Appendix 1: Glossay of Terms
Most of the words used in this West Coast Marine and Coastal Environment Report can be found in a standard dictionary. However, this appendix explains some of the more technical words from the report that might be less familiar to some readers. Definitions are drawn from a variety of sources 1
12 Mile limit – an administrative line around New Zealand marking the edge of the territorial sea, generally measured as 2 nautical miles from the nearest dry land (including islands).
Adventive species – an introduced (i.e. not native) plant or animal.
Aotea stone – New Zealand kyanite, a blue/green and white stone that is found in the vicinity of the Makawhio River.
Basin [Tasman Basin] – a broad area of ocean floor, at least partly enclosed by the continental slope or other raised areas of seabed.
Back peg – a marker to indicate the upper limit of whitebait fishing, as defined in the Whitebait Fishing (West Coast) Regulations 994.
Bathymetry – information derived from the measurement of depths in water.
Beach – a zone of unconsolidated material on the coastline, usually extending from the low water line or the surf zone, up to the vegetation line or some other marked change in substrate.
Bedrock – rock that is part of the original underlying geological formation.
Benthic – living on or within the seabed.
Biodiversity – relating to biological diversity and the variety of natural resources. The variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (Convention on Biological Diversity).
Biosecurity – the protection of people and natural resources, including biodiversity, from unwanted organisms capable of causing harm. In this report, the term is especially related to the effects of introduced pests.
Boulder – see ‘Texture’.
Calcareous – of or containing calcium carbonate.
Canyon/Submarine canyon – a relatively narrow, deep depression with steep slopes, the bottom of which grades continuously downward.
Coastal marine area (CMA) – an area of New Zealand generally extending from MHWS (including tidal limits up rivers) out to the 2 Mile limit, as defined under the Resource Management Act 99 .
Cobble – see ‘Texture’.
Continental shelf – the zone bordering a continental landmass (including New Zealand) and extending from low water line to the depth where there is a marked or rather steep descent toward a greater depth.
Continental slope – a zone of moderate to steep slope, dropping away from the edge of the continental shelf, towards the greater depths of the ocean floor.
Deep nearshore zone – a zone in the coastal marine area between the 30 metre depth contour and the 2 mile limit.
Demersal – living on or close to the sea floor.
Ecosystem – an interacting system of living and non-living parts such as sunlight, air, water, minerals and nutrients. Ecosystems can be small and short-lived, for example, water-filled tree holes or rotting logs on a forest floor, or large and long-lived such as forests or lakes.
Endangered species – a species listed as such according to Hitchmough et al 2007.
Endemic Species – an indigenous (native) species which breeds only within a specified region or locality and is unique to that area.
Environmental domains – areas with similar physical environmental conditions, as defined by factors (including solar radiation, temperature, moisture and geological substrate) that have been demonstrated to have high correlations with plant and animal distributions.
Estuarine/ estuary – the part of a river that is affected by the tides. 2. the region near a river mouth in which the fresh water of the river mixes with the salt water of the sea. On the West Coast, estuarine environments are all enclosed parts of the nearshore environment that are connected to the open sea by a channel mouth, and include tidal flat estuaries, river mouths and tidal lagoons.
Erosion – the wearing away of land by the action of natural forces. On a beach, the carrying away of beach material by wave action or currents.
Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – an area between the 2 and 200 nautical mile limits, as defined by the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 977.
Exposure – refers to the degree to which a site or feature is exposed to sources of natural energy, such as waves, tides, currents, wind, episodic or catastrophic events.
Foul ground – areas that are regarded as unable to be fished by bottom trawling, due to the risks of the nets getting caught or snagged (‘fouled’) by rocky outcrops, sunken timber or similar hazards.
Fyke net – a long cone-shaped net that is staked in freshwater and estuarine areas to catch eels.
Geomorphology – that branch of both physiography and geology which deals with the form of the Earth, the general configuration of its surface and the changes that take place in the evolution of landforms.
Geopreservation Inventory – an inventory that identifies sites and features in New Zealand that are of significance to the earth sciences (geology, geography, hydrology, etc).
Gravel – see ‘Texture’.
Habitat – The place or type of area in which an organism naturally occurs.
Hapua lagoon – a name derived from a traditional Maori word that refers to this sort of wetland, which consists of a brackish to freshwater channelised coastal wetland with a mobile outlet. Hapua lagoons are influenced by tides, but mostly indirectly as they are usually enclosed in a backshore dune swale protected from the sea by a barrier beach and low dune system.
Hydrography – a configuration of an underwater surface including its relief, bottom materials, coastal structures, etc.
Hydrology – the science of water, and its movement on, under and above land, and in the sea.
Internal waters – an area defined by the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 977.
Intertidal zone – the zone between the lines of mean high water spring tide (MHWS) and mean low water spring tide (MLWS).
Invertebrate – An animal without a backbone or spinal column. Insects, spiders, worms, slaters and many marine animals such as corals, sponges and jellyfish are examples of invertebrates. Invertebrates make up the vast majority of all animal species; only fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals are not invertebrates.
Maataitai – a fishing or shellfish ground.
Mahinga kai – the customary gathering of food and natural materials and the places where those resources are gathered.
