Native Forest Regeneration in Te Awa Kairangi

ConservationRestoration

Tree Planting — Katherine Mansfield Drive (KMD)

In winter 2021, a 17,000 square metre gully off Katherine Mansfield Drive in Whitemans Valley became the first site at Mangaroa Farms to be fenced off and planted back into native bush.

The KMD gully from the air — 17,000m² of native revegetation

The team from Natural Habitats planted 17,000 re-veg grade native species at 1-metre centres across the gully floor. Every plant went in with a fibre guard and woolmulch mat to suppress weeds and reduce the need for herbicide. The contract included three years of maintenance — controlling noxious weeds and releasing around each plant as the canopy established.

Drone view showing the planted gully filling in

Alongside the gully, 935 linear metres of canal edges were planted — native grass mix on one side at 600mm centres, re-veg natives on the opposite edge. Another 2,493 fibre guards and woolmulch mats went down along the waterway. An existing 8,000m² of vegetated area within the gully was also cleared and managed for weed species over the three-year maintenance term.

The gully in July 2024 — canopy closing, natives establishing

The total investment for the KMD site was $270kNZD+ contracted to Natural Habitats in May 2021. It was a straightforward proposition: stop grazing the gully, fence it, plant it dense, and let the bush come back. Four years later, from the air, you can see the result. The canopy is closing. The gully that was once open pasture is becoming ngahere again.