The Māori name for North New Brighton and the Travis Wetlands is Ōruapaeroa, pre-European occupation it was rich with eels and bird life, and was considered as an important food-gathering place by the local iwi, Ngāi Tahu,[3] the Māori communal houses were burnt down in November 1882 when an early European settler acquired the land.[4]
In May 2010 the rare and endangered Canterbury mudfish were released into the wetland in the hope that they would become established.[5]
^Tau, T.M; Goodall, A.; Palmer, D. (1990). "Te Whakatau Kaupapa: Ngai Tahu resource management strategy for the Canterbury Region". Aoraki Press. Wellington, New Zealand. pp. 5–24.
^Taylor, W.A (1952). Lore and history of the South Island Māori. Christchurch, New Zealand. p. 48.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Brown, Giles (5 May 2010). "Project aims to re-establish endangered mudfish in wetland". The Press.
