Source: Auckland Council
It was a special occasion when local rangatahi (youth) and community came together to mark Matariki at Sunvue Park in Glen Eden in June 2021.
Supported by Waitākere Ranges Local Board, more than 50 members of the community came together to celebrate Matariki and put some hard mahi (work) in to help restore the whenua (land) by planting 700 eco-sourced native plants.
Months in the making
The community Matariki event took months of hard work and planning to bring together a memorable event that reinforced the importance of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the park.
In addition to the planting mahi, which was done to help restore the fauna at Sunvue Park, Community Rangers Aimee Hoeberigs and Glenn Browne were on hand to teach the community about how it would help to restore the whenua (land) and increase the wildlife.
Once the planting was done, the group enjoyed a hangi and cooked on the park to help bring the community together.
Despite the weather being challenging, Aimee says that the event was phenomenal.
“As a Community Park Ranger, our role here is to connect people to nature. This event brought the local community together, to share stories, ideas on the future of play in the park, kai (food), learn about how to protect our precious native wildlife and increase biodiversity in our own backyards.
“With over 700 native plants in the ground through the hard mahi of neighbours, friends, and family. Even people just passing by stopped in to help; and we hope to see more people and wildlife connected to this park.
“It’s fantastic that the local board were able to support this event to make it happen and show the value of the park and its connection to the community.
“This is just the beginning of our journey to restore the whenua and help keep Sunvue Park special for generations to come,” she says.
