By Maia Hart, Local Democracy Reporter
Mike Aviss has a vision for Marlborough's east coast; to have it overtaken by native plants.
Marlborough District Council biodiversity coordinator Mike Aviss has been helping run a series of plantings along Marlborough's east coast. Photo: LDR / Maia Hart
The biodiversity coordinator at the Marlborough District Council has been helping co-ordinate a series of tree plantings at Mussel Point, between the Cape Campbell lighthouse and Marfell's beach.
"This area has been in recent times dominated by marram grass and so our desire is to remove the marram grass from the system, and replace it with what was here originally, which is native species, and that would be things like ngaio," Aviss said.
The area was uplifted about a metre during the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, which Aviss said had made a "massive difference" to the exposed land. The trees had been planted to remember the hardships faced by locals during and following the earthquake.
"New, bare sand was exposed by the earthquake, which is a real blessing for us, it's new sand, it's a new area," he said.
"Council has been involved in weed control, so we have been spraying the marram grass where it's spreading to the new beach, but where it has already been established, to just blanket spray it, just seems a bit of an overkill, when you could be planting trees into it to make it into a forest.
"It's a much more environmentally friendly way of achieving the same thing, really."
Last Friday volunteers, including Ward School's senior class, Reef, were out in numbers helping plant 1000 new natives, including cabbage trees, ngaio trees, akeake, and akiraho. Volunteers had already planted 1000 trees a couple of weeks before, and planned to plant 1000 more in the coming weeks.
About 1000 trees were planted last week. Photo: LDR / Maia Hart
Aviss said the trees were capable of withstanding the strong winds and salty air of the exposed coast.
The area bordered the Cape Campbell farm, owned by Sally and Rob Peter.
"They have significant natural areas, I call them SNAs," Aviss said.
"And they've even got QE11 covenants. So sections of their farm have been set aside and protected and fenced, and allowed to restore themselves."
One of those covenants was just beside the new plantings.
"That's a really important site historically, and for biodiversity, there are lizards there and katipō spiders."
Sally Peter said the planting would "make a corridor" of native bush.
"We had tui at the lighthouse a couple of years ago, which was probably the first time for years," she said.
"So it's going to work."
Ward School principal Carey Huria, left, with Honor Todhunter, 11, and MJ Burke, 10. Photo: LDR / Maia Hart
Ward School principal Carey Huria said the entire east coast was special to families of the school.
"Our families come from the East Coast, from Clarence, up to just round the corner here, at Marfell's Beach," Huria said.
"Also, this is about environmental education. This is their localised curriculum."
Ward School pupils Leah Lloyd, 10, left and Eloise Loe plant one of the trees. Photo: LDR / Maia Hart
She said in her time at the school, she had watched families rebuild their lives following the earthquake.
"We can see the effects of the earthquake. I think being able to do things like this, it's an opportunity that the earthquake has provided," she said.
"So it's talking to them [pupils] about how in life we face adversity, and of course building resilience. It's about looking for those opportunities in the face of challenge."
The planting has been supported through a Matariki Tu Rākau grant, which is part of the One Billion Trees programme. The grant provides funds for people to plant living memorials that honour members of the community.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air