Source: Department of Conservation
Date: 10 February 2025
Arowhenua Native Nursey was developed in 2021. Since then, staff have raised and planted more than 600,000 plants, all eco-sourced and native to the area.
Tony Doy, the nursey’s restoration supervisor, says the team is proud to be helping increase numbers of threatened plants in the local area, with the nursery cultivating 50 different species, ranging from common to rare and threatened.
“Many of the nursery’s plants have gone into wetland areas beside the Rakitata River to help reduce nutrients and sediment entering the water. Wetlands increase the resilience of land around them by reducing the impacts of extreme events of flooding and drought.
“Our plants will become seed sources along the river, and birds will spread them into new areas to create a native corridor. Hopefully, in the future landowners will realise the benefits of such native areas, and maybe plant some on their land,” Tony says.
Jobs for Nature funding has enabled many organisations, like Arowhenua, to kickstart their operations and get established as sustainable businesses working in the environmental sector.
The project started out at the marae but moved to larger commercial nursery premises on the outskirts of Temuka as it quickly outgrew its initial site. The nursey is now transitioning to a commercial wholesale model, with the Jobs for Nature funding finishing at end of last year.
The nursery’s general manager Lex Evans died suddenly in late 2023, but the nursery has tried to carry on his ethos.
Tony says Lex was an amazing role model.
“His favourite saying was, ‘We not only grow plants, we grow people’. Staff who joined through Jobs for Nature have gained valuable skills and love what they do. The work is outside, and they can see they’re making a real difference. Lex worked incredibly hard to ensure the success of the project. He was, and still is, an inspiration to the staff here to continue his Kaupapa.
“Under Jobs for Nature, 15% of the time was spent on training, so we did first aid, Level 3 horticulture, chainsaw use, herbicide application, predator control, 4WD and light utility vehicle driving.
“We have also undertaken a river safety course, because a lot of our work is beside waterways. To build staff confidence when using chainsaws, our former restoration manager Matt Rudd organised an arborist to spend a day with us.
“Our people loved it. They now have great CVs that will give them an advantage on others who are also at the beginning of their careers. We look forward to seeing them on their journey.
“The Jobs for Nature project also offers our kaimahi the chance to gain skills in planting, weeding, maintenance and pest control on a daily basis.”
Nursery General Manager Felicity McMillian says, “I whakapapa to Arowhenua, so the Rakitata is extremely significant for me and our whānau. It was an awa that our tīpuna gathered kai and resources from.
“Experiencing the awa and its diversity when collecting seeds is very good for our wairua. It’s like a full circle. We gather seeds from the Rakitata and once they are ready, we plant them there again to restore the health of the awa.”
Felicity says the nursery grows native plants that are particularly suitable for conditions at the project’s restoration sites.
“We want to replicate what would have been there in the past. The main plants we grow are Carex secta, tī kōuka, harakeke, mānuka and kānuka. These plants will restore the Rakitata awa, improve the quality of the water, and encourage native manu (birds) and insects to return to the river.”
DOC River Ranger Brad Edwards says the funding has supercharged conservation work in the catchment through DOC’s Ngā Awa river restoration programme.
“Funding of $11.45 million from Jobs for Nature went to projects focused on the lower Rakitata, managed by Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua. The Upper Rangitata Gorge Landcare Group received a $7.3 million grant to lead restoration work in the upper river, including planting a lot of what’s grown at the nursery and carrying out extensive fencing and pest control.”
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) also provided funding for pest and weed control in the Rakitata catchment as part of its biosecurity programme.
Background information
Rakitata is the preferred name for the Rangitata River as it recognises the local Kāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu) dialect, which replaces ‘ng’ with ‘k’. So ‘taonga’ becomes ‘taoka’ for example.
The Rakitata River Revival Programme began as a partnership between Te Rūnaka o Arowhenua and DOC through the Ngā Awa river restoration programme. It now includes Environment Canterbury, Toitū te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, Central South Island Fish & Game and Timaru and Ashburton District Councils.
Rakitata River revival programme
Contact
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Email: media@doc.govt.nz
