Conservation Week 2024: Katikati taking action for nature

The River Ramble was one of the events held during Conservation Week in Katikati.

Renaturing Katikati hosted three events during Conservation Week with the goal of highlighting its regular activities and encouraging people to take “action for nature”.

Renaturing Katikati is a community-led volunteer group helping to restore local parks and reserves by removing invasive pest plants, planting natives and undertaking pest animal control to protect native wildlife.

Conservation Week was September 2-8. This year’s theme called on people to help the environment and species that make New Zealand special.

The group started the week with its regular Wednesday renaturing session along the Haiku walkway. Volunteers have been meeting regularly for six years to restore the Uretara River banks.

There was also an invitation for people to go to the monthly nursery session and learn about propagating native plants — spring is the ideal time to start sowing seeds.

The group ended the week with an early-morning Sunday walk along the Yeoman Walkway and bird walk.

A spokesperson said those who joined were thrilled to get a glimpse of “rare and secretive native birds that call the Uretara estuary home”.

“It was fantastic to have some new volunteers come along and get involved in our renaturing activities. Taking action for nature can be as simple as planting a native, pulling a weed, picking up rubbish, trapping a predator.”

INFO kea@projectparore.nz