Stories from our network
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Wairarapa Animal Pest Control Strategy
The Wairarapa Pūkaha to Kawakawa Alliance (WaiP2K) is a community-led network. It brings many different groups together to increase the health of Wairarapa ecosystems, biodiversity, water and the resilience of its communities and to respond to climate change. Included...
Restoration Day to thank Wairarapa environmental groups
Greater Wellington is asking those interested in restoring the environment to register for Restoration Day. Held on Saturday 28 May, the annual event is thanking local environmental restoration groups for their efforts. Taking place in Wairarapa, it’s run by Greater...
Richard Parkes: Getting your group ready for action
by Ali Mackisack So you’ve heard a bit and read a bit about Community Catchment Groups (CCGs). You’ve thought, “hey, great idea” and have had a chat with a few neighbouring landowners about some of the ideas you’ve tossed around amongst yourselves over the years....
Tiny Treasures: Finding and recording our long-tailed bat population
by Ali Mackisack She’s been spending her days looking at tiny pictures of sounds. The sounds reveal themselves as lines of varying lengths and shades, yet many many times, the picture frames on her computer screen are simply blank. But when a sound picture appears,...
The unusual brown mudfish
by Tony Silbery, originally published in the Wairarapa Journal Fish and water - such a natural fit that it’s virtually impossible to think of one without the other. Yet in Wairarapa, there is a group of fish so well adapted to a particular habitat that they spend a...
Rural communities come together for healthy thriving catchments
by Ali Mackisack Outside the hall, there’s a 3 litre diesel ute parked next to a tiny electric car. The variety in the vehicles parked in the paddock-cum-carpark reflects the variance in the kinds of people inside the hall, where large-station owners sit alongside...
Support grows for rural communities to take action for the environment
by Ali Mackisack Kate Wyeth had a whole list of things she wanted to do in Masterton – a long list of “town jobs” to tick off before being interviewed about the plan she’s helped develop to grow and support farmer-led Catchment Communities across the Wairarapa....
Pūkaha adds a Trap Shop
Contributed by Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre has revamped their gift shop and it now contains an exciting new addition, the Trap Shop. An essential part of the restoration project at Pūkaha is predator and pest control including...
Tūī family inspire community project
By Ronnie Anderson, Department of Conservation A bit of rain won’t deter a bunch of intrepid trappers hell bent on ridding Donnelly Flat of pests so our native birdlife can thrive. Unless the weather is extreme every second Thursday you can find these determined...
Exploring eDNA
by Ali Mackisack Remember the joys of fossicking around in a river or creek – dipping your net into the water and turning over rocks to discover what was underneath? New technology takes that joy of discovery even deeper, allowing us to find out exactly what’s in our...
Restoration Day back in the Wairarapa
Restoration Day 2022 will be held here in the Wairarapa putting the spotlight on the amazing mahi happening in our special part of the region. Restoration Day is an annual event led by Greater Wellington and the Department of Conservation in collaboration with a range...
Dung beetles for Christmas?
Dung Beetles are a great way to bury dung from pastoral animals into the soil profile and improve soil health. The beetles have evolved to live alongside pastoral animals but they were not introduced into NZ when pastoral animals were. They will bury, cattle, sheep,...
Rātā – a rakau rangatira
Story by Tony Silbery and Erin Kavanagh-Hall Northern rātā is one of our most recognisable trees. In the scientific world, it is known as Metrosideros robusta - meaning “stout iron heart”, in a reference to its stature and the strength of its wood. In this part of the...
Opportunities for farmer-led catchment groups
by Mike Birch, Taueru farmer, Ruamahanga Restoration Trust trustee and WaiP2K Forum member A catchment community group is a gathering of people, working together, who identify with a geographical area. There are many reasons to form a catchment group including...
Connect with nature at your local reserve
Summer is a great season to explore nature. If you’re short on time, urban bush reserves are perfect for getting a quick nature fix. Wairarapa local Rebecca Jamieson discovers these special places, and how they can benefit our well being. There is something almost...
