Volunteers are digging in right around the Whau area to care for their local streamside areas, thanks to long standing support from the Whau Local Board.
This support and the on-the-ground efforts of many hard-working volunteers are helping restore these streams, allowing native flora and fauna to flourish.
The board also supported the delivery of several recent Rongoā rākau wānanga in the community. These sessions help increase understanding of the medicinal properties of native plants and the tikanga for their harvest and use.
“While June and July are our prime months for community planting sessions, we really enjoy working year-round with local groups and volunteers to help restore local streams and increase people’s knowledge of native plants” says Pamela Gill, from the EcoMatters Nature team.
Rongoā rākau wānanga held in the Whau have helped attendees understand more about the medicinal properties of native plants and the right way to harvest them respectfully. Credit: EcoMatters Environment Trust
Whau Wildlink
The sessions contribute to the Whau Wildlink initiative. Those involved quite literally dig in to plant trees and help care for the streams, through weeding and rubbish collection. There are even opportunities for water testing, which identifies what animals are living in and near these streams.
“We’re grateful for the board’s support to be able to deliver these sessions. Over the past few months, we’ve worked with a wide range of people, from primary school students, to the Chinese Conservation Education Trust, and local residents. It all adds up to more interest and support to care for our precious awa,” says Pamela.
Late autumn through to the early winter is the best time of year to get young native plants into the ground. The rain in winter and early spring helps the plants get well established before the drier summer months.
There are year-round Love Your Stream sessions running on Wednesdays and Thursdays at various local sites. You can learn more about the health of your local awa and help with work such as mulching and weeding to allow native plantings to flourish. To find out more visit ecomatters.org.nz/volunteer
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