The Toitū Te Hakapupu Restoration Project is celebrating its progress to date in the Pleasant River area with a community planting day.

Holes will be pre-dug and plants ready to go in the ground and those keen to attend have been encouraged to bring a shovel, gumboots, and gloves if they have them.

A free barbeque, coffee and ice cream will be provided. There will be a portaloo on site.

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the project and the vision the community has for Te Hakapupu, what work has been completed to date and help plant some natives along a waterway in the river catchment.

Progress to date:

• 35,820 plants completed.

More than twenty–five thousand more have been signed off to be planted this season and more plants are proposed to be planted before the end of the project in 2025.

• 10 km of fencing completed.

A further 12 km is currently in progress and another 13.5 km is proposed for completion by the end of the project.

Community planting days like this one give the community a chance to help contribute to the improvement of water quality in the area.

Media are encouraged to attend from 12pm to speak with project staff and take photos.

The project team have been thrilled by the interest and participation in events like these from members of the community and some who have come from as far away as Dunedin and Ōamaru.

Work continues to be completed on landowner properties in the Pleasant River area including the fencing off of waterways, the installation of sediment traps, ecological monitoring, fish passage improvements and the planting of natives.

A draft catchment action plan is also in development and will provide important direction in working to protect or enhance the catchment.

Toitū Te Hakapupu is a four-year Jobs for Nature partnership project between ORC and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, in collaboration with the East Otago Catchment Group and the community.

You can find out more on the project’s website: orc.govt.nz/tehakapupu

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