As the end of the year draws to a close Te Ara Kākāriki are looking back on a wonderful year of achievements and would like to extend our gratitude to our funders, landowners and volunteers who have joined us to make these happen.
In mid-September we planted our 100,000th native seedling at Joyce Reserve in Glentunnel. We celebrated with a gathering of partners and supporters including Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage, Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton, ECan Principal Biodiversity Officer and former Te Ara Kākāriki trustee Frances Schmechel, Selwyn Waihora Water Zone committee chair Les Wanhalla and Reserve committee member Phillip Shaw who were each assisted by Glentunnel Primary School students to plant a Podocarpus tōtara to mark the occasion.
Continuing with the milestones, a month later we planted our 100th Greendot bringing the total number of Greendots at the end of the season to 104.We are now preparing for next year’s planting season, putting in plant orders and applying for funding to continue our work.
We are pleased to have been given the go ahead to begin planting next year at what will be our first legacy site. So far the Greendot plantings we have assisted with have been between 500m2 and one hectare (10,000m2) in size, but for several years the trust has been on the lookout for a larger Greendot project that could support a larger core area and more diverse ecosystem. Details are still being finalised, but this will be the first of multiple legacy sites and the first stage is locked in for a public Canterbury Plantout and a Kids Discovery Plantout Day in 2021. The 3.5-hectare site will eventually contain 20,000 native plants and be a valuable steppingstone in the Canterbury Greenway. Look out for further updates next year to see how you can get involved.
Read on to see a summary of our 2020 Canterbury Plantouts and Kids Discovery Plantouts and to find out about the great pest control efforts happening at Yarr’s flat.
Ngā mihi,
Peter Joyce
Co-Chair
Founding trustee member Ian Spellerberg cuts the cake to celebrate the planting of 100,000 native seedlings
Mayor Sam Broughton plants one of five special tōtara at Joyce reserve with Glentunnel School students
Volunteer Pest Control programme at Yarrs Flat
Denise Ford, Selwyn District Council Biodiversity Officer
Yarrs Flat is a 286 ha Department of Conservation Wildlife Management Reserve on the northern shore of Te Waihora / Lake Ellesmere. The reserve has been identified as having outstanding value for wading birds and is an important habitat for the Australian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus). The bittern is classified as Threatened-Nationally Critical. The New Zealand population was estimated to be less than 900 birds in 1980s and numbers are in decline through loss of habitat and predation. Te Waihora is an important feeding and breeding ground for these cryptic birds.
In 2019 a trapping program supported by the Waihora Ellesmere Trust and the Department of Conservation started at the reserve. The goal of the program is to reduce the number of predators that predate on native birds especially chicks and eggs.
Traps were purchased by the Waihora Ellesmere Trust through a Rata Foundation grant plus a generous contribution of $1000 from Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway Canterbury Trust. Twenty-seven DOC200 traps and five trapinator traps were purchased and put out around the boundary of the reserve. The main targets of these kill traps are stoats, weasels, rats (DOC200) and possums (trapinator).
Pest
Number caught
Hedgehog
9
Mouse
10
Rat
22
Stoat
14
Weasel
13
Possum
17
Total
85
The diagram shows trap positions while the table above shows the number of pests caught since 2019.
A number of volunteers check the traps generally on a fortnightly basis. We have had a number of issues: the first one being two traps stolen the first week they were out! Mice have been a problem in that they eat the bait, generally they are too light to set the DOC200 trap off. To solve this problem, we have placed mice traps in the DOC200 box and have caught a few mice. We now have covered the bait with wire netting to stop mice access to it which seems to be working. The area can be challenging as it can get very wet in winter so gumboots are a must.
If you are interested in being part of the trapping program at Yarrs Flat Reserve or would like more information on other projects in the Selwyn area please contact me at denise.ford@selwyn.govt.nz.There are other ways you can help the Predator Free NZ movement for example trapping on your property. The Predator Free NZ website is a good place to get information https://predatorfreenz.org/get-involved/backyard-trapping/
The 2020 Te Ara Kākāriki Plantout Season
Despite a few restrictions, postponements and needing to make plans A, B and C for various reasons, the 2020 planting season has been a great success. This year we planted more than 22,500 native seedlings at 25 planting events including the Canterbury Plantouts, Kids Discovery Plantouts and other corporate and community days. With support of Selwyn students, volunteers from Selwyn and Christchurch and our funders we were able to add 16 new Greendots to the Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway creating valuable stepping stones and habitat for our native birds and wildlife.
Celebrating 100,000 native trees and 100 Greendots The big highlight of the year was reaching the milestone of planting our 100,000th seedling which we celebrated with a gathering of partners, funders, local leaders and Glentunnel Primary School at their local Kids Discovery Plantout site Joyce Reserve.
Trust Co-Chair Craig Pauling addressed guests at the reserve, acknowledging the community and leaders for their support on the journey. The story of the trust he said was “a story of vison, collaboration and perseverance.” In the early 2000’s “people thought we might be a bit crazy.” The first reaction when approaching one group about planting on their site was why? “It was a struggle at the start, it was tough to find funding” Craig said, (Funders) “only wanted to protect remnants, we wanted to add to them, create the remnants of tomorrow, to recreate the corridor that was there in the past.” Since then we’ve received support from many people and organisations who share our goals to restore biodiversity and we are encouraged by the growing support each year.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage congratulated Te Ara Kākāriki, “getting to 100,000 trees is a magnificent achievement and an awful lot of hard mahi.” She acknowledged the contribution of the landowners, nurseries and all involved as there is a lot of work put in before and after the planting of each seedling.
