On Wednesday our Community Advisor Beau Timberland organised an initiative to restore an overgrown area of the Te Aroha Domain. A dedicated group of volunteers from Manukora, a local Te Aroha business producing high-grade Mānuka honey products, donated their time to plant trees at the corner of Koromiko and Wilson Street. This was a real team effort with Ngāti Tumutumu preparing the area, Waikato District Council (WDC) providing the tools, Kaimai Valley Services (KVS) providing mulch and maintenance, and Keep Te Aroha Beautiful providing an array of trees and plants.

Rien Van de Weteringh from Keep Te Aroha Beautiful had eco-sourced seeds from the mountain, which he then propagated, and returned to us for planting. This project included a variety of kōwhai, kawakawa, māhoe (whiteywood), taupata (caprosma repens), pūruri, matipo, and libertia. Some renga renga (rock lillies) were also able to be split and replanted from our other gardens.

The team from Manukora worked hard pulling out weeds, spreading mulch, and planting trees all morning. Their organisation believes in giving back to the local community, and so their staff receive two volunteer days each year. Manukora has a base here in Te Aroha, as well as staff who live throughout our district. This is their second time volunteering at the Domain, and we appreciate the time and effort they put in to our community.

The idea to restore this area came from our KVS team, who wanted to see the area looking beautiful again. It had become overrun with jasmine and other weeds so, when Simon Wood at Manukora rang up looking for a project, everything came together. Beau got in touch with Ngāti Tumutumu, WDC, KVS and Keep Te Aroha Beautiful, and they all jumped on board to support the community initiative.

If you’re visiting the Te Aroha Domain, be sure to check out the new plantings. The trees should be well established by spring, and they neighbour our new fernery and pond. The fernery was another volunteer-led project that was entirely grass only 12 months ago. If you have a similar idea that will help to create vibrancy within our local community, get in touch and we may be able to support in some way.

We also have a Community-led Initiatives Grant, which is now open for applications. The grant provides support to small-scale ‘grassroots’ initiatives, to enable community members to take the lead on initiatives that count most to them. Click here for more information and application details.