Planting partners combine for clean up

 

Mud and a bit of rain were the ideal conditions for a mass planting at Paparoa when Progressive Paparoa community volunteers partnered with Kaipara District Council to clean up the riverbank in the small township.

“It is a challenging site with its steep slope and river erosion issues but in time it will make a nice green belt from the Landing to the Village Green,” KDC Parks Officer Adrian Birkbeck says.

“Not only that, we cleaned out a huge amount of rubbish that people had dumped there, making it an eyesore rather than the attractive environment it should be.”

With Jacqueline Knight contributing a landscaping design at no charge, and Fulton Hogan staff adding their muscle power to the effort between controlling traffic, it was an example of how combining forces can made a difference.

“While it might not seem much, we need to create better habitats for our wildlife and maintain our green corridors. Every time we carry out a project like this, our communities benefit well beyond the immediate aesthetic effect.”

Graham Taylor of Progressive Paparoa says: “We are pleased to finally have this work done, it is NZTA land that the Council and the community have cleaned up and it’s a credit to all involved.”