Marine Protected Area – An area of the marine environment especially dedicated to, or achieving through adequate protection, the maintenance and/or recovery in a healthy functioning state of biological diversity at the habitat and ecosystem level.
Marine Protected Area Policy and Implementation Plan (MPA Policy or MPA PIP) – a policy produced by the New Zealand government relating to the creation and management of marine protected areas in New Zealand.
Marine Protection Forum MPF [West Coast MPF] – a forum set up with the primary aim of contributing to the implementation of the NZ MPA Policy within the West Coast region.
Mataitai reserves – areas where the Tangata Whenua manage all non-commercial fishing by making bylaws. Bylaws apply equally to all individuals. Reserves can only be applied for over traditional fishing grounds, and must be areas of special significance to the Tangata Whenua. Generally there is no commercial fishing within these reserves.
Matauranga Maori – Maori traditional knowledge and its associated teachings.
Mean High Water Spring (MHWS) – the average height of the high waters occurring at the time of spring tide.
Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) – the average height of the low waters occurring at the time of spring tide.
Metamorphic rock – rock that has been changed by intense heat and pressure underground over millions of years.
Moraine – a pile of rock fragments carried by glacial ice. The rocks are generally not sorted or rounded, but dumped in vast piles of all shapes and sizes, from finest dust to enormous blocks.
Mud – see ‘Texture’.
Nearshore – a zone extending from MHWS (including tidal limits up rivers) out to the 2 Mile limit.
Ngai Tahu whanui takiwa – the area and boundaries of influence of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, as defined by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Act 996 and the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 998.
Nohoanga – areas adjacent to lakes and rivers to facilitate the gathering of food and other natural resources. More specifically, those sites listed as nohoanga in the Ngai Tahu Settlement Act 998.
Offshore – that area beyond the nearshore zone, from the 2 Mile limit out to the 200 Mile limit.
Pelagic – living in open water, away from the seabed.
Phytoplankton – small, free-drifting plants that live in the sea.
Plankton – small (often microscopic) plants and animals that live in the sea, normally free-drifting and with limited powers of locomotion. Often includes many larval stages.
Plateau [e.g. Challenger Plateau] – an area (in this case beneath the sea) having a relatively level surface raised sharply above adjacent land on at least one side.
Pounamu – New Zealand greenstone or nephrite jade, a stone that is found in parts of the central and southern West Coast. Quota Management System (QMS): means the quota management system established under Part 4 of the Fisheries Act 996.
Riparian – pertaining to the banks of a body of water.
Salinity – relating to the saltiness of water (i.e. the concentrations of dissolved salt).
Sand – see ‘Texture’.
Sedimentation – relating to the processes and patterns by which sediments (mineral or other particles) move and settle within the environment.
Shallow subtidal zone – a zone of the marine environment, as defined by the Marine Protected Areas Policy and associated documents, extending from MHWS (excluding tidal limits up rivers) out to the 30 metre depth contour.
Shelf – see continental shelf.
Shelf break – the line or zone marking the boundary between the continental shelf and slope.
Silt – see ‘Texture’. Slope [see continental slope].
Subtidal – any area beneath the level of the sea.
Substrate – underlying layer or surface of the seabed.
Subtropical convergence – a zone encircling the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere, where ocean currents cause the convergence of warm subtropical and cool subantarctic waters.
Tai Poutini – this refers to a similar (though not identical) area to ‘West Coast’.
Takiwa – area boundary. See also ‘Ngai Tahu whanui takiwa’.
Taonga – treasure.
Tectonic – relating to deformation of the earth’s crust (e.g. by seismic activity such as earthquakes) and the resulting changes.
Temperate – of mild temperature. New Zealand’s position on the globe is regarded as being with the temperate zones of the southern hemisphere, about half way between the hot tropical and cold polar regions.
Terrestrial – pertaining to areas of land not covered by water.
Territorial sea – a zone of the open sea out to the 2 nautical mile limit, as defined by the Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive Economic Zone Act 977.
Texture – refers to the size range of a sediment particle: a standard measure is the Wentworth scale, which identifies (in decreasing order of size) [bedrock], boulder (>256mm), cobble (> 6mm), gravel (>4mm), sand (>2mm), silt (> mm), mud (< mm).
Threatened species – a species listed as such according to Hitchmough et al 2007.
Tidal flats – marshy, sandy or muddy land areas which are covered and uncovered by the rise and fall of the tides.
Tipuna – ancestors.
Topography – the configuration of a surface, including its relief and the positions of its streams, roads, buildings, etc.
Topuni – an area of high cultural importance to Ngai Tahu listed in the Ngai Tahu Claims Settlement Act 998. Literally, a topuni is a traditional cloak.
Total allowable catch (TAC) – in relation to any quota management stock, means a total allowable catch as set or varied for that stock by notice in the Gazette under section 3 or section 4 of the Fisheries Act 996.
Turbidity – refers to the degree of muddiness or lack of clarity in the water.
West Coast – unless otherwise stated, the coastal marine area between Kahurangi Point and Awarua Point, on the west coast of the South Island.
1. e.g. DOC & MFish 2005, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, DOC & MfE 2000, Kingsford & Battershill 998, US Army 984