MEDIA RELEASE

19 October 2005

Wai Care flourishes through council and community collaboration

Auckland's Wai Care programme continues to grow, with three new groups joining the programme.

Wai Care is a partnership between councils and the community designed to improve the quality of the Auckland region's waterways.

Mount Roskill Grammar, St Dominic's Primary (Blockhouse Bay) and Gladstone Primary (Mt Albert) have recently joined the programme bringing the number of participating groups to 27.

Councillor Christine Caughey, chairperson of the Environment Heritage and Urban Form Committee, says she's delighted that the schools have joined the programme. "The enthusiasm and passion of the students and teachers bodes well for Auckland city's environmental heritage," she says.

"Wai Care's partnership approach gives community groups the support they need to enhance the health of their local streams, and helps councils and other organisations improve the environment for all Aucklanders.

"For example, Auckland City and Metrowater are assisting Mount Roskill Grammar in a project to revegetate sections of Oakley Creek. The project is also being used as an opportunity to trial the use of a new biodegradable mulch mat, Eco Cover. Eco Cover is made from recycled office paper and is an environmentally friendly alternative to the normal plastic mats used to manage weeds and establish new plants," she says.

St Dominic's Primary will monitor the Whau Stream at the Blockhouse Bay Recreation Reserve and Gladstone Primary will monitor the lower Oakley Creek.

The Wai Care programme has seen another collaborative project come to fruition in Auckland city. Under the Sustainable Business Network's Greenfleet programme, established in early 2004, Greenfleet's business partners and Blockhouse Bay Intermediate have worked together to plant alongside the Avondale stream running through the school. More recently, the programme has been extended to provide plants for a wide-scale ecological restoration programme for Oakley Creek.

"We look forward to continuing and enhancing these partnerships, and hope that more sectors of the community will become involved in protecting and managing our local streams, which in turn enhances our ecological environment," Councillor Caughey says.

ENDS

© Scoop Media