Across the Region

July 2018, winter edition

Welcome to the winter edition of Across the Region. In this edition we are hoping to raise the profile on one of our core winter activities – planting.

Did you know that every winter Horizons, with the help of community groups, iwi and landowners, plant hundreds of thousands of trees across the region? Well this year we’re going to share with you what we do as part of our #plantinourregion campaign. This campaign will cover everything from why we plant in winter to the targets we aim to meet, to why it’s important to plant the right tree, in the right place, for the right purpose. Join the conversation on our social media channels, and have a read through this newsletter where we’ve included a lot of this information, as well as showcasing some of the groups we’re working with on planting projects.

This campaign is particularly timely with central government also recognising the need to plant trees throughout the country. Last month Forestry and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that Horizons was to be the recipient of nearly $1 million from central government’s Provincial Growth Fund to plant 1.35 million trees in our region this winter – of which over 800,000 will be native Mānuka. This is fantastic news for our hill country farmers who will receive these plants, as well as everyone downstream who benefits from improved water quality, increased flood protection, and improved habitat for fish. We’d like to thank these farmers for being involved in the programme. If you are interested in doing any planting on your property next winter, please get in touch with our land or freshwater teams.

Bruce Gordon

CHAIRMAN

Our role and the benefits of planting

As the regional council, Horizons is tasked with managing the region’s natural resources – land, air and water. One of the ways we do this is through planting, as trees and plants benefit all of the above.

Other parts of our role include providing advice around what plants or trees will be best where, how to restore native bush remnants and wetlands, protecting trees from pests, and ensuring regulation around harvesting forestry is adhered to.

Over decades, Horizons has made a substantial investment in riparian and on-farm planting for soil conservation, erosion control and water quality. Events such as the February 2004 storm, where 200 million tonnes of soil were lost downstream, particularly highlighted the necessity of planting in our hill country areas in order to keep soil on hills and out of waterways.

This means, in addition to the environmental gains from planting, there are benefits for flood protection as channels do not fill with sediment. There are also benefits for recreation as our residents take pleasure from swimming in our rivers, as well as using, and enjoying, native remnants and wetlands. It’s fair to say that there are many benefits for the region, especially as planting has contributed to an overall improving trend in sediment and bacteria levels in the rivers we all enjoy.

Glossary

Awa – the Māori name for river
Bush remnants – areas of native bush
Erosion – soil or land loss due to forces such as rain, slope, wind or water
Hill country – country side that predominatly consists of hills for grazing, rather than flat areas
Pole planting – an unrooted tree stem which when planted will grow into a tree
Riparian planting – trees and plants planted alongside waterways to act as a margin between land and water
Sediment – soil or land that has ended up in waterways

Who's involved in planting?

Much of the planting and enhancement work undertaken by Horizons, often in conjunction with landowners, iwi and community groups, is not generally seen. For that reason we’ve decided to highlight a few of these groups in this edition, however there are many more who are involved.

From Horizons a range of teams are planting trees every winter including land, freshwater, river management and biodiversity. These teams are out in rain, hail or shine and spend long days consulting with landowners and assessing the proposed sites, advising which trees or plants are most suitable, sourcing and collecting the trees and plants, delivering them, and finally planting them. As you can imagine this is a big job and the 2018-28 Long-term Plan, which was adopted last month, addresses the increasing demand on these teams. This includes more funding for the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) which subsidises planting on hill country, an additional $200,000 for riparian planting and fencing grants, and a new freshwater staff member.

Between the teams we aim to plant 500,000 exotic forestry, 900,000 natives for riparian planting and forestry, and 80,000 willow and poplar trees for land erosion and river bank control across the region by the end of this winter. These trees are part funded by central government through the likes of the Provincial Growth Fund and the Hill Country Erosion Fund, through rates via programmes such as Horizons’ Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) and the Manawatū River Leaders’ Accord, with the balance covered by landowners.

Planting projects in your district

Every winter Horizons works with community groups, iwi and landowners to plant hundreds of thousands of trees across the region. This winter we are highlighting some of the projects that we have been part of that are making this region a great place to live, work and play.

Ruapehu

Ngāti Whitikaupeka, with support from Horizons and landowners, have been leading the charge to restore native vegetation around Moawhango village. Over the past two years, they have been carrying out fencing, planting and weed control at sites around the village. This work will restore natives in the riparian areas, leading to an improved aquatic habitat and water quality.

Following an impressive weed control operation and subsequent fencing off of the river behind the school, planting of native trees and harakeke (flax) was carried out in June this year. The Paharakeke Stream, which runs near the two marae and behind the Moawhango Hall, is also fenced and has also been planted.

Funding for the project was received through the Ministry for the Environment’s Te Mana o Te Wai fund, with iwi also providing financial support.

Horizons supported the funding application, and has provided ongoing assistance in terms of advice and expertise, as well as logistical help sourcing plants and contractors.

