Native plantings breathe life into Motu oxbow

FUTURE KAITIAKI: Matawai School student Ropiha Aramoana-Smith, 11, and volunteer Te Rua Stevens 6 helped plant out the oxbow area.

Around 200 native trees and plants found a new home in an oxbow area on the Motu River in Matawai, as part of the Motu Catchment project.

Motu Catchment project manager Lilian Harley organised with one of the farm owners Charles and Jane Rau to plant the area.

Matawai School students were involved to help with the planting as they will be kaitiaki (guardians) of that area.

The Raus are among a number of farmers who are part of the Motu Catchment project. Twenty farms in the catchment are involved.

The trees were paid for through the Ministry for Primary Industries erosion control funding programme.

“The plants will help with erosion, increase biodiversity, and improve the water quality of the Motu catchment,” Ms Harley said.

“The students will be able to look after the area and there are plans for more plantings and predator trap monitoring,” she said.

Farmers in the area were keen to help improve the environment, Ms Harley said.

Mr Rau said they did this all voluntarily. “None of it on our farm is required by legislation. We did it all for environmental reasons.”

About 40 people turned out to help with the planting.

An oxbow is an area created when a river meanders and eventually joins up at the narrowest point to create a lake.

Mr Rau said he hoped the planting would become an annual event.

He and his wife Jabe are working with the school to raise seedlings so that each year group can have a similar experience.

“We are continuing to plant riparian areas on our farm which borders the school and other farms in the district,” Mr Rau said.