Latest highlights:
Planting activities
Trees still available
An afternoon with the Maungaturoto Gardening Club
Nursery update
Website is LIVE!
AGM and elections
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Planting activities
Jeepers! I’ve just worked out that our planting day at Luptons was seven weeks ago. To update you, over thirty people turned up at Bryce and Aneta’s on the 23rd of June, and the weather was near enough to perfect, especially considering what it was in the few days leading up to it. We estimate about 2,500 trees got planted on the day, then the contract team came in from Stedigrowth Forestry and got a further 3,500 in the ground (with a bit of help from Bryce, Aneta and me) over the next week, so that gully is now fully planted. Special guests included KDC Mayor Jason Smith, Kaipara area representative on the NRC Penny Smart, Alison Whiteford from Beef + Lamb, and Kathryne Easton who wore several hats, including the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group, through which the Luptons obtained about half the 6,000 trees for this year’s planting, from their Te Arai nursery. The other half came from our nursery.
Across the road at McKay’s a team came out from Fonterra a few weeks later and planted out a further 800-plus on another tributary to the same stream.
This week we have another planting day lined up for the senior pupils from Matakohe School, to be held once again at Ruatuna (the historic Coates Homestead). This will be their third time there, and the fifth time they have helped with our planting programme.
We are working on having another community planting day, but the wet ground conditions have limited our choices. Open to suggestions though…
Trees still available
A number of people have taken up the offer of free trees from our nursery, and are doing the planting themselves. We still have some trees available, so if:
- Your site is within the HarbourCare area of activity (Maungaturoto free-calling area)
- The planting is to be alongside a waterway or be erosion-prone land and not required to satisfy resource consent conditions
- It involves a minimum of 300 plants
- The landowner collects them from the nursery
Then they will be FREE! Preference will be given to those who have already started a planting programme with us. The planting fee would remain at 60c regardless of who plants them – commercial or community groups. They are not available to people who want to do some landscape planting – we’d much rather you support your local commercial nurseries for that.
I will be putting more emphasis on encouraging better site preparation this year, and post-planting care. I have obtained a bulk supply of bamboo stakes to on-sell at cost. Their purpose is not to support the plants, but rather help locate them once the grass grows up.
An afternoon with the Maungaturoto Gardening Club
Last month I was hosted by the Maungaturoto Garden Club. They gave me the opportunity to talk about the origins of Otamatea HarbourCare, what we do and why we do it. They were also especially interested in the seed gathering and propagation part of the process. At least two of the audience were existing nursery volunteers, and I rather think that there might be some more to join them at future working bees.
I will be having a stand at the Kauri Museum Settlers Day on Saturday 6th of October. Do pop in for a chat if you are in the area. Better still, put the date in your calendar now, and make a point of coming along to join in the fun. There are rumours of wandering minstrels too…
Nursery update
Speaking of which, we haven’t had a nursery working bee in quite a while. We will have one soon, to help be prepared for the first lot of seedlings in a couple of months time.
Website is LIVE!
A reminder – our website otamateaharbourcare.org.nz has gone live. Why not check it out? Nothing fancy, but hopefully a convenient place for people to find out about us, and what we are up to. Tell us what you think.
AGM and elections
The AGM was held on the 10th of July. All committee members were returned to their posts. We have retained the membership fee at $10 per head. I have attached the updated membership form for you to complete. If you are renewing and your details haven’t changed, all you need to do is pay your sub into the bank account number listed on the form, and label it “sub”. It’s in Word, so you can fill it in and return it without having to print it off. I have also attached the chairman’s Annual Report for the last year too.