Deighton.

Native Planting.

Project partner: Te Ara Kākāriki

The landowners aim to establish a functioning wildlife node within a cultivated landscape. Located at the end of a water race, the site includes a pond that supports native fish and attracts birdlife. By establishing a podocarp forest using species once found naturally in this part of the plains, the restoration contributes to long-term biodiversity and landscape resilience. The site also strengthens the wider greenway — a corridor of native vegetation being re-established across the Canterbury Plains.

With a funding grant from the Central Plains Water Limited Environmental Management Fund (EMF) and led by Te Ara Kākāriki, 489 native seedlings were planted to initiate a lowland podocarp forest, with tōtara and kahikatea as key structural species. The planting was guided by ecological planning to restore species diversity and habitat function.