Posts in category: Restoring ecosystems

Caroline Williams is a woman in her eighties who loves our natural environment and has been interested in caring for it and enhancing the living cloak of Aotearoa for a long time. She was formerly involved with Forest and Bird but has now chosen to donate trees because she is no longer physically capable of engaging in active conservation work.

Caroline chose to donate trees to A Rocha Wellington projects because of A Rocha’s Christian kaupapa; she likes that A Rocha is caring for God’s creation and community. Her first donations went to A Rocha projects in the Kapiti area and in February 2024 Irene Parminter arranged for Caroline to visit some of the trees she had donated. She enjoyed the day out and was impressed by the dedication and commitment of A Rocha members to the work of conservation and restoration of native bush areas.

Irene suggested to Caroline that in future she might like to donate to help fund tree purchases for A Rocha ‘s Wellington local group joint project with the Kopua Associates at the Cistercian Monastery at Kopua. Caroline is excited to be contributing to this project in a communal space at the monastery and more so as the project team are working to have a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant placed on the land which they are restoring. She also sees the restoration work at Kopua as enhancing the experiences of retreatants by providing an environment of serenity and peacefulness.

Caroline has every intention of continuing her donations as long as she is financially able to do so and hopes that her example will encourage others to do the same.

Thank you, Caroline!

– Story contributed by Helen Bathurst from A Rocha’s Wellington Local Group.

In 2023, a total of 9 regular A Rocha working bees went ahead at Waiu Park. These were supplemented by some extra efforts for specific tasks like removing the huge summer grass growth in January. The May and September working bees were cancelled because of rain, and during winter, our current area certainly lived up to its ‘wetland’ designation. From about 20 volunteers, the average turnout was 9 each month. As a result of several articles in the Wainui News we now have some new members from the Wainuiomata side of the hill. Thanks to Frank Neill for his regular reports in the local newspaper.

In the Autumn, the first task was releasing plants from the prolific growth of grass and reeds over the summer. Near the damp strip by the older trees, fast growing clumps of reeds threatened to overwhelm the multiple seedlings of coprosma robusta and manuka coming through. To prepare for planting, we cleared as much blackberry as possible up towards the path, leaving just a thin strip along the South West-boundary beside the BMX track. Drake, the youngest member of our team, has a knack of finding and extracting buried car parts including tyres, upholstery, door panels and even engine blocks, from the days when Waiu was used as a tip. Some of the largest items will probably be too difficult to shift, and may have to be reburied and planted over.

In June and July, about 350 plants went into the ground. Over the years we have kept to a similar mix of carex, toetoe, harakeke, manuka, cordyline australis and pittosporum. We have received great support from Hutt City Council through Jonathan Bussell, who continues to do a great job distributing plants to restoration groups in the absence of a replacement council Reserves Ranger. In September, Jonathan also gave us first choice of some extra plants, which included 33 kahikatea. These were appropriately spaced throughout the site.

Unfortunately, over the winter, it was obvious that deer had been roaming down from the hills, nibbling on young plants and leaving their droppings. This problem has also been noticed by Forest & Bird teams in the park. Also, In the last couple of months, the reeds have multiplied and present a challenge for next year.

In December, Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry held a reception to thank all the conservation groups in the city for their efforts. He remarked that as a boy he lived near Waiu Park and remembers playing on some of the abandoned car bodies we are now discovering!

It has been great to have the picnic table for morning teas this year. Thanks again to Kapiti Anglican Parish for their donation to make this possible. Special thanks to Penelope and Jean for providing morning tea. This is a time enjoyed by all of us. Most of all, thank you to all our loyal volunteers who have given their time and energy to this project in 2023. It is a privilege to be involved with you on this restoration journey.

Richard Rhoades

Reported by Sarah Woodfield and Beulah Wood, from A Rocha’s Auckland local group

A Rocha volunteers started working with Friends of Oakley Creek in 2008 as our first Auckland project for the local group.  Over the years, we have planted many trees, shrubs, grasses and flaxes along the river bank, and up some steep banks.

