Te Ara o Te Ata: Mt Messenger Bypass project plants a legacy

Project lead landscaper Sam Guerin inspects the plants being planted alongside the Mimi River.

A stretch of north Taranaki streambank is being given a new lease of life by the Te Ara o Te Ata – Mt Messenger Bypass project.

Approximately 6635 plants will go into a 3.75-hectare area alongside the Mimi River for the riparian/riverside planting programme.

Riparian planting helps prevent erosion, filters sediment and nutrients and improves the habitat for native water-dwellers by providing shade to keep the water cool in summer. Many native freshwater fish species prefer the cool water conditions typically found under a bush or forest canopy.

The riparian zone just south of Mt Messenger extends 10 metres on either side of the waterway and is fenced to keep stock out.

Mt Messenger Alliance lead ecologist Roger MacGibbon says years of planning have gone into the project’s mitigation, restoration and riparian planting programmes and it’s great to see boots on the ground.

He says they’ve tried to keep a local focus, cultivating seeds from the area and employing local contractors including a team from Tāmoremorenui, an affiliate and project partner to Ngāti Tama.

“Along with the iwi, nearby landowners have been crucial to developing the programme and the project team appreciates their support, and commitment to care for the plantings into the future. In years to come, people driving past will be able to enjoy the trees and shrubs, while the wildlife in the stream will be much better off with more shade and better water quality.”

He says as the project progresses more than 289,000 native plants will be planted across 46ha.

“Nearly 90,000 of those natives are destined to go into riparian offset planting across 17ha.”

Planting will also cover 6ha of kahikatea swamp forest, 9ha of dryland bush and 15ha of roadside margins and fill slopes, he says.

“Sedges and rushes will thrive in open wetlands, while hardy shrubs, small trees, and towering canopy species will flourish in dryland bush and wetland margins.”

The mitigation and restoration programme is part of a comprehensive environmental strategy which includes pest management and aims to leave the wider project area in much better condition for future generations.