Matariki - reflecting on past, present and future

Matariki, a time to honour our past, celebrate the present and plan for the future..

Last week the team and some of our whanau headed up to Ōrewa Estuary to work with one of our local community partners – Restore Hibiscus and Bays (RHB) – to help plant key estuarine plants along the riparian margins adjacent to the wetland. Together we enjoyed time together planting Oi Oi, Tororaro and Mānuka, alongside our very knowledgeable rangatira (leader) from RHB, Deb Colson.

We learned about the importance of ecological restoration in upholding the land and water’s integrity, the mauri, (the life force) which Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, the original descendants of this land, have a responsibility to protect and uphold.

We learned that our planting efforts will provide a protective terrestrial plant community buffer, to preserve the lower tidal environment and enhance the succession of the adjacent saltmarsh and wetland communities.

We learned that this planting will contribute to creating numerous ecological and biodiversity benefits, including restoring habitat supporting nearly 60 different terrestrial and coastal bird species in the area. These birds will continue to enhance the environment, by supporting a range of pollination and plant succession processes. We learned the importance of careful planting technique to avoid pests and predators undoing our efforts.

Our recent volunteering efforts gave us an opportunity to learn more about our historical natural environment, enjoy time as a team to work to restore it, so that it may flourish again for future generations – we reflect on this today in the spirit of Matariki.

Oxygen Consulting team and whanau volunteering at Ōrewa Estuary