In the last Panui Taiao we shared a link to a story on the Predator Free 2050 website about the “seed island” concept for species enrichment in indigenous reversion/reforestation which is being trialed at Waikereru ecosanctuary on Riverside Road.

What many people don't know is that Council has also endeavored to undertake a seed island trial as part of the Waingake restoration project. This seed island trial is thought to be one of the first large operational-scale seed island projects in the country.

The seed island plan was developed by Waingake Restoration project manager Scott Sharp using guidance from the Tane’s Tree Trust factsheets on establishing native forests.

Sites were chosen based on a combination of ease of access and topography.

A total of 17 sites were developed in winter of 2023 and 2024, each one being around 30m x 30m.

All areas are initially planted in a manuka at 1500 stems per hectare (SPH) as a nursery crop.

In November 2024, we had a visit from David and Michael Bergin from Environmental Restoration Ltd.

David and Michael are both trustees on the board for Tane’s Tree Trust and came to see our approach for both mixed native planting and seed islands that have been planted this year.

Additionally we had Bella Hawkins from Maraetaha Inc along to discuss options for potential cultural harvest options for Waingake in the future, the korero was very constructive with some great advice on how this may look provided from both David and Michael.

They were extremely impressed with the progress we have made to date and how we are adapting our management of the project to address the many challenges that are faced, they are both very keen to stay involved with the project to provide further guidance and support which is a fantastic outcome for our Waingake Ngahere.