Join your local Park Rangers for habitat enhancement work around our Southern Waitākere Regional Park sites.
Don some grungy old clothes and come get stuck in to working with the land, and with us! Park Rangers are absolute nature nerds, and we are so keen to nerd-out with you, and work together to grow a collective and sustainable future. Conservation and community go hand in hand, so come join these fun, three-weekly events.
For each three-weekly volunteer opportunity we visit different sites around the Southern Waitākere Regional Park area. Giving back AND exploring stunning Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland sites!!
The goal of this ‘Tiaki Taiao/Enhancing habitat’ group is all about biodiversity thriving. To achieve this, you can expect there to be a lot of W**d control, as well as planting in the winter months and plant site care in summer. The general purpose of this mahi is to improve habitat, helping our taonga to thrive. The sites we visit are home to oioi/grey-faced petrels, geckos, pūpū-rangi/kauri snails, mātātā/fern bird and more! They need our help to keep their homes healthy. We hope to make this a fun and engaging opportunity to learn about the local flora and fauna and give back in a social community setting.
Further details specific to each event will be made in a pinned post (click the *discussion* section for specific details on each event!)😊
Feel free to ask questions in the comments, or flick us an email at
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Kia Ora Whanau!
Here are the Thursday 7th August volunteer day details:
- 9am - Meet at the first shelter (blue cross) of the Pine Ave access to Cornwallis beach. For this, park in the main carpark (black cross) and follow the red line on the map attached. The day will begin with introductions and discussions of the task.
- 9.30-11am – W**d control. We will work our way around the coastal vegetated areas cutting and pasting problematic pest plants. This is tough physical work that can involve pushing through vegetation, off-track and working with spikey and scratchy plants. Please be prepared for this.
- 11am- Morning tea
- 11.30-12.30 – W**d control continued
- 12.30pm – Pack-up.
o You may wish to pack a lunch to stay and enjoy the area after the event concludes.
What to bring:
- Packing list:
o Garden gloves (some will be provided)
o Comfortable covered clothing.
o Covered footwear
o Hat
o Water and snacks (and lunch, if you wish to stay on after the event)
o BYO cup if you wish to have a hot drink for morning tea.
- Protect Our Parks: To help stop the spread of kauri dieback, please ensure all footwear and gear are clean before arriving.
- Friendly reminder: No dogs allowed at our volunteering events – thanks for helping protect the wildlife!
What even is a W**d?
A W**d is simply a plant, growing well where it is not wanted. Here we focus on ‘ecosystem-changing’ weeds. The ones that, when left, take over and out-compete the native plants, negatively impacting the ecosystem balance. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, 80% of our trees, ferns and flowering plants are endemic!! That means they are only found here, and globally, this is super unique! Now we are proud of that, but we are not so proud of the consequences of the plants we have introduced from elsewhere. Tamaki Makaurau has been dubbed the weediest city in the world. The sub-tropical climate makes this area perfect for introduced garden plants to become problematic in our native forests, and that is exactly what has happened. So as guardians, we have a responsibility, and that’s what this group is all about.
You may also like the following events from Arataki Visitor Centre:
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