Project Title: Restoring Rosebank Peninsula

Project Description:

Update, March 2018

We’re making a final push to get to $50,000 in our fundraiser for Rosebank Peninsula! You can donate ANY amount to support this project, big or small. Thanks so much to all of the generous  individuals and businesses that have supported this project thus far. 

Kia ora to the communities and businesses of the Whau area and Rosebank Road!  

We are The Whau River Catchment Trust and we are working in your area to save the coastal fringe of Rosebank Peninsula. We’re working with the Whau Local Board, the Rosebank Business Association, and many volunteers and businesses. We are working together to remove the weeds that have taken over the coastal fringe of the peninsula. We’re also proposing a long term restoration project for the peninsula. This will mean replanting native bush along the coastal edge. Replanting the bush will provide habitat for native species that will be able to come back to the area over the coming years.

Over time this project will transform the area into a beautiful coastal fringe with native bush that will bring back native wildlife, improve water quality and reduce pollution.  

We are inviting you to become part of the community of Rosebank Peninsula businesses and individuals helping to restore and enhance the natural beauty and ecological values of the peninsula. Join us today by supporting this project and sharing with your friends!

If you want to get more involved with the hands-on work you can get involved in that too. Check out our contact details below and get in touch with us.

Some more detail

Right now, right here we are crowdfunding to prepare, plant, and take care of the first section of planting along Rosebank Peninsula. This first stage of planting is 530 metres long with a total area of 9860m² or about one hectare. It’s a stretch of coastal reserve that sits between the Rosebank Business District and Ara Patiki Bay.

This part of the coast has only a few patches of native bush left, but mostly it is overgrown with weeds. If we all work together we can get rid of the weeds and replant this area with native vegetation. This will provide habitat, and fruit and nectar for native animals. Native birds and insects will be able to re-establish in this area and thrive.

We have been working closely with Auckland Council ecologists to make sure we have the right project plan – that we tackle the weeds the best way possible and then plant the right sort of native species to bring back the natural ecosystem that once flourished here.

The larger project is a 5-10 year restoration of a much longer strip of the coastal edge. With the support of the Rosebank community over the next 5-10 years we can:

•         get rid of the weeds
•         plant thousands of native plants
•         improve the existing native bush that can be found dotted around the area
•         encourage native birds to return to area
•         reduce animal pests
•         conduct ecological monitoring and track progress
•         and ultimately create a stunning new coastal environment on your back doorstep 

We are working to fundraise for and co-ordinate this large restoration project. We are working to gain large scale funding from Auckland Council and other conservation organisations. You can also contribute to the costs of this project by donating on this website today. Just click on the donate link above and follow the instructions.

A bit more about the Eastern-shores of Rosebank Peninsula

You might be wondering why we should care about the ecosystems and water quality in this industrial area in urban Auckland and why we should spend money on this area. Here’s a little bit more information about why this is such an important site in terms of its ecology.

Not far from Auckland’s North Western motorway, in sight of thousands of commuters, few would notice Rosebank Peninsula and its adjoining Motu Manawa – Pollen Island to the north, Motu Te Kou – Traherne Island located within Ara Patiki Bay, which together form part of a small but important marine reserve.

This is a recognised ecological hotspot on the very doorstep of the largest city in New Zealand, bordered by the industrial zone of Rosebank Peninsula, and divided by a busy motorway. It is a taonga that goes unnoticed by most.

Ara Patiki Bay, where flounder were once abundant, is now a safe haven for juvenile fish and other native wildlife. The intertidal flats are one of the best examples of mangrove and saltmarsh habitat in the Waitematā Harbour and are rich feeding grounds for white faced herons, royal spoonbill, pukeko, spotless crake and the endangered banded rail. These saline wetlands are equally important for several non-waders, including kingfisher and the endangered fernbird.

