Twelve days of Christmas:Keeping the weeds away so the reserve can be enjoyed

The Native Forest Restoration Trust has received a $10,000 grant from Auckland Airport to aid its work in nature reserves.

Auckland Airport is giving $120,000 to 12 charities as part of its annual 12 days of Christmas. The Herald is profiling each intiative.

Weeds can be a challenge to get under control in the smallest of backyards, let alone on a 136ha reserve.

That is what the volunteers at the Native Forest Restoration Trust have to deal with as they try and stop them climbing over and threatening kowhai, cabbage trees, ngaio and flax at the Marie Neverman Reserve, one-hour drive North West of Auckland at South Kaipara Head.

The trust purchased the reserve in two stages. The first 23ha area featured a freshwater lake and marsh, bordered by native vegetation with dominant kanuka and rewarewa and including several hectares of bush-clad slopes and an open paddock.

The second area was acquired in 2009 and comprises 113 hectares of adjoining coastal flats on the Kaipara Harbour of salt marsh with shallow open water and coastal gallery forest.

Native Forest Restoration Trust manager Sandy Crichton said the trust relied heavily on volunteers to help them keep the weeds away. While it was substantially under control, there was still a lot of work required each year to tackle the weed seedbank.

The trust is set-up to purchase and protect land throughout New Zealand and curerntly has 30 registered open spaces. Each has an honorary ranger appointed at each site who then works with the community to carry out weed protection and planting on the land.

Crichton said the $10,000 grant from Auckland Airport would go towards assisting volunteers with weed control at the Marie Neverman Reserve and also fund signage at the site.

"At the moment there's nothing at the moment at the entrance to the site so it would be really nice for people to... find out a little bit more about the reserve and engourage more people to get involved."

It would also mean the other funding received by other private donors could be used towards purchasing other land so it could be protected for future generations.

Auckland Airport chose the trust because of its links with the environment and education. Auckland Airport general manager of people and safety Anna Cassels-Brown said: "Visiting a nature reserve can be a great antidote to busy Auckland living , so we're really pleased to help a community group restore a beautiful native forest."