Ngāti Whitikaupeka project lead Barb Ball believes the work undertaken is essential to enhance the awa and encourage people to value the waterways.

“The interest this work is generating is great. We have had the aspiration to return the stream and awa to a more natural state and this project has allowed us to get this underway.”

Whanganui

On a sunny day in July last winter, 20 Kai Iwi school students were on a mission. With the help of parents, teachers and Horizons’ staff, they spent around one and a half hours planting over 800 plants along the Moawhanau Stream at a site on the McDougal’s farm near State Highway 3. A massive achievement!

The McDougal family successfully applied for a Horizons freshwater grant towards fencing and then purchased the plants. They then sought advice from staff as to where and when to plant.

“Our students thoroughly enjoyed the planting day,” says Kai Iwi teacher Trish Wakeling.

“It gave us the chance to give back to our community while also learning so much about our environment and how to care for it, that’s a pretty invaluable lesson for our kids.”

Horizons’ freshwater grant programme is available to landowners wanting to undertake waterway enhancement projects.

“We’ve seen huge benefits from the various planting jobs we have done on the Moawhanau Stream to date. This planting will help enhance the fish habitat, create suitable shading, stabilise the stream banks and decrease sedimentation,” says Horizons freshwater management officer Josh Penn.

“Landowners have been really proactive in this catchment doing a lot of fencing and planting works, and we have had comments about the improvement farmers and locals are noticing in water clarity in particular.”

The planting site is now being managed by the landowners, with weed control carried out regularly.

Horizons’ freshwater team were out visiting the site recently and found the trees that Kai iwi School planted growing well and native sedges (grasses) re-establishing themselves beside the stream channel.

Manawatū/Rangitkei

Nearly a year ago, the Bulls Community Group alongside local schools and Horizons Regional Council staff, carried out the first of what will hopefully be a number of planting days at the Bulls Bridge reserve.

Jan Harris of the Bulls Community Group applied for a community grant from Horizons to fund the planting day, with 1,050 plants planted by community members and four school groups over a period of four hours. Since then weed control has been carried out regularly and a picnic table erected. These costs were all covered by the Horizons grant.

The results have been fantastic with native harakeke and lacebarks growing particularly well and the site has become a much more inviting and enjoyable place to be. A local Department of Corrections team has been working hard at the site each week to keep the area tidy, and further planting is planned for winter 2019.

“We are really thrilled with the community effort that has gone into this project and the area we have created,” says Jan Harris.

“We have received support from local businesses, schools and individuals, we are so lucky as we couldn’t do what we do without that support. The Bulls Bridge reserve has seen an increase in visitor numbers since the work was carried out with locals and tourists swimming, walking dogs and picnicking. It’s a great result.”

Anna Regiten, freshwater management officer for Horizons assists the community grants programme and is pleased to see this project come to fruition.

“Jan and her team are extremely motivated and are constantly looking for funding opportunities for their environmental projects,” she says.

“We were really glad we could help them out on this occasion.”

Community grants are generally open in April/May each year and the successful recipients for the 2018-19 round were announced last month and can be found on Horizons’ website.

Tararua

In June this year the Mason Whaitiri Trust held a planting day on their block of land, just south of Dannevirke.

Around 40 people attended with shovels and gardening gloves in hand to plant 1,900 plants. These included staff and representatives from both Horizons Regional Council and Tararua District Council, along with whanau of the Mason Whaitiri Trust and Ngati Kohungunu te Kai Tamaki Nui a Rua Taiwhenua.

Trust spokesperson James Kendrick explains the purpose of the day was to regenerate the land.

“The Otamaraho Stream was recently realigned when NZTA upgraded State Highway 2 to run south of Dannevirke,” he says.

“This has given us the opportunity to bring the area back to its former glory, with plenty of native trees to be planted along the stream bank.”

“The area will be a source of pride for our people, in the future you will find koromiko and karamu, along with toi toi, all reminiscent of the trees which used to populate this land.”

The Mason Whaitiri Trust received funding from Horizons and the He Tini Awa Trust for the purchase of the native plants. The plants will stabilise the stream bank, reduce erosion sediment loss, and ultimately improve the water quality of the stream and fish habitat.

“It was fantastic to see so many people come down and support the Trust for the morning’s planting,” says Horizons freshwater advisor Anna Monk.

“The next step will be maintaining the plants, keeping weeds and grass at bay, allowing the plants to thrive.”

“For many community groups this can be the challenging part of any planting programme, as plant maintenance can be time consuming and needs to be done regularly. Fortunately James and the Mason Whaitiri Trust have great support and are highly motivated so no doubt the native plantings will flourish.”

Palmerston North

A number of groups have been working tirelessly to rejuvenate Ahimate Reserve (previously known as Waitoetoe Park) at the end of Maxwell’s Line in Palmerston North.

