Riparian planting restoring eco-system around Dannevirke's Otamaraho Stream

Shayla-May Hape, left, with New Zealand First MP Ron Mark and Ashleigh Hape.

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*Take a selfie, use the hashtag #plantinourregion, tag it with your location and post it on one of our social accounts (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) to go in the draw to win a $1500 plant-related prize. This prize will be the winner's choice and can be anything from donating plants to your local school, planting on your property or even out enjoying our trees via a bush walk somewhere in the region.
*Enter as many times as you like. Entries close, August 24.

For Dannevirke landowner Sharon Mason, riparian planting on family land alongside the Otamaraho Stream is about bringing life back to the river and land.

"Watercress and eels had disappeared from the stream and what we're planting here is starting the process of filtering the water," she said.

"But now the stream is being restored. Once Tui flourished here, but they have gone, so we're hoping to see their return too."

The planting day, alongside State Highway 2 south of Dannevirke was a collaborative effort by Kahungunu ki Tamaki nui ā Rua , the New Zealand Transport Agency, Horizons Regional Council, and the Mason-Whaitiri whānau.

"It's mitigation because the Otamaraho realignment on State Highway 2 saw the stream moved, affecting the ecology and the spawning grounds for eels," Morry Black of Ngāti Kahungunu, said.

"We've had to come together to help fix it up. This is about bringing back the eco-system because the realignment of the state highway made quite a bit of mess. This is also about rebuilding our relationship with NZTA. "

NZTA and Horizons paid to fence off the land, with Horizons supplying the flax and 2000 native plants.

James Kendrick, of Ngāti Kahungunu, said he was thrilled to see so many people turn up to help.
"This is about starting to build the gap between Māori and non-Māori and we're doing something for the next generation."

Logan Brown, the freshwater manager for Horizons, said the project was part of the Tū Te Manawa project.

"We planted 2000 natives today, with 500 flax six months ago. We'll let these plants grow and in three or four years we'll return and plant podocarps such as tōtara," he said.

"When you have riparian shading bugs fall into the water for fish to eat. Stock exclusion also helps."

New Zealand First MP Ron Mark also arrived to help with the planting.

"I love these projects," he said.

"When NZTA began it's realignment they didn't consult with iwi or hapū and a lot of habitat was lost. It was an absolute tragedy. That a government agency was part of the destruction of a habitat . . . It's good to see NZTA accept they need to be part of this. We can't change what they did, but this is about going forward."