The Pōrangahau Catchment Group and Pōrangahau School's Year 2-4 Tauretaikai class, successfully planted 240 native plants along the riverside at Pōrangahau Jetty during a community planting day in the winter of 2023.

All plants were equipped with wool mats, stakes, and protective guards. 14 different coastal tolerant native riparian species were planted, including sedge, swamp sedge, cabbage tree, mirror plant, toetoe, akeake, and harakeke. These species were carefully chosen to thrive in the local environment, with placement designed to optimise growth and support biodiversity. Plants were grouped in clusters of three to five of the same species and placed based on their wet/dry condition needs and height, promoting efficient seed collection by birds and pollen and nectar collection by bees.

Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, the new planting effort aims to rejuvenate the riverside area. The project, initiated by the Pōrangahau community in 2021 with the first planting in winter 2022, is located alongside the Pōrangahau estuary—a nationally significant wildlife habitat. This estuary supports a diverse array of indigenous bird species and serves as a crucial nursery and feeding habitat for various fish species.

Please get in touch if you have ideas for community projects within the Pōrangahau Catchment - we may be able to help.

Community Planting Day

The Pōrangahau Catchment Group and Pōrangahau School's Year 2-4 Tauretaikai class, successfully planted 240 native plants along the riverside at Pōrangahau Jetty during a community planting day in the winter of 2023.