Endangered native tree revived
A tree in danger of dying out in New Zealand has been revived thanks to the keen eye of a Porirua City Council nursery employee.
The waiwaka tree, or swamp maire (Syzygium maire), was believed to have completely died off in Porirua until Andrew Jinks discovered a small group of them on his walk home through Rānui last year.
The native wetland tree grows throughout coastal and lowland swamps of the North Island and are important species to regenerate native wetland forests and to protect coastal areas from erosion, but are currently considered critically threatened.
Andrew was heading up Bromley View when a small gully of trees caught his eye. He noticed other natives such as totara and rimu in the gully and decided to take a closer look, spotting the waiwaka.
“It was actually the first time I had seen the tree in person but I knew it had distinctive pale and flaky bark, so I took a couple snaps and sent it to a local ecologist friend of mine to help classify it.” The last reported siting of the waiwaka growing in Porirua was over 100 years ago but Andrew and Porirua City Council will reintroduce the tree to our city’s harbour, parks, and surrounding forests.
Hundreds of seedlings have been grown at the city nursery, from the fruit of the small group of trees found by Andrew. These seedlings will begin to be replanted in the coming months in places like the Elsdon wetland and Hokorito Stream in Titahi Bay.
Andrew recalls when he first came to New Zealand in 1986 from Wales and the sight of pine trees and gorse covering the hills of Wellington. “We used to play the game ‘count the possums’ when we were driving on the highway,” he says, “and now I see native birds and plants, like the kohekohe, reclaiming their native habitat all around Porirua.” Situated at 106 Sievers Grove in eastern Porirua, the nursery offers a variety of plants at wholesale prices. Normally open to the public 12.30–3.30pm on weekdays, it is closed until 17 September.
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Visit: poriruacity.govt.nz.
Call: (04) 237 5089
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International Volunteer Managers Day
Yesterday marked International Volunteer Managers Day. So throughout this week we will be spotlighting several amazing volunteer managers from across the Wellington region.
Liv has recently started managing a diverse team of volunteers at The Free Store Wellington. Here are some words about what she loves about her role!
Celebrating International Volunteer Managers Day
We had a wonderful morning celebrating Te Whanganui-a-Tara volunteer managers at our International Volunteer Managers Day breakfast event.
It was inspiring to bring together local change-makers to discuss this year's theme: 'what's our future normal?' We shared reflections and aspirations for how we can play a role in shaping a stronger and brighter future for the voluntary sector.
Thank you so much to our generous sponsors Lighthouse Cinema, t leaf T, The Candle Shop, Wonderland Chocolate, Zealandia and Oat Cafe.
Amazing catering provided by Blue Carrot
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