Deans.
Greendot.
Native Planting.
Project partner: Te Ara Kākāriki
On a steep hillside above the Wainiwaniwa River, dense gorse and exotic weeds once dominated the bank and adjacent stream edge. Supported by the Environmental Management Fund (EMF) and led by Te Ara Kākāriki, a restoration plan was developed and the site prepared. The landowner spent weeks removing gorse to ready the area for planting. Volunteers then established indigenous plants across 1,000 m²—atop the bank and along the waterway—with future phases set to extend plantings right down to the river’s edge.
- Invasive gorse replaced with native canopy species, improving habitat quality.
- Slope stabilisation and bank protection, reducing erosion risk
- Sediment and contaminant filtration before entering the Wainiwaniwa River
- Gorse suppression through shading of seedbeds by maturing natives
- Riparian cover providing refuge and breeding habitat for fish, invertebrates and birds
