Park planting grows community connections

One of the first community plantings of the season got underway at Shakespear Regional Park on Sunday, June 19.

Organisers were very happy to see a solid turnout of more than 250 people keen to get stuck in and plant some natives around the southern edge of Waterfall Gully.

With more than 5000 plants to go in, including a lot of flax for the damper areas, every helping hand was needed. 

Not only locals took part – many volunteers came from wider Auckland with some saying they’d been several years in a row and were now looking to see how their earlier plantings had grown.

Open sanctuaries senior ranger Matt Maitland said people form a strong connection with the park, especially if they take part in the planting sessions. He has even been asked by a few families whether they could plant in memory of a loved one, which he said is fine although no plaques are permitted. 

“It means when people return to the park, even if they can’t locate the specific tree as things grow up, the place holds a special importance,” he said.