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28 June 2023, 8:32 AM
Te Maire Lagoon in Shannon was a hive of activity recently, as Horizons Regional Council’s freshwater team and students from local schools mucked in for a planting day as part of an iwi-led freshwater project.
The planting day on Wednesday 14 June was coordinated by Robert Ketu of Te Roopu Taiao o Ngāti Whakatere Trust. The trust received funding through the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord Freshwater Improvement Fund for their project which aims to restore the lagoon to the flourishing wetland it once was. “We’re trying to restore the mauri of this area, which used to be a wetland, as it’s been so redeveloped over time,” says Mr Ketu. “The trust is the environmental arm for Ngāti Whakatere. We act as the kaitiaki (guardians) of the area. Part of our role is to whakamana to ta to whānau ngāti whakatere – that is, to uplift, uphold and support the spiritual, psychological, and physical wellbeing of our whānau, and within the environment.” Horizons’ environmental programme coordinator freshwater Lucy Ferguson says May through July is the perfect time to do riparian planting, which is a key way to improve the health of waterways and streams. “Planting along waterways helps to filter out the unwanted nutrients in effluent runoff from surrounding paddocks, resulting in cleaner water. It even fertilises the plants in the process, creating a stronger barrier to erosion,” says Ms Ferguson. The day involved excited hordes of students from Shannon School, Foxton Primary School, Poroutawhao School and St. Peter’s College. Armed with bright orange shovels and correct planting technique as demonstrated by Ms Ferguson, they got to work planting a mixture of natives, including tōtara, harakeke (flax), tarata (lemonwood) and more. Ms Ferguson said that members of Te Roopu Taiao o Ngāti Whakatere Trust had weed-eated the spots to make the planting easier, and dug several hundred holes the day before. “This is the third year in a row Horizons has been involved in planting at this site, and Shannon School has been to each of these. It’s a really special and valuable learning opportunity for the kids. When they return to the site each year they get to see how last year’s plants are doing, and learn why their planting is important,” she says. Mr Ketu is optimistic about the trust’s future plans for the area, and wants to keep working with Horizons as they continue their restoration project. “In the future, we’d like to put an observational station and educational signs here for kura to teach them about the history of the area. We want to work with Horizons to identify some of the native fish species in the lagoon, and improve the health of the lagoon enough to use it as a nursery for all the tuna (eel) species that are in this area. Adding some water flow back into the lagoon to allow fish to migrate is also on the to-do list,” he says. Ms Ferguson says these projects are a great way for groups to create positive change in their communities, and encourages those with similar projects to apply for this year’s funding round before it closes. “This planting day is part of a community grant funded project from the Freshwater Improvement Fund, administered by the Ministry for the Environment, through the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord. This year, funding is available to freshwater projects through our Regional Freshwater Community Grant,” she says. “Community groups with projects like this, or other innovative ideas for improving freshwater, can apply for funding on the Horizons website at horizons.govt.nz. The funding round closes on Friday 30 June at 5pm. If you have any questions, our team are always happy to help - just give us a call at 0508 800 800 and ask for the freshwater team.” To find out more about the Regional Freshwater Community Grant and apply, please visit: https://www.horizons.govt.nz/about-our-region-and-council/grants-and-sponsorship/freshwater-community-grant To view a video made on the day, please visit: https://vimeo.com/horizonsregion/temaireplantingday?share=copy