July 2021 Pānui – Newsletter
**CORRECTION**: the planting date for Western Reserve in Ōrewa has been changed to this Saturday 17 July at 9.30am. Please see more details below.
Kia ora and welcome to our Restore Hibiscus & Bays July 2021 Pānui.
In this newsletter...
Ngā mihi nui,
Rachael & the Restore Hibiscus & Bays team
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We would like to promote your future events and working bees on our website and in our newsletters! Please send us an email to events@restorehb.org.nz, including event name, date, time, location, RSVP details and any links for further information.
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Restore Hibiscus & Bays is incorporated!
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We are delighted to confirm that Restore Hibiscus & Bays is now an Incorporated Society with charitable status. To sign up as a member of the Society (which will give you voting rights at our AGMs and special general meetings), please update your details here. If you've been forwarded this newsletter and would like to sign up as a member of Restore Hibiscus & Bays, please use this online form, which can also be found on our website.
We'd like to give special acknowledgement and thanks to Heart of the Bays (formerly East Coast Bays Community Project Incorporated) for acting as an umbrella organisation for Restore Hibiscus & Bays between 2018 and 2021. The structural support they provided was invaluable, as the initiative developed its governance and team capacity, enabling its transition into a separate Incorporated Society.
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Check out our new strategic plan
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Our new 2021-26 strategic plan, which has been developed in response to a consultation process with the network and our Steering Group, details the vision, mission and ecological goals for the Restore Hibiscus & Bays initiative and the strategic focus areas for the 2021-23 work programme. It is intended that this strategy will guide collaboration and help to increase the collective impact of groups and projects within the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board area. Please download the new plan from our website here.
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We are hiring!
Could you be our new Ecological Restoration Advisor?
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Thanks to ongoing support and funding from the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, as well as a grant from Auckland Council, we are in a position to be able to expand our staff team at Restore Hibiscus & Bays. We are looking to hire a second Ecological Restoration Advisor who will work alongside our existing staff team to deliver the work programme, as summarised in our new strategic plan. If you are interested, please download the job description here. The role will be part-time for a fixed term of 12 months, initially. We welcome applications from anyone who has the requisite skills and experience, particularly if you have significant hands-on experience working on predator control projects (possibly in a volunteer capacity). Please send a CV and covering letter to jobs@restorehb.org.nz before the deadline on 1 August. Feel free to email any questions relating to the role in advance of the deadline.
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** Save the Date** – August Network Hui
Time and date: 7-9pm, Tuesday 17 August
Venue: Ōrewa Community Centre Main Hall, 40-46 Ōrewa Square, Ōrewa
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Please join us at our August network hui! We are super excited that Kay Milton and John Stewart from Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi will be joining us to share about the important monitoring work that is happening on the pest-free island.
There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and to share your own stories and experiences.
Everyone welcome, so please feel free to bring a friend :-)
Please RSVP on Facebook or by emailing info@restorehb.org.nz
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Out and About with Kane
Updates from our Ecological Restoration Advisor
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Sustainable Schools Adventure Race
It was a pleasure to be part of the first Sustainability Challenge Adventure Race for 2021 at Long Bay Regional Park – a whopping 63 school teams participated. Restore Hibiscus & Bays ran an activity called 'Friend or Foe', through which student teams had to identify and distinguish between pest plants and native plants. We were impressed by the keen eyes for flora found in Aotearoa, demonstrated by many of the young people who took part.
Congratulations to Auckland Council's Sustainable Schools team and their partners for organising yet another successful event.
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Planting prep in Mairangi Bay
The Mairangi Bay Scouts and Cubs have been busy again preparing a site that they will be planting out in the next few weeks. They have been controlling canna lilies, arum lilies, ivy, agapanthus and Japanese honeysuckle.
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Pest-free schools
Many of our local schools continue to get involved with environmental restoration by actively removing and controlling the pest plant species on school land that prevent the natural regeneration processes of indigenous bush. In June, Kane ran hands-on workshops with teachers and students at St John's School and the enviro group at Whangaparāoa College.
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Raroa Reserve weed control workshop
Restore Hibiscus & Bays partnered with Forest and Bird Hibiscus Coast to deliver a workshop in Raroa Reserve to help train members and local residents on how to safely and effectively carry out pest plant control. They covered control methods most suitable for volunteers for tackling moth plant, tree privet, phoenix palms and woolly nightshade. All of the skills learnt on the day can be applied on reserve land or in the backyard.