Palmerston North City Council, Horizons, the Ahimate Reserve Community, Rangitāne O Manawatū and local park users have all contributed large amounts of time and expertise to the project over the past year. Referred to as the Waitoetoe Park Reserve Development Plan, this work will create an area that is protected and preserved as a natural wilderness and natural play area into the future.

“Horizons are thrilled that we can lend our time and expertise to this project,” says Horizons environmental management officer Neil Mickleson.

Led by Palmerston North City Council, three planting days have been held since the project began, with 30 people on average volunteering their time on each occasion. Plus on the last Sunday of every month a community planting and weeding day is held at the park.

“All are welcome to come down to one of our regular planting days.” says PNCC leisure assets planner Jason Pilkington.

“So far, we have planted predominantly native trees such as flaxes/grasses and carrax which are good floodplain plants. At the moment we are also moving existing plantings from one area that will be flattened to the fence line of what will be a new dog park.”

The project group are also looking to plant a small grove of kahikateas in the wetland area this season.

Future plans include a dog park, marae atea, a new carpark, a mountain bike skills area and trails, along with the establishment of natural play opportunities.

If you are interested in attending a community planting day please contact Heather on 06 354 1765 or Jenny on 06 358 2905 for details.

Horowhenua

Over the last two years a significant amount of riparian planting has been undertaken along the Hokio Stream, on the shores of Lake Horowhenua and within the wider catchment of Lake Horowhenua as part of the Te Kakapa Manawa o Muaupoko project that is part of the work programme to deliver on the Lake Horowhenua Accord.

In 2016 the Lake Horowhenua Trust and Lake Accord partners successfully applied for Te Mana o te Wai funding from the Ministry for the Environment. Horizons supported the application and provided a financial contribution along with expertise and staff time.

Thanks to the Te Kakapa Manawa o Muaupoko project six community planting days will be held by the end of the project with approximately 4,800 plants being planted by the local community at a number of locations around the lake. In addition, Horizons is running the riparian fencing and planting project for the Lake Trust and last year staff planted a further 3,100 plants along the Hokio Stream. These plants will help intercept above and below ground nutrients before they enter the stream, as well as improve habitat for fish.

“We are incredibly thankful for the Te Mana o te Wai funding and support from Horizons,” says chair of the Lake Horowhenua trustees Matt Sword.

“While it is only one aspect of the work that needs to be carried out to improve the health of the lake, we can be proud to say we are doing our bit to contribute to the lake’s long-term well-being.”

How you can get involved

If you wish to get involved in community planting days we recommend you follow our Facebook page which we often promote events the public can attend on. We’re also happy to promote other organisation’s planting events too, just drop us a line.

Competition time

We want to see what planting you’re undertaking this winter – from a community planting day to planting in your garden or on your property. Take a selfie, use the hashtag #plantinourregion, tag it with your location and post it on one of our social accounts to go in the draw to win a $1,500 plant related prize. This prize will be the winner’s choice and can range from donating plants to your local school or community group, planting on your property or even out enjoying our trees via a bush walk somewhere in the region. See our website for Terms and Conditions and enter as many times as you like. Entries close 24 August 2018.

Protecting our trees and native bush

In addition to planting trees, there is regulation in place in order to manage the removal of them and to protect the region’s biodiversity.

At a national level, new regulations for forestry came into force on 1 May. These regulations cover issues about where you can plant trees, how you manage them and how you harvest them. In extreme circumstances it says you can’t plant trees because the risk downstream from managing them and harvesting is too great. It also requires people harvesting trees to have a management plan specifying how trees will be removed with minimal environmental effects.

At a regional level, Horizons’ One Plan includes rules around clearing trees where there is risk of erosion. It also contains rules which regulate activities within or adjacent to rare, threatened, or at risk habitats and sites of significance. This includes land containing indigenous plant species, coastal dunes, wetlands, tussock or a waterway. These rules ensure our indigenous species and habitats are looked after and maintained for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to discuss these rules in relation to an activity on your property please get in touch with our consents monitoring team via freephone 0508 800 800.

Council meetings

July 2018

There are no meetings this month.

August 2018

Environment Committee, 14 August, 9am
Catchment Operations Committee, 14 August, following Environment Committee
Strategy and Policy Committee, 15 August, 10am
Passenger Transport Committee, 21 August, 1pm
Regional Council, 28 August, 10am
Audit, Risk and Investment Committee, 28 August, following Regional Council

September 2018

Regional Transport Committee, 4 September, 10.30am
Strategy and Policy Committee, 11 September, 10am
Audit, Risk and Investment Committee, 25 September, 9.30am
Regional Council, 25 September, following Audit, Risk and Assessment Committee

Unless otherwise stated meetings are open to the public and will be held at Regional House, 11-15 Victoria Avenue, Palmerston North. Please note all details were correct at time of print. However, for the most up-to-date dates and times for council meetings please check our website.