The Minister for Conservation, Hon Kiri Allan, and Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate visited Hamilton’s Mangaiti Gully yesterday (27 April) to see the ongoing hard work to restore the area’s native flora.

A three-year collaborative project with central government and community-led partner organisations, the vision is to restore the native vegetation of the gully back to pre-European status.

Mayor Southgate was delighted to see the restoration work done to date.

“This project is an example of great partnership between Council, government, and local community groups. It means the faster restoration of one of Hamilton’s special natural places and it has also provided for skills training and job opportunities for new biodiversity, green-space champions. I love it,” she said.

“I was thrilled to attend the announcement alongside Councillor Sarah Thomson and see the huge gains that have been made and will be made.”

Hamilton City Council’s General Manager Community, Helen Paki, is also proud to be involved in the city’s gully restoration efforts.

“I’m incredibly proud of the effort of so many Council staff, who have gone above and beyond to realise such a worthwhile project,” Paki said.

“I am delighted that we are working hard for a better future for our city, alongside our partner and community-led organisations, to achieve such wonderful outcomes all Hamiltonians will be able to enjoy.”

The restoration efforts are a collaborative venture across the Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature Programme, Mangaiti Gully Restoration Trust, Go Eco Charitable Trust, HEB Construction Trust, Ngaati Haua Mahi Trust and Ngaati Wairere, and with support from Hamilton City Council.

Council has several projects that aim to restore the city’s green areas, under the Nature in the City programme. The programme’s goal is to increase Hamilton’s native vegetation cover from 2% to 10% by 2050. The next ten years of the programme has been funded in the latest Long-term Plan (2021-31).

Part of the Kirikiriroa gully system in the city’s north-east, the Mangaiti project goal is to remove invasive weeds and replant native species – a total of over 70,000 individual plants. This work is essential to preserve Hamilton’s biodiversity – including iconic native species such as bats, tuuii, bellbirds, kereruu – as well as our aquatic life such as fish and frogs.

Not just a habitat for a wide range of wildlife, the gully will also become part of the area’s walkway and cycleway systems. Through accessways, raised platforms and boardwalk tracks, Mangaiti Gully will help link suburbs and provide the area with beautiful green spaces to enjoy for exercise and leisure.

The Mangaiti Gully restoration will be complete in June 2022, at which time access tracks and boardwalks will open to the public.

© Scoop Media