Planting time at the Moana

Winter planting for Wairarapa Moana restoration is in full swing.

Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has organised the planting of 28,400 more trees, shrubs, sedges and rushes in six areas of the moana this year – and community volunteers are

welcome to join this massive effort at another event on 25 September.

Launched back in 2008, the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands Project is committed to whakaora te repo, ka ora te taonga wai – restoring our wetland treasure. The project is a collaboration between GWRC, the Department of Conservation (DoC), South Wairarapa District Council, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, and Rangitāne o Wairarapa. 

Again this year, the plants come from eco-sourced seed – all from established indigenous species within the Wairarapa Valley Ecological District. More than half the plant have been germinated and grown by local nurseries, including He Kōtare near Featherston and the Kohunui Marae nursery at Pirinoa.

Wairarapa Moana encompasses Lakes Wairarapa and Ōnoke, their neighbouring wetlands, the Wairarapa Lake Shore Scenic Reserve, Ōnoke Spit and Lake Domain near Featherston.

Community volunteers joined GW biodiversity advisers at Lake Domain – often called the gateway to the moana – for a planting event in glorious sunshine on Sunday 21 July. (See Photo).

The project team has 4,000 plants destined for foreshore and lake edge planting at this location this winter. There will be another planting event for volunteers at Lake Domain on Sunday 25 September (10:00 a.m. – noon). Everyone is welcome to join – just bring gloves, gumboots and spades!

This winter continues the mahi of the past three years when around 104,000 plants have been planted in the various moana areas, mostly by contracted planters. 

The project has benefited from a large post-Covid funding boost through DoC and the Ministry for the Environment, which will end at 30 June 2025. 

Other sources of money will be available, including funds for planting by community groups.

Wairarapa Moana Community Environment Fund

For groups wanting to undertake restoration efforts to protect and restore the mauri of Wairarapa Moana, the Wairarapa Moana Community Fund opens for applications on 1 August and closes on 1 October. 

Groups can apply for up to $12,500 to contribute to their restoration efforts. Further information: Greater Wellington – Wairarapa Moana Community Environment Fund (gw.govt.nz)