Native plantings to sow new future on Mt Messenger bypass

Contractors on Te Ara o Te Ata, the Mt Messenger Bypass project, have begun planting more than 16,600 natives alongside the Mimi River, giving it a new lease on life.

The 3.75 hectares of riparian planting will help prevent erosion, filter sediment and nutrients, and improve the habitat for native freshwater species by providing shade.

The riparian zone extends 10 metres either side of the waterway and is fenced to keep stock out.

Project lead ecologist Roger MacGibbon said years of planning have gone into the project's mitigation, restoration and riparian planting programmes and it is great to see boots on the ground.

He said they had tried to keep a local focus, cultivating seeds from the area and employing local contractors including a team from Tāmoremorenui, an affiliate and project partner to Ngāti Tama.

"Along with iwi, nearby landowners have been crucial to developing the programme and the project team is appreciative of their support, and commitment to care for the plantings into the future.

"In years to come, people driving past will be able to enjoy the trees and shrubs, while the wildlife in the stream will be much better off with more shade and better water quality."

MacGibbon said as the project progressed, more than 289,000 natives would ultimately be planted across 46 hectares and nearly 90,000 of those natives were destined to go into riparian offset planting across 17 hectares.

Planting would also cover six hectares of kahikatea swamp forest, 9 hectares of dryland bush, and 15 hectares of roadside margins and fill slopes.

"Sedges and rushes will thrive in open wetlands, while hardy shrubs, small trees, and towering canopy species will flourish in dryland bush and wetland margins."

MacGibbon said the mitigation and restoration programme was part of a comprehensive environmental strategy which included pest management and aimed to leave the wider project area in much better condition for future generations.