Inanga return to Hawke's Bay three years after cyclone

Inanga, a native whitebait species, has been recorded spawning in Hawke's Bay again, three years after Cyclone Gabrielle. The Waikahu wetland outlet was heavily eroded during the cyclone in 2023, leaving much of the bank without the dense vegetation needed for the species. But since then restoration work has been undertaken by the regional council, through a funding partnership with the Department of Conservation and Te Wai Mauri. DOC Biodiversity Ranger Matthew Brad, who made the exciting discovery, spoke to John Campbell.