Friends of Rarawa
Region: Northland
Award Category: Northland
Year: 2014
Friends of Rarawa is active on Rarawa beach and dunes.
As part of its work and maintenance program they have begun weed eradication in the dunes here.
As well they are doing pest control in this area to reduce the impact on the NZ dotterel which lives and nests in this area. They also propagate native plants such as atriplex hollowayi, coprosma acerosa, pingao, spinifex and our more common plants such as coprosmas repens and robusta, pohutukawa, flaxes, karo and ti kouka to plant out after weed eradication is completed in the designated areas. There work is planned to progressively weed and then plant in these areas. As well they encourage our primary school to participate in this work by doing in school work projects and then setting working bees where the children are encouraged to participate. This initiative came from community members initially supported by DoC and with ongoing support by NRC. Local iwi Ngati Kuri supports this initiative and has provided space in their panui where the group can advertise and inform the iwi members and community. The barriers have been resourcing the material needs of the group together with ongoing recruitment of others. Basically various community orgs and businesses get in to support at the times that they are able. The results so far speak for themselves. Will gather support material and email seperately.