drinking water supply, water tanks and filters will also be a part of the long term solution.

I envisage cities that could potentially negate the need for the term "stormwater" and instead, use every drop of rain as an opportunity to aesthetically, environmentally, financially, socially and culturally enhance our lives.

The other major crisis that more wetlands will be the answer to, is mass extinctions. Since they are located between dry land and waterways and oceans, they provide the best of both worlds between marine/freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems and therefore house a higher number of different plant and animal species. But that's a whole new column that can wait for another day!