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    Modelling a small-scale rainwater harvesting system for irrigation using SWAT : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Masters in Agricultural Science at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Liu, Jiajia
    In many regions, the water available for allocation to irrigation has reached its limit and that there is a need to identify alternative sources. Large scale irrigation schemes are available for farmers to buy in in certain part of the country. However, not all farmers will have access to water from large scale irrigation schemes and this has led some hill country farmers to consider the potential to construct their own, relatively small, dams on their properties to capture and store water for irrigation. The major challenge to estimating the potential benefits of water storage for irrigation is reliably simulating the likely volume of water that can be captured. This thesis models the rainwater harvesting potential of a hill country farm in the Wairarapa region (Riverside Farm). Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been selected to model the water harvesting potential due its ability to separate runoff, lateral flow, and the ground water contribution to the harvestable water according to the local topographic, soil and land use properties. This allows the modeller to consider a wide range of scenarios. A SWAT model was set up for the water harvesting catchment (WHC) on the case study farm. The WHC is ungauged, however it is nested within a larger catchment called the Calibration and Validation Catchment (CVC). CVC is gauged and therefore flow data can be obtained. Improved parameters obtained through CVC calibration is transferred to the WHC, this process of donating calibrated parameters to a hydrologically similar ungauged catchment is called parameter regionalization. The model suggests that the storage scheme can meet the average irrigation demand of 43 ha of land 90% of the time. The predicted water harvesting potential decreases with regionalized parameters when compared to the default settings which suggests that there is a risk that some modelling may overestimate the volume of water that can be captured. The economic impact of irrigation was also assessed in this study. The cost of one extra kilogram of pasture dry matter production is estimated to be between 39-44 cents/kg. Nitrogen fertilizer application can increase pasture yield but it is not a perfect substitution to irrigation because nitrogen fertilizer is not to be applied during drought. However, purchasing supplement feed from outside the farm might be a cheaper alternative to building a small-scale dam.
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    A resource inventory for the Ruamahanga Catchment, Wairarapa, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Applied Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2007) Chrystall, Leila Margaret
    Currently, there is concern around various water management issues in the Ruamahanga Catchment, Wairarapa. This concern has prompted discussion among the stakeholders of the catchment about implementing an Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Plan in the area. A prerequist of an ICM plan is to have a detailed resource inventory that documents the current state of the catchment, the level and areas of research already carried out in the catchment, and the specific problems occurring in the catchment. This report constitutes the Resource Inventory for the Ruamahanga Catchment and will serve as a discussion document that can be used by the stakeholders to implement an ICM plan. This Inventory organises information under twelve topic headings that range from land and climate, water resources and land use, to freshwater ecology and public perceptions on the state of the water resources in the catchment. Significant issues indentified in the catchment include; deteriorating water quality in the Ruamahanga River as it flows southwards; a significant increase (~14,000 kg/year) in dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) loading in the Ruamahanga River segment between Te Ore Ore and Gladstone, which in most part, is a result of the Masterton Sewage Treatment Plant discharge; unsatisfactory bathing water quality at some sites on the Ruamahanga River; a lower diversity of freshwater species than the rest of the Wellington Region; current and future land use intensification which is leading to increasing demands for water; and fully allocated surface water zones and groundwater aquifers. Recommendations are provided on how to improve the quality of data in this inventory, and also on how to proceed in the future with the findings of this report in mind. Faced with similar water quality issues as the Manawatu Catchment, stakeholders of the Ruamahanga Catchment should be aware of the outcomes of Horizon Regional Council's One Plan, and observe any success and failures of the One Plan when implementing an ICM Plan in the future.
