News

Planting Update – resuming 7th May

Planting is back underway this weekend 8 am till 4pm, with 67 mm of rain fallen at Cable Bay over the last day and as we are now into May with rain or showers predicted for most of next week then it is time to get back into it.

As we are now behind with planting due to the past months dry conditions we are going to increase the planting days to four a week Sat, Sun, Tues and Thursday 8 am to 4pm, once again look forward to your support and if you are part of any work or social groups that may be keen to plant but the days designated don’t suit then let me know and I will work in.

Paremata Flats Reserve planting is now underway, we need your help!

Hi All

With recent rain we will be underway with the planting at Paremata Flats Reserve from this Wed 6th April. We will be planting every Wed, Sat and Sun from 8am till 4pm, would be great to see you there at some point.

What to bring

  • Spade, solid footwear, gloves

On planting days there will be an option to also put some mulch around the planted trees, wheel barrow, shovel and rake will be on site, we also have a small track to bench, no more than a 100 meters or so, where a future trapping line will run. (grubber available)

This will be our final pioneer planting year, with 25000 trees to get in the ground we look forward to your continued support, we would also really appreciate if you could use your social media contacts to highlight the project and encourage them to come to the planting too.

If you are part of an organisation that as a group, you would be keen to plant but the planting days don’t work, then contact me to arrange a suitable day, more than happy to accommodate.

Health and Safety

  1. Parking, drive onto Paremata Flats; we will be planting in the right hand side paddock next to Maori Pa Rd, park over near the gates into the planting paddock, DO NOT park on Maori Pa Rd.
  2. Please sign in and out the attendance book which will be on the bonnet of the White flat deck or if raining on the driver’s seat.
  3. Electric fences will be ON, so enter the planting paddock through the gates.
  4. First Aid Kit will be in the truck on seat
  5. Only use a spade if wearing solid footwear
  6. Be mindful when lifting full Root Trainers on how you lift, use your legs, not your back.
  7. If fine bring hat and sunblock
  8. Plenty of water to drink

Look forward to catching up with you all again.

Thanks
Ian

Upcoming planting

Final planting of 25000 pioneer trees at Paremata will soon commence, we are monitoring sub soil moisture levels, as soon as adequate we will be underway with planting, we hope this will be by the second week of April, watch this space. Once we start we will be planting Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 8am till 4pm rain or shine. If anyone is part of a corporate or social group and would be keen to be involved with planting and the days identified don’t work then contact contact Ian Price by phone (03) 5459018 or email to arrange another day.

Last year we were able to get 18,000 trees in the ground in just 13 planting days, it would be great if we could achieve something similar this year, look forward to catching up with you all again and hopefully meet many new faces.

Working Bee – 7th February

This Sunday (07/02) there will be a working bee at Paremata, 10 am through to 3pm, the jobs we will be focused on will be,

  • Weeding, grid searching the planted areas looking for and removing nasties, bring gloves, sun hat, spade/trowel plenty to drink.
  • Seed Collecting, I still need more Plagianthus seed, I also want to collect some Ngaio seed, bring paper bags, hat, plenty of water etc
  • Clearing Fence Lines to prevent shorting of Electric fence, ideal tool here are hedge clippers, also cutting the track back from the swinging gate along to the seat towards the mouth of the Whakapuaka River and finally walking the Maori Pa Rd trapping track cutting back over hanging flax etc, again ideal tool are hedge clippers and may be a hand saw for any small branches, I also need the fenceline line around the flood paddock (along the Maori Pa Rd track) cleared to prevent shorting. Bring Gloves hat and plenty of water to drink. The Maori Pa Ed Track runs along the Estuary Foreshore between Paremata and Uri, nice walk.
  • Watering of Plants, it would appear we may not get any rain from what was predicted this weekend, if this is the case we will do some watering in the afternoon. The block Maori Pa Rd side of spring creek has struggled especially before Christmas, a group of us put on just over 2500 Litres of water resulting in minimal losses. We will water these plants again, what to bring ,20 litre containers, wheel barrow, gumboots.

I will be available to give instructions at the Vehicles at 10 am and at 12.30, outside of these times you will have to come and find me, I will be with the weed team somewhere or watering plants.

A reminder, please sign in and out, the attendance book, it will be on the back of my white Toyota flatdeck and be mindful when working, THE ELECTRIC FENCE WILL BE ON.

2016 Planting

We are about 8 weeks away from starting this year’s planting, we have 25000 trees to get in the ground, towards the end of March early April we will begin site preparation, firstly spraying the area to be planted, anyone interested to help with the spraying email me, I have a couple of spare Knapsack. Other jobs will be pulling down a standing fence and benching a track a short distance into the new planted area where a new trap line will run, any one keen to help email me.

Grid Search weeding

Sat 21st and 22nd Nov, Grid Search weeding, (bring spade, hand trowel, gloves), seed collecting, Titoki and Plagianthus divaricatus seed ( bring paper bags) collecting in plant sleeves and bamboo stakes 10am till 3 pm both days.

DoC community grant awarded

In the recent community grants allocations from the Dept Conservation Paremata Flats has received $30,000 which will go towards the purchase of native eco sourced trees for the 2016 planting year, we are very grateful for the generosity of the Dept and I am sure it is in recognition of all the hard work we as volunteers have put into the ecological restoration of Paremata Flats reserve.

This leaves us with a further $26,000 to raise by July 2016, we have a grant application into Lotteries, so fingers crossed, Lotteries may recognise as the Dept did, the fantastic achievements made in restoring this unique alluvial flood Plain native forest.

New trappers wanted

We are about to establishing a new trapping line along the road reserve between Paremata Flat Reserve and Uri O Te Wai (Bishops Peninsula) to give protection to the Banded Rail. We are looking for eight new trappers to manage the line, either a Wednesday or weekend, we ask for a commitment of one day per month, will take approximately 2 hrs to check the line, full training is given, relatively flat walking.

We are presently preparing the line if you would like to help out with a little benching for a track and cutting back some foliage, contact Ian Price by phone (03) 5459018 or email

Part of the ecological restoration is an intensive weed management programme where we grid search all the new plantings, removing weeds, a relatively leisurely task but a very important task, generally all flat walking, join a great bunch of people making a real positive difference to the project, contact Ian Price by phone (03) 5459018 or email

We are looking for volunteers to harves canopy native seedlings from Paremata and Uri to pot on, if you would like to be involved with the seedling collection or the potting on then contact Ian Price by phone (03) 5459018 or email