Arbor Day planting set to boost wetlands park

Thousands of volunteers will return a patch of Hamilton to its natural state on Arbor Day next month.

Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park is a 60 hectare wetlands park near Hamilton Zoo. The park’s re-vegetation project began in 2004. Since then, 12 hectares have been planted with native trees. Three more hectares will be planted on Arbor Day on June 3.

Hamilton City Council community planting co-ordinator Gerard Kelly says the project is a reconstruction. “We’re recreating systems that were once quite prevalent in the Hamilton ecological district.”

He says settlers decimated the area when they arrived in the 19th century. The park will be “a little window to show what it was like”.

The area was cleared and drained by early European settlers. Wetlands were reduced to 1 % of their former area. Only 1.6 % of the park’s original vegetation remains.

So far 1025 people have signed up but Mr Kelly expects a late surge in numbers. The target is to get 3000 people planting 30,000 plants.

Around 800 of the participants are from schools. Most of the rest are from businesses.

The plants will come from the Hamilton City Council nursery. They are eco-sourced from the Hamilton area. Mr Kelly believes the matched local soils will be a key factor in their success.

A predator proof fence is planned to be built in year 20 of the project. By this time the plants will have established and most introduced animals will have been eradicated.

Hamilton city councillors have been debating the appropriate place for the fence and whether an extension to the park will be necessary.

The planting day will be cancelled if there is a heavy rain warning. Planters can listen to The Breeze radio station for cancellations.