RACE is on to restore Ātiu Creek

Tree planting season is fast approaching, which means another busy winter for volunteers at Ātiu Creek, one of Auckland’s largest and most remote regional parks.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the late Pierre and Jackie Chatelenat gifting the 843-hectare Kaipara Harbour property near Tapora to Auckland Council and the nation.

Since then, Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ) have worked with council to develop a native plant nursery and plant nearly 200,000 native plants and trees as part of the Restoring Ātiu Creek Ecology (RACE) project to restore plant cover to the park’s gullies.

“If we can restore the gullies, we can prevent sediment and runoff clogging up the precious moana,” a spokesperson says. “These restoration efforts are crucial for the health of the local ecosystem, including the protection of Kaipara Harbour’s delicate marine life.”

This season, CVNZ aims to grow and plant more than 35,000 native trees, using seeds eco-sourced from Ātiu Creek itself. Although around a third of the park is now covered in regenerating forest, CVNZ says much work remains to restore the land to its full ecological potential.

“We’ve hosted more than 10,000 incredible volunteers, who have helped us plant more than 180,000 plants, remove vast areas of invasive weeds, look after and run the nursery, repair fences and more, but we need to do more.

“Locals are invited to actively participate in this exciting restoration journey.”

Planting days will be held on Sundays from June onwards, scheduled for June 7, July 5 and August 9, and CVNZ will provide all necessary gear.

Info: visit https://conservationvolunteers.co.nz/, call 0800 567 686 or email info@cvnz.org.nz