Red Bridge River Park

MISSION OF THE TRUST:

To create and maintain a river park and native recovery centre at the Luggate Red Bridge near Wanaka. The Trust is committed to native restoration, stewardship, ecosystem education, and freshwater research, upholding the fundamental principle that our environment must be protected, restored, and kept healthy, for the benefit of our community of life.

FEATURES OF THE PARK:

Recreation Area: A walking access area on the riverside for fishing, picnics, school groups, and local gatherings, which also provides a safe take-out area for kayaks and rafts.
Native Nursery: Ecological restoration with an on-site native nursery to ensure a long-term supply of plants for the river park, and eventually other river-based projects, without ongoing external funding.

Outdoor Education: Outdoor education activities and studies for schools, technical and tertiary institutions, including kayaking, water safety, freshwater ecosystem studies, and native restoration.

Research Facility: Freshwater ecosystem research and management involving universities, NIWA, and Manaaki Tuna (Longfinn eel group Massey University), to study the impacts of land use intensification coinciding with major changes in national and regional policy.
History Archive: The park is an archaeological site with Chinese gold-mining features such as stone huts and tailings. The Trust will interpret the local heritage resource, including the Luggate punt, the unique Luggate Red Bridge, and Upper Clutha gold-dredges.

Park Riverkeeper: An on-site park caretaker/riverkeeper will work for the Red Bridge River Park Trust, to manage the native nursery, undertake native restoration, maintain the park, and liaise with visitors including school groups, work experience volunteers, and tourists, fostering a culture of stewardship.
Sustainable Structure: The Trust is structured to ensure that the park's basic operating costs, maintenance, and improvements, are self-funded continuously through the lease of a small on-site cottage to a park caretaker/riverkeeper, who will work for the Trust under the lease agreement, providing the park, and the Trust's native restoration project, with long-term surety.