Stuart Park Restoration

Project May 2014

Welcome everyone to the first Stuart Park Restoration newsletter.

Like everything in the Titahi Bay Community Group it’s early days and we have yet

to formalise the name for our project.

When my wife (Cherene) was a child,

her mum use to gather shell fish from

Onepoto bay in Porirua harbour and

flounder from under Paramata bridge.

Sadly we haven't had much respect for

our coastlines and reserves since

then. We have some family photos of

beach

buggies being driven (and dads car

being rolled) in Whitirea park!

Were I lived in Foxton Beach, the sand

dunes where for beach buggies and

the council in their wisdom had a rub-

bish tip amongst the sand dunes! If

you took a wrong turn in your beach

buggy you could end up in the tip!

Times have changes and so have our attitudes to our coastline and through

attitude comes action!

Background work for this project has been happening and happening it has!

John has established a back yard nursery at home and has approximately 200

trees for planting this winter. Seed form another 6 species, suitable for this park

has been eco sourced and sown, so fingers cross the chooks don't get into the

nursery. We will have a full production nursery this time next year.

Astrid has commenced work on a management plan for the park after initial

(positive) talks with the PCC reserve team. She will be taking all the issues such

as view shafts from the houses and track into account, restoration of different

habitat types such as costal forest, wetland, rocky outcrops for lizards, whilst re-

taining space for picnics, recreation and dog walking and horse riding.

This is not just a ‘plant native trees’ project, there will be many interesting sub-

projects in years to come for people of all ages to get involved with. We will have

projects such as establishing lizard habitats, reintroducing rare plants & establish-

ing wetlands .

But first we have the boring stuff to do, so what

better way to celebrate mothers day then to

take my wife gorse cutting in Stuart Park!

Believe it or not we had a most enjoyable morn-

ing and we got some valuable insights into

what we where dealing with. More on this in the

newsletter.

So welcome to all from

John Hornblow, Cherene Neilson-Hornblow and Astrid van Meeuwen-Dijkgraaf

Motor Vehiculum A species often found at base of cliffs and reserves in

the Porirua basin. Now extinct.

Seedling regenerating under protective canopy of Taupata.

White Rata flowering on cliff face.

View from track in Stuart Park

Sunset over Mana Island

Gorse was introduced to New Zealand by missionaries during the early

stages of European colonisation and quickly became a popular hedge

plant, remaining in widespread use as fence material until the 1950s,

when it was largely superseded by wire and posts. Although gorse was

identified as a major weed in New Zealand in 1859 and declared a weed

by Parliament as early as 1900, its agricultural uses meant that biological

control was not considered as a means of controlling gorse until the

1920s.

Astrid believes there is a range of active biocontrols in the gorse in Stuart

Park. Many of the plants have stem rot and you can break them simply

with a good stomp with your boots. The gorse in the image to the right is

looking very sick. We where chuffed with how easy it was to remove this

large clusters of gorse.

More on biocontrols can be found at http://tinyurl.com/k4m6374

Thanks to the Bunnings Garden Team.

We have to thank the

garden team at

Bunning's Porirua.

For nearly a year we

have been collecting

pots put aside by the

team from discarded

stock. Both our

nursery and another

home native plant

nursery have been supplied with pots. A big

thanks to the Bunning's garden team, very much appreciated.

Why Ecosource Seed?

Many of New Zealand’s plants have adapted to local con-

ditions, developing distinct attributes which give the spe-

cies resilience against a changing environment or threats

such as plant diseases. Through ecosourcing, we can

maintain this resilience and also achieve greater planting

success because the plants will be adapted to local con-

ditions and are therefore more likely to survive. This prac-

tice ensures that genetic diversity is maintained through-

out New Zealand. Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council brochure.

Stuart Park Working Bee

Date: Saturday 24th May, Sunday 25th May if wet.

Time: 1:30 pm

Jobs:

1. Easy to moderate

Walk around the park

and cut off any young

gorse seen establish-

ing in the grass. Kids

can tag along and play

spot the biocontrol!

Tools: Long sleeves,

gloves, garden

loapers.

2. Moderate to %$#$

Cut tracks into gorse bank on east side of park to allow for

planting of Ngaio amongst the established gorse.

Tools: Leather gloves, garden loapers, long sleeves, boots

Access: Park in Mako View (off Moki street), walk down track to

the park.

Contact John@titahi-bay.co.nz ph 236 8624

Cherene and I decide to tackle a cluster of gorse to see how achievable remove is. Note the dead branches due to active biocontrol agents.

20 minutes later this mound is cut and lying in the paddock Cherene treats the stumps with our secret mix of herbs and spices.

Native Tree Nursery

We have established a back yard nursery for Stuart Park. In

under a year we have approx. 60 Ngaio, 80 Taupata and 100

or so other species. The decision to start the nursery was only

made in spring, all of the tress in the photo below are from

seedlings gathered from under trees in our neighbourhood.

Seed trays have been sown this year for a number of species

suitable for recolonisation of Stuart Park. All seed has been

eco-sourced from around Pikarere Hill other then cabbage

seed that came from plants in Taupo Swamp.

From PCC reserve finder website (edited):

Stuart Park Primary Purpose of Reserve

Natural

Suburb

Titahi Bay

Heritage Values Prehistoric and historic archaeological sites (terraces, cultivation, midden,

and Korohiwa whaling station). A Ngati Ira pa was located at Korohiwa. The

whaling station (1830’s-1840s’) is a rare example of a mainland shore whal-

ing station in the Wellington area .

GWRC Key Native Ecosystem. Regenerating ngaio-mahoe bush within gorse-dominated scrub.

Contains stream with native fish. Recreation Values Walking, horse riding.

Dog Exercise Area.

Sightseeing.

Access to beach.

Outcomes Sought 1. Integrate management of Stuart Park and Stuart Park extension, securing

Recreation Reserve classification for the extension.

2. Protect and preserve the significant archaeological heritage sites.

3. As the reserve has evidence of pre 1900 human activity, an archaeological

authority for any subsurface works will be required from the NZHPT.

4. Safeguard the significant open space landscape values. Restore ecological

values and rare plants, by implementing the Titahi Bay Beach Restoration

Plan where relevant to Stuart Park.

5. Protect natural values for healthy land and stream ecological functioning,

through animal pest and weed control, natural regeneration and restoration

planting.

6. Investigate the barriers to fish movements with waterways and options for

rehabilitation of the stream mouth to improve fish passage.

7. Retain casual recreation opportunities for walking and landscape apprecia-

tion.

8. Continue to provide a Dog Exercise Area, and to allow horse access and

Tasks for next working bee…

Contact:

John Hornblow

ph 236 8624 (evenings)

email john@titahi-bay.co.nz

Send us your email address and we will add you to our

mailing list. Your email address will not be given to

anyone else.

Website: naturespace.org.nz/sdfadfasdf a

Kids from Pikarere street above Stuart Park when it was

still Pikarere Farm.