Crowds pitch in to plant out stream

Dannevirke farmers Marina and John Poulton (left) with their children, Zeari, Isobel and Milly.

A project to plant out 1250 metres of streamside on John and Marina Poulton's farm near Dannevirke is well underway, thanks to generous donors who contributed funds through the Million Metres Streams crowd-funding website.

Million Metres Streams was set up by the Sustainable Business Network to help communities and individuals raise the funds they need to protect and improve the health of waterways around New Zealand.

With the funds raised the Poultons were able to plant 1870 plants this winter and about 1000 more plants will go in next winter.

The planting took three days and was done by contractors with assistance from the Poulton family, their farm manager and QEII National Trust and Horizons Regional Council staff.

Dannevirke High School students laid weed mats around the plants as a fundraiser for pupils going to a Hillary Outdoors course and a netball championship. All the plants used come from the ecological district and were supplied by two local nurseries.

The Poultons' Kapiti Farm is mainly medium hill country north-east of Dannevirke and was purchased 10 years ago.

It is a 6000su cattle finishing and sheep breeding and finishing operation on 480ha (effective), with land ownership shared between the couple and John's parents Rod and Bev Poulton.

The Poultons' planting project is the fourth QEII National Trust project to be crowd-funded on the Million Metres Streams website. Their planting zone falls within an area they recently covenanted with the National Trust, protecting a podocarp tree and gully system with stream flats.

The National Trust's funding adviser, Genevieve Bannister, said the funding came at the perfect time.

"With the covenant now fenced, grazing is no longer keeping the grass down on the flats.

John had already cleared the area for planting and getting the plants in when we did will help keep rank grass and blackberries at bay and speed up natural regeneration processes," she said.

Dannevirke High School students lay the weed matting around the plantings on the Poulton's Dannevirke property.

John and Marina said they were thrilled to be part of the Million Metres Streams campaign to protect New Zealand's waterways.

"When we were kids we could drink water from rivers and swim safely where we wanted.

We want to make sure our kids and future generations can do the same.

"We couldn't have done so much so soon without the crowd funding and we extend a huge thank you to every single donor for helping make this happen," they said.

Horizons Regional Council has been closely involved with the project. It has worked with the Poultons to prepare a whole-of-farm management plan, helped out with fencing costs and, through its He Tini Awa fund, contributed plants and support for restoration work at other sites on the farm.