Te Ara Kākāriki have been planting with Glentunnel School at the Joyce Reserve Greendot for four years, adding to work of the Coalgate/Glentunnel Reserve Committee. There is now a great mix of young and established native plantings at the site, making a stunning recreation and picnic spot just off State Highway 77 beside the Waikirikiri/Selwyn river.
Minister Eugenie Sage, Mayor Sam Broughton, Selwyn Waihora Zone Committee Chair Les Wanhalla, ECan’s Frances Schmechel and Reserve Committee Chair Phillip Shaw planted a tōtara each with the help of Glentunnel students and founding trustee Ian Spellerberg cut the cake which was shared among guests . The students later planted another 250 native seedlings as part of their Te Ara Kākāriki Kids Discovery Plantout day.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage and Te Ara Kākāriki Co-Chair Craig Pauling address guests
Five special tōtara were planted to mark the planting of 100,000 native seedlings
October 3rd, Self Drive Public Plantout, West Melton
About 50 volunteers showed up for a delicious morning tea at Nut Point Centre, where the owner has been planting for several years and is onto his second year of planting with Te Ara Kākāriki. 600 eco-sourced dry woodland plant community species were planted at the site including kanuka, ribbonwood and tōtara. Guests can see the Greendot when attending one of the many music performances and art exhibitions held at Nut Point Centre during the year.
Families with young children, a group of high school students, friends and individuals attended the day, many on their third or fourth planting with Te Ara Kākāriki. One gentleman on his first plantout pointed back proudly saying “that is the first plant I ever planted” as he planted his tenth native seedling of the day.
In the afternoon the group headed to a Bells Road property where the owner is planning a four year planting project to restore biodiversity in his local community. The site was also suited to a Dry Woodland plant community so over 500 native seedlings were planted including mikimiki (coprosma), hohere (lacebark) and kōwhai.
The afternoon turned out to be quite hot so volunteers were grateful when the land owner brought out iced drinks with afternoon tea providing some relief. An international student who was close to returning home to Japan said “this is the perfect way to finish off my New Zealand experience.”
Corporate Plantout day in Bankside
Staff groups from Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), Ravensdown and Dairy NZ joined Te Ara kākāriki to plant 1,000 native seedlings at a Bankside grazing farm. About 45 volunteers dug in at the restoration site, adding to two years of previous plantings. Staff from ESR and Ravensdown had planted at the spring-fed site in the first year on a horrific day of rain and sleet in a hard to dig area so they were pleasantly surprised to see the earlier plantings growing well and to find this year was easy digging. This part of the eight year restoration project is sometimes submerged so plants from the Swamp / Wetland plant community such as carex species, harakeke (flax), manuka and te kouka (cabbage tree) were planted. Water from the spring will filter through the wetland before it goes underground where it will eventually end up in the nearby Rakaia River. With such a great turn out and a great attitude from everyone involved the group finished planting a few hours earlier than expected.
Each of these organisations give their staff a day each year to volunteer in the community. If this sounds like something your workplace might enjoy check out: https://www.kakariki.org.nz/how-to-help/staff-planting-days/
Kids Discovery Plantouts in 2020 2020 has been a very busy year for the Kids Discovery Plantout Programme with sixteen schools taking part in educational planting days, learning about a local ecosystem.
The Kids Discovery Plantout day is a collaboration with enviroschools offering a full day of hands on learning. Activities offered in 2020 included searching for terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, learning about rongoā rakau (native flora herbal preparations), learning the skills to weave harakeke, propagate native seedlings and monitor pests.
Ahuriri Lagoon / Kids Discovery Plantouts
Ahuriri Lagoon is a constructed wetland designed to improve water quality in the Huritini /Halswell River restoring biodiversity and mahinga kai values. Whakaora Te Waihora invited five schools to spend a day at Te Ahuriri to learn about this special project and help Park Ranger Greg Stanley create a native forest habitat. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on numbers one school could not take part this year so will do so next year instead.
Students had a chance to investigate long finned tuna / eels, fish living in the Halswell River and discuss the effect of pollution on aquatic life. They learned how wetland plants can improve water quality by stripping out the nutrients and trapping sediment.
Students considered ways that Māori value the wetland, and some students had an opportunity to learn harakeke weaving with Aunty Daphne O’Connell from Ngāti Moki Marae, creating fish and flowers.
Groups from each school will return to the site next year to monitor the plants, recording growth and survival. They will also observe biodiversity at the site such as which aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates are present and do bird counts.
The site is located between Tai Tapu and Motukarara and can be viewed by the public from the rail trail. For more information see: https://www.ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/zone-news/selwyn-waihora/milestone-for-ahuriri-lagoon-wetland-project/
Springfield School Kids Discovery Plantout Springfield School students enjoyed a great day of learning and planting at Tawera Reserve just across the road from their school. Formerly a gravel pit, the site is being transformed into a recreational reserve with bike tracks, and a picnic area.
The students worked hard to plant 500 eco-sourced native shrubs and trees in the south-east corner of the Reserve. Species included hebe, harakeke, kōwhai and mikimiki around the edges and tawhai, pokaka, horoeka and houhere in the core.
Jocelyn Papprill, Environment Canterbury Youth Engagement Advisor helped the students investigate what is living in the nearby waterway and how this can indicate water quality. The students found mayfly nymphs, cased and free-living caddisflies in the stream and water race. They also found horsehair worms, snails and fly larvae. Jocelyn said the students were really interested in life in the waterway and were a delight to teach.
A special thanks to Trees for Canterbury for donating 100 seedlings for this site.
Mayor Sam Broughton joined in with the planting
Lost Property
These drink bottles were left at one of our plantouts. Email office@kakariki.org.nz so we can return them to you.
Thanks to our supporters
Our mailing address is: Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway Canterbury Trust
PO Box 69148, Lincoln 7640
