Youths support native plant nursery protecting Tolaga Bay environment

The joint venture between Aratu Forests and the Uawanui Nursery has proved to be a win-win for both parties and the youth involved, according to organisers.

A native plant nursery on the East Coast has had success growing native plants and returning them to the whenua to support the environment with help from local rangatahi.

The joint venture partnership between the Uawanui Nursery in Tolaga Bay and Aratu Forests to use natives to protect the district’s waterways has been a success so far, according to nursery spokesman Victor Walker.

Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti Centre of Excellence Trust, who run the nursery, signed a memorandum of understanding with Aratu Forests in November 2023 to create the partnership.

Under the memorandum, Aratu Forests granted the nursery the right to access native seedlings from their forests.

The nursery sells the seedlings it grows back to Aratu.

Started in 2023, the Uawanui Nursery project involves planting native trees along Uawa waterways.

“The seedlings grow into young native trees that get planted in native tree corridors along riperean waterways,” Walker said.

“The aim is for the trees to grow to protect the waterways from the impact of forestry slash.”

Seedlings grown so far and been replanted have taken well, he said.

Uawanui Nursery brought in rangatahi between the ages of 17 and 24 to learn more about working in the outdoors, as well as contribute to their iwi and learn about their whakapapa.

“We’ve had some young people involved, our Eco Cadets, at the end of last year.”

“I’d say it’s been a really successful partnership to this point, and it’s quite neat for a forestry company to work with the community to protect our waterways in this way.”

“It’s a circle of life really.”

The young people involved have got hands on with the Uawanui Nursery project in Tolaga Bay. Photo / Aratu Forests

Jack Truelock, silviculture coordinator at Aratu, said the main benefit of having the natives sourced from a particular location and replanted in that location will be that the plants know how to grow in that environment.

“Being able to support the cadetships and take the students out and show them [what] the plants do look like in the finished product and how they do grow and adapt to environments, [it] is a big win for them and a big win for us as well,” Truelock said.

“Aratu is really pleased with how the partnership is working out.”

“We are creating opportunities for these young workers and hopefully it will pay off for them, their community and for us as well over the long term.”

The native species seeds get tended and cared for until they grow into plants about 50cm tall, then they get returned to the whenua.

Rangitahi between the ages of 17 and 24 have been brought in to do the mahi and Aratu Forests and Uawanui Nursery have been pleased with the success of it to-date.

Walker said the nursery was now taking stock and “assessing where to go next”.