Waikanae Stream blooms again with planting days

GETTING STUCK IN: Community planting days are transforming the banks of Waikanae Stream in Alfred Cox Park. Four classes from Awapuni School joined staff from Gisborne District Council, the Department of Conservation and Enviroschools to plant 700 carex grasses. Nicki Davies and Janic Slupski (GDC), Trudi Ngawhare (DoC) and Quinn Pekin, a student from Gisborne Boys’ High School working for DoC, are pictured planting. Picture by Liam Clayton

TWO major community planting days have given a boost to the Waikanae Stream clean-up project. Over Friday and Sunday community volunteers planted 1300 native shrubs and grasses.

On Friday, four classes from Awapuni School worked with Gisborne District Council, Department of Conservation and Enviroschools staff to start a new winter planting programme for Alfred Cox Park. The group planted 700 carex grasses along the Waikanae Stream bank near the I-Site.

On Sunday, 43 volunteers extended that work with a mix of 600 carex, flaxes, cabbage trees, ribbonwoods and hebes.

Organiser Jill Hudson said they completed the planting earlier than expected so were able to tidy up weeds around some older plantings.

The future need for weeding should reduce, as ‘Adopt-a-Spot’ groups would maintain older plantings, and as native plants mature and spread they would shade out unwanted invaders, she said.

Volunteers collected one bag of rubbish and filled three fadges with weeds.