Bats in our backyard?
by Ali Mackisack “When it comes to biodiversity, sometimes finding out what isn’t there, is just as important as finding out what is there,” says Sam Rammell, a Master's student in Ecological Restoration at Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington....
The Awatotara Project: From Stormwater Drain to Urban Ecosystem
by Ali Mackisack To some, it looks just like another small urban creek, channelling water away from homes and into the river. But for one group of neighbours, it looked instead like a challenge and a chance to bring their community together: is it possible to turn...
Wairarapa locals show their love of nature for Conservation Week
With a sinking feeling of déjà vu, Conservation Week event organisers in the Wairarapa cancelled face to face events for a second year in a row due to COVID-19. Fortunately, this years’ theme ‘Take a moment for nature’ was still relevant in Level 3, so a photo...
$1.1 million funding boost for farmer-led catchment groups in the Wairarapa
A $1.1 million funding boost will help farmer-led Wairarapa catchment community groups to take action for better biodiversity and stream health outcomes and the resilience of their communities. The funding is part of a partnership between the Ministry for Primary...
Sharing a passion for water with our youth
Contributed by Ronnie Anderson, Senior Community Ranger, Department of Conservation (originally published in the Wairarapa MidWeek) One day soon when our daily routines are back to normal, you may notice something a bit ‘abnormal’ popping up around town in Masterton –...
Using iNaturalist in the Wairarapa
by Celia Wade-Brown What’s that bird? Do you love lizards? Do native orchids flower in August or January? Or maybe you want to identify a tree in the Tararua Forest? Not sure whether that butterfly is native to this area? Where can I see a flowering rātā in Aorangi...
Pae Tū Mōkai o Tauira: Growing a Future, One Plant at a Time
by Ali Mackisack “It’s easy to underestimate what it takes to set up and run a native tree nursery,” says Narida Hooper of Pae Tū Mōkai o Tauira Inc – a community and environment-focused group based in Featherston. “When we set up our committee in 2018, we had this...
Bugman supports Wānanga
Contributed by Alex Wall, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre (first published in the Wairarapa MidWeek) There’s nothing like seeing someone else’s ‘passion’ to remind oneself just how important a cause can be. When it comes to nature and the natural world regarding...
Wairarapa’s Enviro Educators
by Ali Mackisack Photos of smiling children with a tree in one hand and a spade in the other, abound on our print and social media platforms. But – as in many other places, there’s a lot more depth and diversity to our environmental education space than kids planting...
Kohunui Marae conservation champions
by Ronnie Anderson, Department of Conservation | Originally published in the Wairarapa MidWeek It’s a win win for the Wairarapa and local hapū with the creation of a plant nursery at Kohunui Marae. The nursery will support hapū conservation and cultural ambitions...
Wainuioru Nursery Workshop
by Charmin Dahl Wainuioru School & Community Nursery hosted a workshop on the 25th of July. The Wairarapa Pūkaha to Kawakawa Alliance invited regional expert Harvey Phillips to provide a training session on pricking out and give a demonstration of his seed...
Come and meet the Mangatarere Catchment Project Team
On 11 August, the Mangatarere Restoration Society are hosting a public meeting at Carterton Events Centre. The event opens at 5pm for a drop-in for Carterton residents to discuss the flood modelling of the Mangatarere Stream and its tributaries. Our 10-minute AGM...
Biodiversity groups abound
by Ali Mackisack, originally published in the MidWeek on 14 July 2021 Here in the Wairarapa, we really do love our natural environment. At last count, there were about 52 groups in the Wairarapa, both rural and urban, who are working to protect and restore...
Conservation Week in the Wairarapa
Conservation Week in the Wairarapa Take a moment to celebrate and enjoy nature this Conservation Week 4–12 September 2021. When Papatūānuku thrives, we all thrive. So take a moment for nature, give your mind a break and feel connected to the world. It can be as...
Plant a memory. Plant a tree. Do it today for tomorrow.
by Lyle Griffiths June 18th and despite the rather cloudy day and the threat of light misty rain, 35 Martinborough residents turned out to transform the corner of Hinakura and Todds Road behind the fence on the golf course. When the pine trees were removed last year,...