Media Release
4 July 2016

A Big Thanks To Helping Hands with Plantings

More than 400 Hawke’s Bay people are to be thanked for their efforts with environmental enhancement projects and add around 10,000 native plants to the landscape.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council organised and supported six planting days over five weekends in late May and June.

“We couldn’t achieve such a great result without the helping hands of volunteers, young and old, who turned up for one or more of these planting days. The unseasonably warm, sunny weather helped get people out on our waterways, and the rain has been a timely relief to help these plants get established,” says Antony Rewcastle, HBRC’s Open Space Development Officer.

The planting events were mostly alongside the Karamū Stream and tributaries. The catchment is the focus for the enhancement plantings aimed at improving water quality, providing shade and shelter for birds, and enhancing a corridor for wildlife across the plain.

The new community plantings can be seen at Whakatū, Ruahāpia, Crosses Road Bridge, Poukawa Stream, and Kohupātiki.

“Some great leadership was shown by young people this year, with Taradale High School students and William Pike Challenge participants being ambassadors for their schools and communities,” says Mr Rewcastle.

As well as the public events, seven local schools and a child care organisation pitched in too, with their own, smaller planting days - Fairhaven, Hastings Intermediate, Hastings Central, Poukawa, Takitimu, Mahora and Hastings Christian Schools, plus Porse childcare.

At Taipo Stream, Hohepa residents will soon be finished with their enhancement planting project alongside the recently reshaped waterway. Hohepa have been working with HBRC on this project over the past 6 weeks.

There are still opportunities for people to give a helping hand to winter plantings. At Mahia, the Whangawehi project has planting days on 9 and 16 July. Details on www.whangawehi.com.

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