Students from both year ten classes, assisted by Mrs Dempster-Rivett and Izaak, went to Pehiaweri Marae to continue the work initiated by previous year groups at our school. The Pehiaweri Wetland feeds into the Hatea River, then, over the Falls into our Harbour. This project has been underway since 2015, the first year our school has been involved in the wetland restoration, which aims to reduce runoff and pollution into the Harbour.
We saw the work done by students in the past and we had a chance to plant a range of species, best suited to different parts of the wetland. We put in lots of manuka to shade the stream, cabbage trees, Kahikatea trees, and harakeke as well as other wetland species. We planted mainly in the buffer zone bordering the creek, and finished the event with a local delicacy, known as “Car bonnet hot chips”. A huge thanks to Whitebait Connection for their support of this project, by supplying plants and advice, as well as Joby for enabling this experience to happen for our students.