More than 20,000 trees planted along Karamu Stream

People involved in Saturday's public planting at Whakatu as part of Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Plant Thru Winter programme. Photo/Supplied

More than 20,000 plants have been laid along Hawke's Bay's Karamu Stream and tributaries in the past month.

Public plantings have been held every weekend since May 26 as part of Hawke's Bay Regional Council's (HBRC) Plant Thru Winter programme.

Two more plantings were held at the weekend with 1000 plants going in at Whakatu on Saturday and 500 at Paki Paki yesterday.

HBRC open spaces manager Stephen Cave said the plantings have been a major project for Karamu Stream with a number of highlighted areas being prioritised in terms of water quality, habitat and community location.

"We've planted in excess of 20,000 plants on the Karamu Stream and associated tributaries."

The plantings have been popular with a record-breaking 180 people at the first one at Waitangi Park on May 26, he said.

"They've been going really well.

"This weekend just gone the plants were all planted in a short time."

Having community support had been very beneficial and helped council in its effort to restore the environment, Cave said.

"It's an exciting direction that the regional council and community are going in.

"Momentum is building and continuing to build."

The Plant Thru Winter programme encourages people to play an active part in the environment, while highlighting the environmental enhancement work being done by tangata whenua, schools and farmers.

The main focus is on the Karamu Stream, which drains a large portion of the Heretaunga Plains including city stormwater and runoff from rural land.

As a result, water quality in the stream remains poor, but planting the edges and wetlands will help to improve this, while new trees also improve habitats for birds, insects and fish.

The regional council has also identified places in the Karamu catchment where a significant difference could be made with extra work.

Next Saturday 5000 plants will be planted at Waitangi Regional Park during a public planting organised by Napier Forest & Bird from 9am to 12pm.

Visit www.hbrc.govt.nz to register.