Motu Manawa Marine Reserve protects some 500 hectares of the inner reaches of Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour and includes intertidal mudflats, tidal channels, mangrove forests, saline wetlands and shell banks. The reserve is bounded by the industrial area of Rosebank Peninsula and to the east by residential Waterview.

What the money donated will be spent on  

We need $120,310 to complete the first stage of planting along 530 metres (approximately 10,000 square metres) of coastal riparian reserve on Rosebank Peninsula. 

This represents the real cost of site preparation and planting for new native coastal bush in the area. This will then be followed up with maintenance of the area for two years to make sure that the plants flourish. 

This doesn’t include the massive in-kind contribution that will be made to this project by volunteers.

The break-down of expenses goes like this:

•          $52,000 for 12,000 plants (that’s $4.20 each, which is a great price)
•          $26,000 for site preparation and care of the plants for two years after they are planted
•          $24,000 for operational expenses related to project management, volunteer coordination, and supervision and organising community planting day events
•          Million Metres receives 15% of all funds donated to cover the costs of running the Million Metres crowd-funding platform and support provided to this project for its campaign (you can read more on the Million Metres website about their costs, funding model and how the money is spent)

Our offer to you

Make a difference in your local area and get behind this project to create a beautiful native bush habitat and coastal area along Rosebank Peninsula.

We know that we all care about our environment and want to take care of it, but sometimes it’s too hard to organise a big project like this on your own. We do the work, all we need is your support to cover the costs of looking after the coastal fringe. 

If you’re a business and you donate to our project on Million Metres we can promote your business as a supporter of Restoring Rosebank Peninsula on this project page and in newsletters, emails, presentations, on social media and at events.

Your business will become part of the story to restore the area, as well as becoming part of the national story to fund 1,000,000 metres of waterway planting. Check out millionmetres.org.nz to read more about this.

If you would like the staff at your business to get involved in the restoration work on-the-ground, we can support your corporate volunteer days by helping your staff look after a site and/or plant it with native bush.

You then get to watch the new plantings grow over the coming years and transform this area into a stunning coastal landscape and ecological reserve for your enjoyment.

When you donate we’ll keep you updated on the progress of the project, including updates on planting and pest management progress, on fundraising progress, and with volunteer day opportunities.

The success of the Rosebank Peninsula coastal reserves and Ara Patiki Bay islands depend on a caring community that supports conserving the area in its natural state as a wildlife refuge. Restoring its coastal reserves for all visitors to enjoy and for its native wildlife to flourish.

There are hundreds of businesses operating along Rosebank Peninsula – if 200 business in the area donated $500 each this stage of the project will be fully funded! 

Please take the opportunity today to get involved and donate to this project here.

If you are interested in volunteering on the project please contact Gilbert Brakey at gilbert@whauriver.org.nz or on 0274378867.

About The Whau River Catchment Trust

The Whau River Catchment Trust is working to restore the natural environment and reduce pollution all around the Whau River catchment.

We’re a charity based in New Lynn that was started in 2012. We’re made up of full and part-time staff dedicated to conservation and restoration in the area.

We work with Friends of the Whau (FOW), Auckland Council and others, to coordinate community-based environmental restoration and conservation projects in the area. For example, we organise regular education and volunteer activities including:

•         ecological restoration by planting stream bank and other land within the catchment
•         pest control – animal trapping and weed removal
•         monitoring the biodiversity and ecosystems of the catchment
•         reducing pollution and removing litter
•         wildlife habitat restoration

We are working together for healthier streams and rivers through community participation and kaitiakitanga.

A huge thank-you to our supporters

Rosebank Business Association, Jucy, Auckland Council, and the Whau Local Board.

A huge thank-you to Million Metres. Million Metres is the crowd-funding platform for waterway planting projects in New Zealand. The team at Million Metres support project’s like ours to run crowd-funding campaigns so we can fund more restoration and protection of our waterways.

A huge thank-you and credit to Jeremy Painting for his photos of Fern Bird and Banded Rail from the area.