Volunteers take on Taupiri Ki Waenganui!

On a warm, but overcast day last week, a group of volunteers from Genesis Energy and Spark joined together to get their hands dirty at a Waikato RiverCare project site.

Just the beginning: The team being briefed on best planting practice.

Taupiri Ki Waenganui (waenganui = the middle, between, intervening space) is so named as it is the final link in a stretch of the Waikato River that is now completely stock excluded between Taupiri and Huntly on the true right bank, thanks to projects undertaken by RiverCare and partners.

Our wonderful team of volunteers donned their high visibility vests and took to the soil with spades. Approximately 1,800 holes were dug and filled with a variety of native shrubs and trees. We were lucky to have had some dry weather recently as the site was completely under floodwater just a few weeks earlier. This, however, caused parts of the ground to be quite hard and clay-like which was definitely a challenge for our team, but they kept on like champions!

Making it look too easy in rough conditions

Thank you to Genesis Energy and Spark for your enthusiasm and support for Waikato RiverCare. We really love the opportunity to give people the chance to get hands on experience of our projects! Thank you also to WEL Energy Trust and Trust Waikato for supporting us in organising this wonderful day.

Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust, Waikato River Authority, and Waikato District Council have also been hugely instrumental in the entirety of this project, and their input is much appreciated. All have contributed greatly to, not only this particular project, but many others that could not have been undertaken without their support.