This report presents the findings of habitat mapping undertaken throughout the Hutt Estuary in January 2016. This mapping exercise documents the key habitats and substrate types within the estuary with a view to monitoring the changes to their areal extent over time. Results of the 2016 mapping indicate there is a high risk of adverse impacts to the estuary ecology due to loss of important habitats such as saltmarsh and a degraded subtidal habitat.

Keywords: Hutt Estuary, sediment, substrate, macroalgae, grain size, mud content, sediment oxygenation, environmental monitoring