International Volunteers Day is held each year on 5 December. It’s a day to acknowledge volunteers and the spirit of volunteering, but it’s also a good opportunity to think about ways that you can give back to your community and the environment through tree planting, removing rubbish, controlling pest animals, and removing pest plants.
There are volunteer-run organisations all over Auckland that hold regular events where you can help restore biodiversity and reduce pollution. Here’s a round-up of four inspiring environmental groups from across the region.
TOSSI: Loving the peninsula
Pulling weeds and planting trees can be very rewarding, but even more so when you know you are helping make safe habitats for species not seen on mainland Aotearoa in decades (or even longer).
Knowing takahē, kiwi or tīeke live in a forest you helped plant is immensely satisfying. Tawharanui Open Sanctuary society partners with Auckland Council to protect the open sanctuary at Tāwharanui where recreation, conservation and farming are integrated in a popular regional park.
“People come along to volunteer for a variety of reasons,” says TOSSI chairperson Sally Richardson. “They do it because they enjoy Tāwharanui and can see that Auckland Council needs a lot of help to keep it going. There’s also the social side of it – you meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends.”
Sally says another benefit of volunteering is that it provides opportunities for lifelong learning, such as developing skills propagating native plants. Much of the retired pasture in the park is being replanted with natives, and the organisation has a 25-50 year plan to create 350 hectares of native forest and wetland in the 588-hectare park.
TOSSI’s 250-strong volunteer crew are assisting Auckland Council towards a shared goal of regenerating 350 hectares of native and wetland forest on the peninsula.
Volunteers in the nursery learn how to collect seeds from local plants, germinate them and grow them. Currently the nursery grows 20,000 plants per year, and Auckland Council and TOSSI hold planting days throughout the winter months that are attended by hundreds of people.
Thanks to the assistance of volunteers – and a 2.7km predator-proof fence that was erected on the peninsula in 2004 – 16 native species including takahē, North Island brown kiwi and forest and green geckos have either returned or been successfully reintroduced to the park. However, there are still chances for rats or other pests to enter the park in people’s cars, camping gear or boats, so volunteers also check and bait Auckland Council traps and check the predator-proof fence for any breaches.
One of the coveted volunteer jobs here is helping the council monitor bird species that are introduced to the park, including counting kiwi calls and pāteke (brown teal) numbers. You can even monitor wētāpunga (giant wētā) numbers if you’re game!
TOSSI runs activity days on the first Sunday of every month where people are welcome to come along and help out. Contact secretary@tossi.org.nz if you’re interested in volunteering.
The North Shore crew cleaning up the beaches
North Shore locals have an opportunity to clean up their beaches every month by volunteering with The Clean Up Crew. Founder Emma Wingrove started the group in 2014 after noticing how polluted the beaches were.
“It’s rewarding, you’re giving back to the community and the environment, and it’s a great social thing to do. It doesn’t have to be time consuming either – it can just be an hour here or there. Even if you wonder if it will make a difference, know that it really does.”
She says that summer is a great time to get involved because there tends to be a lot more rubbish on the beaches during the warm months. Check out their Facebook page or sign up to the group’s newsletter if you’d like to be notified about events.
Other ways you can help prevent rubbish polluting beaches is by taking it home with you rather than trying to stuff it into a full rubbish bin. “If you see an overflowing bin, log a job with the council so they know that the bin needs to be emptied,” Emma advises.
Emma Wingrove (centre in pink high-vis vest) started North Shore group Clean Up Crew in 2014 because she couldn’t stand seeing so much rubbish on the beach and wanted to do something about it.
Pretty and pest-free down south
The Beautification Trust in south Auckland has volunteer opportunities where you can help with pest trapping. Fill out their online form and a Pest Free Activator will be in touch to discuss volunteer opportunities in your community, such as setting and monitoring traps in urban reserves. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, installing one of the Trust’s free traps in your backyard is a great way to help improve biodiversity in your neighbourhood by reducing pest numbers.
Restoring our rivers out west
Project Twin Streams is a large-scale environmental restoration project run by Auckland Council that engages its community in restoring streams in their neighbourhood. By getting involved West Auckland locals can adopt a stream and participate in regular volunteer days to remove rubbish, trap pest animals or help with replanting native plants. Click here to get involved.
Want to make a difference?
More than 500 parks across the region are looked after by volunteer groups. To find an event or group near you, check out Tīaki Tāmaki Makaurau, email mylocalpark@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or check out the Auckland Biodiversity Facebook page. If you’d like to help with pest trapping at a regional park, email myRegionalpark@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Check the Auckland Council website for more information about volunteering in the region.
