Cattle chew through garden

DEVASTATED: Kiritahi Firmin with pepe Panatahi,assesses the damage after six cattle broke through an unfastened gate and ate everything in the Kaiwhaiki maara and destroyed the tunnel house. PHOTO/MERANIAKARAURIA 200813WCMK02

The call came just after 7am yesterday morning - six cattle were eating the plants in the whanau maara/garden at Kaiwhaiki.

Kiritahi Firmin who has been toiling and teaching in the maara was heartbroken to learn the cattle crashed through a gate that had not been properly closed.

Yesterday she was keeping her tears in check as she restaked the olive trees.

There's no finger pointing, but she would like help to rebuild the plastic tunnel house the cattle managed to tear as they munched their way through the potted seedlings that were ready to be given to some of the kura to be planted out.

The tunnel house will have to be dismantled and rebuilt, and she's reticent to ask, but if anyone has any plastic or wood to rebuild the tunnel house, they would be gratefully accepted.

"I am devastated. This is about the progress to feed the community."

A broadleaf hedge planted as a border protection has had all its greenery eaten and would now take time to regrow.

The cattle pulverised the olive trees, six pear trees have gone and the cattle trampled the strawberries and wiped out all the brassicas.

"If anyone would like to help, it would probably take half a day to rebuild the tunnel house and we can give them a kai."

Steak will not be on the menu, Mrs Firmin insists, as she looked over the fence to where the cattle were grazing.

If you have any recycled material you can donate to the maara, contact Kiritahi on 3425845 or email: kiritahi@gmail.com