Hokianga and Western Kaipara crop-suitability mapping (2001–2003)

Kaipara and Far North District Councils commissioned a NIWA-led project with Landcare Research, Crop & Food Research and HortResearch. The March 2003 NIWA Client Report AKL2003-037 credits Georgina Griffiths, Andrew Tait, David Wratt, Murray Jessen, Malcolm McLeod, Jeff Reid, John Anderson, Noel Porter, Stephan Halloy and Annette Richardson.

The report’s 35-map inventory comprised 28 climate maps at 1:250,000 and seven soil maps at 1:50,000. Climate estimates were made for 500-metre cells using existing station data and terrain relationships; soil information came from mapped soil units. Existing climate, terrain and soil evidence was used rather than a new station network. The report does not identify a named GIS software package.

The GIS overlay and expert crop requirements were used to identify broad potential for peanut, Māori potato, mānuka for oil, banana, mate tea, avocado, cherimoya, fig, blueberry and hydrangea. The project aimed to give the community an understandable regional evidence base and focused follow-up investigations, not site-specific production advice. Results were available through two public libraries and both councils. The report said Internet publication was hoped for, not yet completed.

NIWA’s later programme page describes separate Western Kaipara/Hokianga, Tararua and Gisborne suitability projects from 2003 onward and possible web- or CD-based map interrogation. It does not date a particular electronic release, so that later distribution format is not assigned to the 2003 Northland report.