The planting days took place near to the Lorimas Road carpark, just off Coutt’s Island Road, along the edge of the Waimakariri. Once we arrived a staff member and sustainability advocate from Ecan introduced us all to the project and explained more about the site and the reasons why this project is so important.
Native planting provides a wide range of benefits including increasing native biodiversity, creating habitat for native wildlife (insects, reptiles and birds), stabilising soil, recreating ecological corridors, enhancing water quality and landscapes and providing a sense of place on our rivers.
We all felt incredibly inspired by this challenge to bring back native planting to Canterbury and to contribute to this massive effort in our own small way. After a tutorial in planting and an introduction to the species we would we planting that day, all of the planters grabbed their spades, gloves, protective coverings and mats and headed out to the planting site. Just a short walk from the carpark area, hundreds and hundreds of native plants had been spaced out into planting areas. The crew picked a spot and started planting! The species of plants were varied and were described to us as a general Canterbury forest mix – trying to recreate the environment that once thrived here.
KOWHAI | KAHIKATEA | TARATA | MANATU | TOETOE | HAREKEKE | KANUKA
After digging a small hole in the ground, we removed the native plant from it’s pot (some were rooted in and tricky to remove!). Then placed the plant carefully into the ground and covered with soil, and firmly pressed it in. Coconut fiber mats then were placed around the base of the plant to help protect the roots and keep it stable in it’s new home. Next a protective covering (usually made from cardboard or another biodegradable material) is put over the mats and staked into the ground. These outer cover keeps the plant safe while it grows and protects it from being dug up by birds, tipped over by the wind, or otherwise attacked by the local wildlife. Both the mats and the coverings give the plant the best chance at becoming established in it’s new home.
As a group we lost count of how many trees we planted, but we quickly ran out of plants in our area and had to move to another spot on the site. People split the jobs up so that some people were just planting and others were creating the small covers for the plants. We also paused and chatted with other planters, dranks lots of water and had some snacks. After the planting was finished we headed back to the carpark for a sausage sizzle and some more chatting. It was great to meet so many people taking on the role of kaitiakitanga for our whenua and volunteering their time and energy for this great cause.
If you, or someone you know, is a young person interested in volunteering for their community and making a difference please email brittany@thekindfoundation.org.nz to hear about our awesome volunteer programmes and opportunities!