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    Late quaternary pollen stratigraphy, geology and soils of an area near Greytown : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Soil Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1987) Tompkins, Joanna Olive
    In the southern Wairarapa Valley there are extensive gravel fans, built by the Tauherenikau, Waiohine, and Waingawa Rivers. The fans form the Waiohine Surface which is lapped by a complex of Holocene fluvial, lacustrine and estuarine deposits. At the toe of the fans, peat deposits have accumulated over early Holocene sediments. This study involved; a) detailed mapping of the Quaternary deposits and soils and, b) analysis of pollen stratigraphy from continuous peat deposits in an area south of Greytown, in order to establish the Late Quaternary vegetative and environmental changes in the area. Detailed mapping showed that the c. 6,000 years B.P. Holocene high sea level did not encroach the area as was previously believed. After the formation of the Waiohine Surface c.10,000 years B.P., the Waiohine and possibly Tauherenikau Rivers infilled the area with aggradational gravels and sands. At c.8,500 years B.P. these river systems left the area and, peat deposits began accumulating soon after. The pollen spectrum, dated from c.8,500 years B.P. at the base, to c.5,500 years B.P. at the surface showed that the vegetation in the area suffered little change during the period of peat accumulation. Substantial areas of shrub, herbaceous and swamp communities existed in the valley, in addition to a Dacrydium cupressinum dominated podocarp-hardwood forest. Stands of Dacrycarpus dacrydioides were prominent on many wetter sites. A podocarp-hardwood complex, with areas of Nothofagus existed in the adjacent ranges. Climatic deterioration may have caused the rise in Nothofagus at the expense of the podocarps after 6,000 years B.P. The steady decline of D. dacrydioides with respect to D. cupressinum between 6,000 years B.P. and 5,000 years B.P. however, is a result of local drying around the bog. Fluctuations in vegetation are not of sufficient magnitude to justify the use of pollen zones.
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    Forms and transformations of soil manganese as affected by lime additions to a central yellow-brown earth in the Wairarapa District, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science in Soil Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1973) Rathakette, Pagarat
    The application of liming materials to New Zealand agricultural soils for the purpose of increasing the productivity of pastures is an important soil ameliorative treatment. Specific benefits accruing from lime additions are thought to include the improvement of soil structure and moisture retention characteristics, increased supply of essential plant nutrients, and increased activity of desirable soil microorganisms. Much attention in New Zealand has focussed on the relationship between lime addition and the resultant increased plant availability of soil Mo. The lime and/or Mo requirement of New Zealand soils have been reviewed by During (1972). Recently, however, it has been suggested (N.D. Grace, pers. comm.) that pastures on certain Wairarapa hill country soils can contain a sufficiently high content of the trace element Mn to impair the health and performance of grazing animals, particularly sheep. Such observations have been reinforced as a result of preliminary field trials indicating improved ewe fertility and growth rates of lambs following the application of lime to these soils. Further, the controlled feeding of supplemental dietary Mn to young sheep has been shown to depress their growth rate. It is well known that the addition of lime to acid soil generally results in decreased availability of soil Mn for plant uptake. However, there is very little information for New Zealand soils on the amounts and forms of native soil Mn and the types of transformations resulting from lime application. The present field experiment was initiated to investigate the chemical forms of soil Mn in a typical unlimed Wairarapa hill country soil ( Purimu silt loam ) and to follow any changes in these forms, for a period of one year, following broadcast application of several rates of lime addition. When possible, bulk herbage samples were collected and analysed in order to assess changes in Mn content resulting from lime application.
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    Bull beef systems for Wairarapa hill country : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1987) Journeaux, Philip Ross
    The purpose of this study was to investigate the viability of a number of bull beef production systems integrated with sheep, within summer dry and summer wet Wairarapa ·hill country environments. This was achieved by construction of a spreadsheet feed budget simulation model, based on representative wairarapa pasture growth and animal production data. The model balanced feed requirements over fortnightly periods, with unconsumed feed transferred between periods subject to allowances for senescence and decay. Gross margin analysis was used to investigate the financial profitability of the systems examined, including the base sheep policies used. A survey of commercial sheep/bull beef hill country farmers within the Wairarapa was carried out to verify the assumptions made in model construction and to identify practical problems/opportunities. Several off- farm factors were then considered (eg supply of bulls, availability of killing capacity, United States beef market) in terms of their on-farm impact and the outlook for bull beef, over the next 2-3 years. Following analysis of the survey and off-farm data, several farmers were re-visited individually, and then a follow-up group meeting was held, to discuss the results of the model and survey analysis. The study showed that there are a number of bull beef systems which are viable and profitable on Wairarapa hill country, and that the number of bulls farmed on hill country is likely to increase in the future. while some farmers were achieving levels of production indicated feasible by the model, many were producing below these levels. There is therefore considerable opportunity to increase meat production and profitability on these farms. There is also considerable opportunity, in terms of the supply of bulls, for the bull beef industry to expand within New Zealand, although there are some market uncertainties which could hinder this. The overall conclusion from this study is that the production of bull beef offers considerable scope to increase the profitability of North Island hill country farming, and that this industry will continue to expand.