Many hands make fast work at Maraekākaho!

Listening to Darryl Judd say we have 3,500 plants to plant makes it sound like this is going to be a long day. He’s speaking to a group of around 50 volunteers assembled on a mild Saturday morning. It’s the beginning of Focus MKK’s 2024 planting event, and I’m here to help out and meet some of the locals.

I shouldn’t have worried. In a wonderful illustration of that old saying about many hands making light work, all plants were in the ground by around 11am, and we were then enjoying a well-earned BBQ sausage or two. Some great planning by event organisers, coupled with support from the wider Maraekākaho community, was key to the event’s success. That support included planting assistance by a team from Mr Apple, who connected with Focus MKK via Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay’s Project Portal.

The event, a partnership between Focus MKK and HBRC, established a mix of trees, shrubs, flaxes and grasses along the banks of the Maraekākaho Stream, close to where it enters the Ngaruroro River. The expectation is that these plants will stabilise the banks during flood events, increase native biodiversity, and improve the recreational values of the area. It’s the latest project for Focus MKK, a group of local people who advocate for the community and undertake various initiatives with a social and environmental focus. Previous plantings in locations such as the community hall, war memorial, and along Kereru Road are now well established.

In providing a helping hand at the event, the team from Mr Apple were fulfilling that company’s commitment to ‘give back’ to the environment that supports its apple growing operations. The company had recently signed up as a “Helper” on Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay’s Project Portal and were looking for opportunities to provide people power to community initiatives associated with waterways across Hawkes' Bay.

Michael Caccioppoli, Head of Coolstores, Logistics & Engineering (Post Harvest), says the Focus MKK event felt like a natural fit and it was a rewarding experience for staff. “Planting these native trees will help create a healthier ecosystem and a better habitat for wildlife. Our team were proud to be part of a project that will have such a positive and lasting impact on the environment.”

Also helping on the day were staff from Tūpore Infrastructure and Hastings District Council. Tūpore has an aggregates supply location close by the planting site, and graded the riverside track to make it easier for volunteers to access the site, before helping with planting. HDC and Focus MKK members have been working together to increase rural community resilience, collaborating to prepare and realise the vision of the Maraekakaho Community Plan 2023-2028. An event such as this one has obvious environmental benefits, but also serves to connect community members around shared goals. Site preparation and hole drilling by staff at HabitatBPM made the planting easy for everyone to get involved.

Focus Maraekakaho chairperson Mairi Fitzsimons said “It was wonderful to see the progress that has been made today in developing our riverside recreational area. Focus Maraekakaho is indebted to everyone who contributed to this project. Our committee is so delighted to have our community's support for a project we can all enjoy."

Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay’s Project Portal is an online resource where people and groups can promote their environmental projects, attract additional volunteers and resources, and advertise events. For people keen to assist but not sure how to do this, signing up as a Helper is a great way to start. Listing your skills and preferred project types means that leaders of relevant projects can more easily find and connect with you. The Portal is free to join, easy to use, and Biodiversity HB provides assistance with managing profiles as needed.

3 September 2024

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