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Planting season is here!
Here are some opportunities to get involved in some local planting initiatives this year
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- Saturday 17 July, 9.30am, Western Reserve, Orewa – Orewa Rotary
- Sunday 18 July, 10am Shakepear Regional Park – Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society
- Saturday 24 July, Time TBC, Bushglen Reserve, Browns Bay – Bushglen Restoration Project
- Saturday 24 July, 9.30am, Karaka Cove, Red Beach – Forest & Bird Hibiscus Coast (register at hibiscuscoast.branch@forestandbird.org.nz) – Park at bottom of Matheson Road, walk up through the bush turn right at the fork in the path.
- Wednesday 28 July, 9.30am, Near Lakeside Reserve, Orewa – Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird – Park in Judd Place carpark or on Lakeside Drive. Bring gloves, gumboots, a spade, and a drink.
- Sunday 1 August, Time TBC, Winstones Cove – Care of the Cove
- Saturday 7 August, 9.30am, Karaka Cove, Red Beach – Forest & Bird Hibiscus Coast (register at hibiscuscoast.branch@forestandbird.org.nz) – Park at bottom of Matheson Road, walk up through the bush turn right at the fork in the path.
- Saturday 7 August, 9am, Centennial Park opposite 266 East Coast Rd – Centennial Park Bush Society
- Sunday 9 August, 10am at Okura Stillwater, 1a Duck Creek Road – Friends of Okura Bush
Please email info@restorehb.org.nz if you'd like to add a planting day to this list.
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Presentation slides from Prof Andrew Jeffs
A helping hand for the marine environment of the Hauraki Gulf
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At our June network hui, Professor Andrew Jeffs from Auckland University gave a fantastic presentation on the state of the Hauraki Gulf–Tīkapa Moana/Te Moana-nui-ā-Toi and what we all can do to help turn things around. He presented some excellent, informative slides, which he has very kindly agreed to be shared with everyone in our network. Please download them at the link here.
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Help us secure a significant boost for our stream projects
Add your small contribution to help us make a big difference!
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A massive thanks to Speight's for their generous donation to our Long Bay - Awaruku project via our partnership with Million Metres. The Long Bay - Awaruku project aims to restore two catchments in the Hibiscus & Bays area by planting up the stream edges and monitoring water quality, as well as removing weeds and educating landowners. Thanks to Speight’s, donations for this project are now being matched up to $10k, potentially boosting the project by $20k in total. Please donate today and help us improve water quality and wildlife habitat in the Hibiscus and Bays area.
Oh, and did we mention that the Million Metres project with the greatest number of donations before the 31st of July gets an $8k boost from The Body Shop?! We have a really good chance of winning if everyone chips in something small - every single donation really does count  Link to the Long Bay - Awaruku project here. Or you could also make a donation to two of our other awesome local stream projects: Taiaotea–Rothesay Bay Catchment Custodians and Clean Streams Campbells Bay.
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Birdlife along the Okura coastline
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Get your Restore Hibiscus & Bays T-shirts and Hats!
Order from our online shop
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You can spread the word and show your support by picking up one of the Restore Hibiscus & Bays tees or bucket hats, now available to buy from our website here. T-shirts are available in youth, women's and mens' sizes and styles, and hats are one size fits all. Once you order online, we will be in touch to arrange pickup from one of our tool libraries in Browns Bay or Whangaparāoa.
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Community pest plant disposal bins
Browns Bay – 712 Beach Road, next to the Bahai' Hall
Whangaparāoa – Outside Whangaparāoa library, 9 Main Street, Stanmore Bay
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Our pest plant disposal bins are for our communities to use to dispose of certain parts of some pest plants that pose the greatest threat to our indigenous bush. Correct disposal of seeds, seed pods, seed heads and roots greatly reduces the risk that the pest plant will spread to other areas after removal. Please use this bin for the following pest plant parts only, securely tied inside a plastic bag:
- MOTH PLANT – Seeds, pods, roots
- ARISTIDA GRASS – Seeds
- WILD GINGER – Seed heads
- CAPE IVY – Seeds only
- WOOLLY NIGHTSHADE – Seed heads, flower heads
- JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE – Roots, and stems if seeds present
- CLIMBING ASPARAGUS – Roots, or whole plant if seeds present
- MADEIRA VINE – Aerial nodules, seeds, seed pods, roots
- ARUM LILY – Seed heads only
- BONESEED – Seed heads only
- BANANA PASSIONFRUIT – Roots and seed pods only
- AGAPANTHUS – Flowers, seed heads
- COTONEASTER – Seeds
Do not put anything in this bin that is not listed above. For other pest plant species, please get in touch at info@restorehb.org.nz and we can advise on pest plant disposal options for your site/project. Parts of some pest plants, such as tradescantia, can instead be composted in a black pest plant bag, available from our tool library. For more information and guidance on controlling pest plants, visit restorehb.org.nz/resources-pest-plants/
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Report your June volunteer time
Keep track of your volunteer hours to document your valuable work!
