On a Saturday morning if you take a walk along Kaitoke Walkway you might hear chatter, laughter, sometimes a little huffing and puffing and the occasional “gotcha ya bastard”, or words to that effect.
You might have to step around a pile of plant matter or a discarded tool, or maybe a lunchbox full of homemade baking for morning tea. Maybe you can’t see anyone but we’re there; this is the dream team at work, Friends of Kaitoke Walkway, removing the garden escapee pest plants like privet, pampas, honeysuckle, climbing asparagus, agapanthus and much, much more clogging up the forest, draping themselves over and suffocating, or just out-competing with massive seeds drops, the native trees.
New Zealand has 2500 native plant species but we have brought into New Zealand an additional 25,000 and counting, exotic plants from overseas, many of which are happy to jump the fence – or be thrown – and climate change is helping them feel right at home here where they don’t have natural predators keeping them in check. That beautiful Monstera, cute little String of Pearls, pretty purple tradescantia, various Ficus species, Alocasia, Philodendron, on and on – these could be the next privet or gorse or climbing asparagus.
Friends of Kaitoke Walkway are locals who took the initiative, with council approval and support, to voluntarily remove the pest plants and make space for more natives like Nikau, Kohekohe, Puriri and Kowhai that will give the native manu year round food sources. The Piwakawaka, Tui, Kereru and Ruru we all love to see and hear, but why shouldn’t we also welcome Kaka and Korimako/Bellbird or even Hihi/Stitchbirds ? Make the place more inviting ?
We’ve noticed that the Kotare/ Kingfisher using nests in the clay banks year after year must go elsewhere because the climbing asparagus grew so thick over the bank it blocked the access.
Pest animals are a major problem but so are pest plants.
As a group we like doing good for nature, hanging out together and seeing the changes – freeing the native seedlings from veils of pest plants, replacing these with what should be here and boosting habitat for insects, lizards and bats, as well as year-round food and safe nest sites for birds.
Kaitoke walkway totals over 10 hectares of space. We could do with a hand so why don’t you join in ?
We meet all year round, 1st and 3rd Saturday each month, 9-11am more or less as the mood takes you. Meet at the East Street entrance.
Email Whāingaroaweedbusters@gmail.com if you’d like to know more. Or keep an eye on the Whāingaroa Weedbusters facebook group.
