The local horticulturist’s opinion was compelling:
Harakeke’s the answer, I reckon.
Craig Hoskins had formed his view of the value of
harakeke during a coast-crawling kayak expedition that took him from Whangaparäoa to the Bay of Islands. Observing the state of coastal vegetation at close quarters, and while camped on numerous beaches along the way, he marvelled at the versatility and resilience of harakeke. He was also perturbed by how much of the coastline sorely needed attention, in respect to its vegetation.
The notion that a large-scale harakeke nursery might be combined with wastewater re-use was put to Rodney District Council. Infrastructure planner Jo Floyd promptly offered that a trial might readily be conducted at the council’s Ömaha plant—where treated effluent irrigates trees and grass, but with the bulk being supplied to the Ömaha Golf Club for use in
its subsurface irrigation system.
Concurrently, Auckland Regional Council was urging Friends of the Mahurangi to consider establishing a community nursery. The regional council suggested the group seek the assistance of ecologist and indigenous species restoration contractor Rodney Straka. When learning of the offer of a trial site at Ömaha, Rodney mentioned it might be suitable for open-ground methods.
A third strand was suggested by Waitakere City Council indigenous species restoration advisor
Chris Ferkins, who had been encouraged by the results of establishing sites with a 50:50 mix of
toetoe and other indigenous species, in achieving canopy closure earlier. This suggested that the faster growing toetoe, as opposed to harakeke, might be the magic bullet in driving down establishment costs.
Regardless of what trials were undertaken, Chris urged it was all-important that they be conducted scientifically—something he had not managed to achieve in respect to his checkerboarded toetoe plantings. He recommended
Dr David Bergin citing his particular flair for making the science accessible—the attractively designed and illustrated
Indigenous Tree Bulletin series.
Dr David Bergin was duly contacted. Serendipitously, his mentor
Jaap van Dorsser had adapted the open-ground methods initially developed by the Forest Research Institute
to raise eucalypts, to raise indigenous species.
An application to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s
Sustainable Farming Fund was successful, following an unsuccessful one to the Ministry for the Environment.
The trial originally sought to establish a pilot open-ground nursery that utilised treated wastewater for irrigation. However, after successfully producing one small crop of indigenous plants at the Ömaha Wastewater Treatment Plant site, it was realised that a much larger but more narrowly-focussed trial was needed to provide a convincing comparison with the container methods, which are pervasive in indigenous plant nurseries. What was needed was for the plants to be raised by a nursery already equipped and experienced in open-ground methods.
Two nurseries on the volcanic plateau were contacted, in interests of their proximity to key project members. One,
Taupö Native Plant Nursery, had the added advantage of having both open-ground and indigenous capability—the only other nursery with both capabilities is
Appletons Tree Nursery, which is located in the South Island.
Taupö Native Plant Nursery responded with enthusiasm, whereupon it was learned that that nursery had recently made the decision to step up its open-ground capability.
This, potentially, was a perfect marriage of commercial and community interests.
Eucalypt Footnote The Forest Research Institute found eucalypts to be more demanding to raise than radiata pine. The methods that it developed in response also proved to be a superior for raising radiata pine, and thus became the standard method for that species.
Toetoe Footnote Chris Ferkins’ work, and the Hepburn Creek trial designed to test the concept, involves toetoe—specifically
Cortaderia fulvida—and not the invasive, razor-sharp-leaved South American pampas.
Next section Trial Transfers to Taupö
Previous section Deforestation Catches Up with the Catchment
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The Open-Ground and Container-Raised Indigenous Plants Comparison is a Sustainable Farming Fund project.
Gobsmackin’ Gerrymander: Curiously, Rodney District Council proposals for a rural ward place the boundary immediately north of regional councillor Christine Rose’s residence. Cartoon Majorlook Productions
Almost a Metre: This känuka grew 95cm in height in six months open-ground at the Ömaha Wastewater Treatment Plant site, from a seedling of the size of those in the inset.