29th October 2020

With the forestry work now complete, the Te Mata Park revegetation project is well underway with new native trees dotting the landscape and the rongoā garden taking shape. Over winter, many community volunteers, schools, and groups organised to plant 15,000 native trees in the harvested areas, the new land, and the rongoā garden near the Main Gates Car Park. In the future, these young native trees will form biodiverse forests across Te Mata Park, and the rongoā garden will be a valuable resource for the community of Hawke’s Bay to come and learn about rongoā Māori.  

With the help of Te Aratika Academy and Tamatea Rugby Club as well as other schools and organisations, the Park has initiated work on the rongoā garden and the mulching of the young plants. However, there are still a great deal of plantings to protect from summer conditions and mulch piles created from the recent pine tree harvest that must be reduced to minimise fire risk. 

The Te Mata Park Trust Board is seeking members of the community to get involved with mulching in upcoming working bees on 31st October, 5th November, 14th November and 22nd November. Check out the details HERE.

A rongoā rōpū is also being formed to look after the health of the ecosystem within and around the rongoā garden. The Park invites interested members of the community to come and help care for the garden on a monthly basis. Both of these opportunities will enhance the mauri of this whenua for the benefit of all. 

The Board welcomes individuals and groups to make contact if they wish to join our volunteer mulching days or the Rongoā Rōpū. Contact Sara Shaw at sara@tematapark.co.nz with your interest. 

Donations are being accepted HERE  in order to fund the planting of and caring for native trees.