The flooding events in late January 2023 poured more water than ever before along the waterways in Auckland, and the water over our creek rose higher than in any previous storm (about 4 meters above normal).  While the built structures (bridges and walkways) took a lot of damage, there was relatively minimal damage to the plants and other vegetation.  Creeks such as this one are part of the stormwater management system.   They are expected to flood in this kind of situation, and the species we plant are appropriate for this environment.

Te Auaunga is about 6km long and is fed by groundwater starting at the Hillsborough Road ridge, travelling westwards across the Auckland isthmus, and its catchment is 40% roads and buildings.  While it has flooded in previous storms, this was particularly spectacular. In one case, the water broke some young trees, and carried a 4-metre bridge balustrade that detached from its moorings over the top of the next bridge before dropping it on the opposite bank. In another area the bridge came away from the bank, but as it was chained to its support, there wasn’t any further damage, and it should be an easier job to re-establish the crossing.

We from A Rocha feel grateful that much of our planting survived, and certainly contributed to maintaining the structural integrity of the stream banks. We believe we are doing work God would have us do, minding the place God gave to humans to live in.

Unfortunately, with the loss of or damage to a number of the bridges, trees down, slips / slumps and logs across the path, Auckland Council has officially closed the walkway in the lower catchment until further notice.

In the grassy foreground of this shot, look carefully and note the recently planted young saplings which withstood, thankfully, the rush of water across the grass. Across the stream, earlier planted trees and a cabbage tree held strong and perhaps held the bank together.

This shows steps down to the stream and, in the upper centre of the shot, a detached bridge. The far side of the stream is where A Rocha volunteers first started planting in 2008.  Some trees fell but many stood strong, appearing to help hold the bank.

This shows one of the bridges, damaged, but held by a chain to stop it washing away and doing more damage (likely a design feature in expectation of flooding events).  To the left of the bridge is the 2008 A Rocha  planting showing vegetation bowed but still intact.

Story contributed by Hana Leofo. Hana is a Venn Fellow who did her work placement with A Rocha for about 8 weeks during March to May this year.
Photos provided by Beulah Wood, Nick Mayne, and Sarah Woodfield from A Rocha’s Auckland local group.

As a first-time A Rocha volunteer, my introduction to the Auckland group was an enjoyable one! I had not participated in any restoration projects or ecological working bees before and so was a little apprehensive around what to expect or even if I had any skills to offer.

On Saturday 12 March, I headed along to Unsworth Heights Reserve, a location the Auckland local group has been regularly involved in maintaining and restoring for a number of years now. The plan for the morning was to release the native plants (wharariki, mānuka, karamū and māpou) in the 60 square-metre area adjacent to the Barbados Drive entrance using cardboard and mulch.

I was greeted at the reserve entrance by the cheery team of volunteers who were already making quick work of the large piles of cardboard and mulch present. After a round of introductions, I was directed to a stack of cardboard and guided to remove the plastic tape from each box. There was an air of joviality as we progressed through the piles and a chance to connect and share stories with each other while peeling tape.

Once all the volunteers who were expected had arrived, we congregated and the Unsworth Heights Reserve volunteer lead, Nick Mayne, welcomed and briefed us on the agenda for the morning.

Following the briefing, I resumed de-plasticising the cardboard, while others started laying the prepared cardboard around the plants. The team worked like a well-oiled machine and once the cardboard piles were diminished and appropriately laid, we began piling the mulch atop the cardboard layer.

With buckets, shovels, and wheelbarrows, we moved the mulch to the planted area and as the hours passed, it was extremely satisfying to see the mountainous pile shrink in response. The gentle hum of conversation as we worked made the time pass quickly and before we knew it, the pile was finished! As I stood back and surveyed the area, my slightly achy arms were well-rewarded with the sight of freshly laid mulch and the plants standing tall in their newly released surroundings.

I would like to thank the A Rocha Auckland local group for welcoming me into the team and I look forward to the next time! And if you’ve been thinking whether or not you should join a restoration working bee, do come along! It’s a lot of fun!