News release 12 June 2009

Bringing the forest back to life

This Saturday (20 June), learn more about the stellar work of the Friends of Maara Roa - a committed group of volunteers who've overcome adversity to bring the forest of Cannons Creek in Porirua City back to life.

Friends' founder Sylvia Jenkin hopes to see people from around the Wellington region come to Cannons Creek Valley and join in a Friends planting day, sponsored by Greater Wellington and the Honda TreeFund. The Friends aim to plant 1,200 trees and shrubs on the day, and are eager to welcome newcomers.

"Planting days are fun, you get to enjoy the great outdoors, and you get the satisfaction of doing your bit to improve the environment. And of course we're always on the lookout for more volunteers - every pair of helping hands makes a huge difference to our work."

Sylvia says the remnant forest in Cannons Creek is actually a very precious community resource. "The Porirua basin/Johnsonville area has a population of 80,000, and this is the only accessible piece of native bush on the Belmont hills that provides recreational opportunities close to people's homes."

The Friends formed in 1999 with a vision to enhance and restore the native forest on the Porirua side of Greater Wellington's Belmont Regional Park. Since then, their achievements have been impressive - native trees are returning, and pest animals and plants have been massively reduced. They also grow their own seedlings, saving considerable amounts of money that would otherwise be spent purchasing plants.

But there have been setbacks. In 2003, a major bushfire destroyed a lot of their plantings. However, the Friends managed to make a positive of this by developing "green firebreaks" in strategic places to reduce the risk of major fires in the future.

The Friends' achievements were recognised by Greater Wellington last year when they were joint winners of the Rata Community Partnership Award, a category in Greater Wellington's annual Environmental Awards.

Friends of Maara Roa planting day

When: Saturday 20 June, 9.30-12 noon Where: Warspite Avenue (behind the shops), Cannons Creek What to bring: Strong shoes, warm clothing and any snacks and drinks that you might need. Spades and gloves will be provided. More information: Contact Greater Wellington's Ross Jackson, 04 802 0331 or ross.jackson@gw.govt.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media