Time for community to dig in says environmentalist Hinewai Ormsby

Cameron and Hinewai Ormsby.

The Mauri or life-force of our natural world is something that is intrinsic to who we are as a whānau, says regional councillor and environmentalist Hinewai Ormsby.

"We're highly aware of the challenge our natural world faces environmentally, and we take our responsibility as a whānau seriously to ensure we do our bit to make sure that we have something to pass onto the next generation."

Hinewai says her and husband Cam started becoming aware their environment wasn't all it was cracked up to be — "particularly after we went swimming in the Tūtaekurī River and noticed about a dozen cows wading in the river upstream of us".

She says they decided then and there as a family they would do their bit to make sure the waterways they whakapapa from are healthy and alive.

"Planting native trees was a relatively simple and natural thing that we could do. Becoming a regional councillor was my second way to do this, but getting our hands dirty and effecting change from the ground up is where real change happens."

In 2017 Hinewai and Cam started growing native trees at their home in a tree nursery built from scratch down the side of their whare at their papakāinga in Waiohiki.

"In 2018 these first trees were big enough to be planted out in the big wide world, so we then called around for waterways to plant up and found an abandoned wet area wanting to become a wetland alongside Prebensen Drive.

"This planting area was on the side of the Taipo Stream that then feeds into the Ahuriri Estuary where we planted 1500 trees with the help of our friends and community helpers."

Fast forward to this year and they will have planted 10,000 native trees, all grown at home. These trees have been planted along Napier's urban waterways and on farm streams that feed into the Ahuriri Estuary.

"This means there's 10,000 more trees providing literally hundreds of kilos of food for birds and insects each year, and a few kilometres of planted upstream edges filtering and shading waterways."

Hinewai says this is something they do because it's within the scope of their ability as a family to do.

"We see it as our responsibility as kaitiaki to do our bit to realise the world we want and the world we need. Because at the heart of it here in Hawke's Bay if everybody did their bit we could have a mind-blowing environment where our natural world is in a fantastic state which in turn will make us thrive as a region."

Two weekends have been organised next month for the community to get out and plant trees along the waterways in Napier.

"We need the community's help to get them in the ground. So please bring a spade and a drink bottle, rug up the kids and don the gumboots and come help us do the mahi to create the world we want and the world that our children have the right to inherit."

■ The Details:
Our planting dates and locations are:
Sunday 18 July 9am - 11am @ 298 Hedgeley Rd, Eskdale, Napier
Saturday 31 July 9am- 11am@ Corner of Harold Holt & Ulyatt Rd, Pirimai, Napier
Info: Bring a spade and a drink bottle and your children. Ready cooked sausages with bread and tomato sauce are also in the mix so don't miss out.