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The site was identified as important in 2014 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Wrybill Anarhynchus frontalis	VU	breeding	1996-1997	14-17 nests	A1, A4i
Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri	NT	breeding	1995-2010	961-1,624 breeding pairs	A1, A4i
Black-fronted Tern Chlidonias albostriatus	EN	breeding	1975-2010	202-470 breeding pairs	A1, A4i

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2014) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2014. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1932	Waiau Rivermouth	Scenic Reserve	<1
1987	Pacific Ocean Foreshore Waiau Rivermouth	Stewardship Area	1
1987	Mason Waiau Riverbeds	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Waiau Riverbed Spotswood	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Hope Riverbed east of Bridge	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Garden Island Waiau River	Stewardship Area	-
1987	Spotswood	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Cabbage Tree Island Waiau River	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Lottery Riverbed Mason River Confluence	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Waiareka Downs	Stewardship Area	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland		major (>10)
Introduced vegetation		major (>10)
Shrubland		major (>10)
Wetlands (inland)		major (>10)
Forest		minor (<10)
Marine Intertidal		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Waiau River (New Zealand). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/waiau-river-iba-new-zealand on 22/11/2024.