Gardening: New year restoration of the land

Volunteers clear rubbish on the banks of the Whau River. Photo / Emily Harris

Life in the earth is a good measure of strength in its people, as one man shows.

Hope, recovery and restoration are what Matariki and the Maori new year are all about and this Auckland project has it in spades. This time last year I wrote about Hone Pene and his experience of Matariki with his Nga Puhi whanau up north.

I caught up with him recently to find out how his community native plant nursery was getting on and what else he was up to.

Hone set up the Avondale nursery and community garden around three years ago when he took time out after hitting rock bottom after a family tragedy.

He formerly set up NZQA training schemes in Waikato, training youth, community and Springhill inmates in practical skills for riparian restoration of wetlands and tributaries of the Waikato River on Ngati Haua land.

He was also a founder of the successful Project Twin Streams restoration in West Auckland.

The Avondale nursery was at the Canal Rd Housing New Zealand site where Hone's brother, who suffered a spinal injury in the 1970s in an accident while working in a logging gang, lives in a residential cluster for those with physical disabilities.

Hone set up the propagation nursery to engage residents in an enjoyable, productive activity that also benefits the wider community. The native plants they grow are perfect for restoration projects as seeds are locally eco-sourced, see inset.

Having outgrown the available space at Avondale, the plant nursery has moved to Te Atatu peninsula. They're about to outgrow that nursery as well, and Hoani Waititi Marae is coming to their aid and plans to develop a native nursery at the marae in Glen Eden.

Rehabilitation and restoration

Hone says his motivation now is as much about healing the land and waterways as it is about healing people. He volunteers for the AODTC (Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court) and is working with recidivist offenders suffering from addiction. The objective of this pilot programme is to rehabilitate those stuck on the court merry-go-round to get them out of the system and into a life of recovery.

Partnering organisations involved in environmental clean-up and restoration, Hone and his AODTC group are doing voluntary work with Keep Waitakere Beautiful's Clean Streams project clearing rubbish along the Whau River and tributaries in Avondale.

They also volunteer with Auckland Council to clear rubbish from the riparian margin of the Whau River along Te Atatu peninsula, including the removal of invasive weed species such as wattle. The group intends to plant natives this winter.

Hone hopes talks with the Department of Corrections will help the group to source native seedlings from their nurseries.

The intention is to highlight the value this work has, and the "environmental benefit those baby trees have in the real world". He says the "whakapapa of those trees will be part of their story". In time they will get to see the beauty of their mahi and the "contribution they have made to the health and wellbeing of Papatuanuku".

Back in Glen Eden, Hone is teaming up with Hoani Waititi Marae to grow these young seedlings to a good size and they will ultimately be available for community planting projects and riparian restoration.

Strength in collaboration
Hone says this story is not about him, it's about the mamai (pollution) of our environment and water, and the coming together of concerned members of our community for the kaupapa. This becomes a powerful example of strength through collaboration.

Hone is forming a charitable trust, He Tohu Aroha Trust, which translates as "a gift of love". Resources are being poured into the rehabilitation of our waterways and he sees an opportunity to put that energy into also healing people.

In the meantime, he has set up a native restoration and landscaping business, Recovery Landscapes. The aim is to generate employment opportunities for those whanau and community members committed to a life of recovery.

Having been through a similar trial, Hone is a shining example of the power of positive action, quietly stating that he remains clean and sober one day at a time. He can be justifiably proud, as this good work will have an ongoing ripple effect into the future.

Want to know more or help out? Get in touch with Hone at h.pene@xtra.co.nz.

Celebrate Matariki
This Matariki, I'm looking forward to our Matariki Kids: Raupo Manu Tukutuku workshop. We'll be making kites at our environment centre from native plants such as raupo (bulrush), toi toi and harakeke. Early Maori used kites for a range of purposes, including communication, and they are an important part of Matariki.

Whatever your plans, make sure you take some time out to enjoy Aotearoa's original new year.

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