From fish to farm at Tū rangi Trout Centre
Aquaponics unit to educate and provide produce
Anew high-tech growing system has been officially unveiled in Tūrangi this week, which its owners hope will help to supply the local community with fresh, healthy food.
The aquaponics system at the Tongariro National Trout Centre has been installed as an educational tool to teach the community about topics ranging from sustainability to life cycles.
The set-up has plenty of other benefits, including cleaning the water used in the fish tanks and being used to grow produce.
Aquaponics is a mixture of aquaculture, or farming waterdwelling organisms, and hydroponics, or growing plants in water.
With thousands of fish on-site, the aquaculture element was already well-established at the centre, which was looking for ways to increase its educational opportunities, as well as its sustainability.
When representatives from local hapū Tūrangitukua suggested aquaponics, a system they had learned about from visiting US-based academics, the centre got planning with a New Zealand-based company, Aquaponics New Zealand.
The recently completed system is already getting lots of use.
This week the centre held its first aquaponics workshop, teaching members of the public how to plan and maintain systems in different settings.
The centre has also hosted 250 students in Years 5-8 over two days as part of the Waikato Enviroschools programme. Students learned about topics from freshwater pests to litter in waterways, as well as the benefits of aquaponics, all as part of a World Water Day programme.
The aquaponics system begins with an aquarium tank, which is currently serving as a nursery for young rainbow trout, along with several kōura/crayfish.
The fish create waste that needs to be cleaned out of the fish tank but is also rich in nutrients that plants can use to grow. The wastewater is passed through filters to remove solid particles and break them down into usable nutrients for the plants.
During this process, even potentially harmful chemicals such as ammonia can be broken down into useful ones like nitrogen.
Finally, the water flows into the growing system. Three types are on display at the Trout Centre, including a vertical growing tower.
The leftover water from growing
is clean enough to be put back into the fish tanks, creating what Aquaponics NZ’s Nick Chapman described as a “circular economy”.
“[It’s] taking waste from one thing and turning it into something beneficial for something else.”
Tongariro National Trout Centre manager Bevin Severinsen said the official opening of the facility was the culmination of a lot of teamwork between the centre and Aquaponics New Zealand, as well as their partners, including the Department of Conservation, Taupō District Council and Pelorus Trust.
“Today is a special day for us. “It’s a vision we’ve had here at the Trout Centre for about 18 months.”
The plan, once the system is fully bedded in, is to use the system to grow kai for the Tū rangi Food Bank, said Sam Chapman of Tū rangitukua.
“The reality is: How do we get our food from the garden to the table? That’s why we’re here today.”
[It’s] taking waste from one thing and turning it into something beneficial for something else. Aquaponics NZ’s Nick Chapman