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Please follow this link to our website to complete your reporting for June. And click on the link 'Project Hours Tracking form’, as highlighted above. On an ongoing basis, you can enter each event separately, or if you wish, you can aggregate the data for all your project activities across a month.
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Pest Plant of the Month: Agapanthus
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The purple flowers of agapanthus are visible from December to February and can be very beautiful to look at. However, they produce thin, papery, black seeds that spread in the wind and grow to form dense umbrella-like clusters with dark green leathery leaves, displacing other plants. They are particularly a problem in coastal areas, such as cliffs and banks, where they prevent native species from growing. The plant has white root rhizomes and can also spread from fragments of the root rhizome in contaminated soil.
- Take action as soon as possible:
- Report the weed using the EcoTrack.nz app.
- Dig out small infestations trying to remove most parts of the root rhizomes – Agapanthus can regrow from rhizomes that are left in the ground.
- For medium to large infestations, use a pruning saw, spade or another hand tool to cut the stem close to the ground. Quickly apply a thin film of MetGel or Bamboo Buster onto the cut stump or rhizomes. Alternatively, spray the freshly cut base with 250ml glyphosate green per 1L of water.
- Follow up in three months to reapply herbicide and ensure all regrowth has died.
- Dispose of the flowers and any rhizomes and roots in your rubbish bin to go to landfill, securely tied inside a plastic bag - to stop it spreading to other areas.
- Talk to your neighbours and encourage them to take action too!
- Stop pest plants invading again by replanting with non-pest plants (preferably native plants) once regrowth is no longer a problem.
- Talk to your neighbours and encourage them to take action too!
- Download a printable leaflet/poster about agapanthus and other pest plants from our website here.
- Please email us with any questions to info@restorehb.org.nz.
Look out for our agapanthus article in the July issue of Channel Magazine! This is part of a series of 'Pest Plant of the Month' features aimed at raising awareness of pest plants, why they're a problem and what to do about them. Its a collaboration between Restore Hibiscus & Bays and other environmental networks across the North Shore.
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Video of the Month: Native plant Nursery at Shakespear
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This informative mini documentary shows and explains the operations and purposes of the native plant nursery at Shakespear Open Sanctuary. Credit: Ian Miller.
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Do you have any cool photos or videos of wildlife, landscapes or people helping nature within our rohe? Would you be happy for us to include them on our website, newsletters, Facebook, leaflets and other communications? Do you have any stories that you would like to share? Please send them to info@restorehb.org.nz.
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Restore Hibiscus & Bays is a community-led, not-for-profit initiative that aims to bring together, empower and grow the network of restoration groups, neighbourhoods, individuals, schools, businesses and other organisations working to eradicate pests, restore native habitats and improve water quality across the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board area.
Our mahi is supported by funding grants from the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board, Auckland Council, Foundation North and the Lottery Environment and Heritage fund, and we are part of Heart of the Bays (formerly the East Coast Bays Community Project), which has charitable status.
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Every month we send news, information and events from our network of community groups working to eradicate pests, restore native habitats and improve water quality along the East Coast Bays and Hibiscus Coast. Please complete your full details via the link below, so we can ensure you receive information tailored to you. We also ask that you share this email with your friends and contacts and encourage them to sign up here for future newsletters.
Are you looking to connect with an existing group or project in our network? Click on our map here to see more information on the local community group or project working to protect and restore native wildlife and habitats in your area. If there isn’t a current project in your area of interest or if you would like to add a project to the map, please get in touch at info@restorehb.org.nz. We would love to support you in whatever way we can.
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Arohanui to our sponsors and partners:
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