Protecting the environment in Peacocke

Project summary

What we're doing

Peacocke is Hamilton’s greatest-ever environmental investment. Gully restoration, wetlands, habitats for native lizards, birds, bats and aquatic life, plus more than 100,000 new trees and plants.

The investment includes:

more than 15ha of gully restoration work - including planting, installation of artificial bat roosts and removing weeds - while making sure trees suit local conditions and the needs of existing wildlife
pest and predator control to protect our restoration planting and native long-tailed bats, lizards and birds
monitoring wildlife behaviour to support resident populations, including native bat research, which has produced nationally recognised discoveries
more than 1.5km of stream restoration to support native aquatic life such as long-finned eels
stormwater management to minimise the effect of urban development on Mangakootukutuku Stream and its aquatic residents
creating around 30 wetland areas aligned with nearby gully corridors, providing larger low-light areas for bat foraging and access to habitats
tailoring planning rules to ensure impacts from future housing developments are offset by environmental initiatives
designating Significant Natural Areas in the District Plan to further protect special places from development
ensuring access to gullies and the river, providing an undeveloped open space buffer zone beyond the top edge of the Mangakootukutuku Gully and Waikato River
designing infrastructure to support a 30% shift away from cars to walking, cycling and passenger transport.

Developers, community groups and landowners will also make investments that support the unique ecological makeup of the Peacocke area and its proximity to the Waikato River.

Why we’re doing it

The environment is at the heart of everything we do. This multi-million-dollar investment will protect and enhance our natural taonga, green spaces, and biodiversity in Peacocke. It will also support an attractive and sustainable environment for people.

This project will

Restore 15ha+ of gullies
Create 30 new wetland areas
Provide habitats for native bats, lizards, insects and birds

Project features

Long-tailed bats
100 bat roosts or 'bat boxes' have been installed to provide roosting opportunities for critically threatened long-tailed bats (pekapeka-tou-roa).
100,000 new plantings
We're planting trees and plants to provide a more beautiful environment for you, and habitats for our precious native species.
Treasured waterways
We’re restoring 1.5km of streams for native aquatic life, managing stormwater to minimise the effect of development on Mangakootukutuku Stream, and creating around 30 wetland areas connected to nearby gully corridors.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the funding coming from?

A lot of this investment is made possible through the strategic infrastructure projects for Peacocke. Other funding comes from Council’s long-term plans and government funding arrangements.

When will the work be complete?

Environmental work is ongoing in Peacocke and will be delivered by both Council and private developers. The completion of major environmental work and restoration depends on the progress of the roading network and other developments in the area.

Why are long-tailed bats so important?

The pekapeka-tou-roa long-tailed bat is a nationally critical, threatened species, which is the highest threat ranking.

Hamilton is unique as it is one of only a few urban environments in the country with long-tailed bat populations living in the city. Council has a special relationship with these fantastic furry creatures and we have monitored their behaviour with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency during the design phase for the Southern Links transport network in Peacocke.

We recognise the pekapeka-tou-roa as a taonga (treasure) of our city that we need to protect now and safeguard for future generations as Hamilton grows.