Community Plants Native Trees

A damp day didn't deter volunteers from showing up to plant native trees at Harold Catlin Reserve near Waharoa. The purpose of the planting was to increase the diversity of plant species within the forest fragment and help create a dense understory closer to the original forests of the area.

With a few guidelines from Piako Waihou Catchment Trust Trustee Jude Tisdall, the positioning of the trees was left to the volunteers, allowing, as Jude described, the volunteers to “decide where the trees would spend the rest of their lives”.

With a motivated team, the planting proceeded quickly. Volunteers dispersed throughout the bush to find the perfect forever home for their precious saplings, and 600 trees and shrubs were planted in under 2 hours.

The planting was followed by a light lunch and an opportunity to connect and acknowledge that we were all contributing to something larger than ourselves.

Many of the plants were generously donated by Waikato Ecological Restoration Trust Nursery in Tamahere, with other plants purchased from Ngāti Hako or grown by volunteers. All plants were propagated using an eco-seed sourcing principles to ensure strong genetic ties to the local environment.

The rain held off, and we were grateful to Chris from Waikato Regional Council and his 4WD vehicle for carrying our gear and helping us make it through the mud!

The event had wide support from the community. Volunteers included Matamata-Piako Mayor Ash Tanner, Deputy Mayor James Sainsbury, and volunteers from Waikato Ecological Restoration Trust, Sustainable Matamata, Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata-Piako District Council, and Waikato Regional Council, along with local individuals passionate about supporting the environment.

Harold Catlin Reserve, a lowland podocarp forest with mature kahikatea and tōtara, is part of our Connecting the Waitoa project, focused on protecting and restoring multiple kahikatea forest fragments along the Waitoa River to provide a biodiversity corridor connecting the significant forest restoration projects of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and restoration projects on the Kaimai Mamaku ranges.

If you are interested in supporting the work at Harold Catlin Reserve, please contact us or check out the Waharoa Weeder events on our Events Page.

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