Rangitīkei District Council recognised for Tutaenui Reserve restoration

Rangitikei District Council's support of the Tutaenui Reserve Restoration Project has earned it a place among the finalists in the LGNZ Excellence Awards. Photo / Supplied

The restoration of Marton's Tutaenui Reserve has earned Rangitīkei District Council a place in the 2022 LGNZ Excellence Awards finals.

The restoration was the result of around 700 hours of voluntary work to convert the 70ha around two dams that supply Marton's water into a reserve with walking tracks, restored native bush, predator and weed control, and many more native birds.

The project, with council support, was run by the Tutaenui Restoration Society, a trust made up of farmers, iwi and others in the community.

Council staff, members of the trust and volunteers removed gorse and blackberry and felled pine trees before planting around 27,000 native trees in the space of two years.

Greg Carlyon, one of the trust's co-ordinators, said the project largely relied on volunteer work.

"It's really nice to have this nomination, but our motivation is to have this spot for the community to enjoy," Carlyon said.

The trust's aim was to restore the reserve in and around the dams to improve water flow and quality down Tutaenui Stream - the main waterway from Marton to the Rangitīkei River.

At the top end of the stream, the council would take the water from the dam for the town, which left the stream dry for six months of the year.

Then at the lower end, just south of Marton township, sewage from the sewage treatment plant would drop into the dry riverbed and run down the stream.

Greg Carlyon is one of the co-ordinators of the Tutaenui Restoration Society. Photo / Supplied

Carlyon said in about 2009 he and others in the community started building tracks among the pine forests at the reservoir for the public.

But in 2018 the council cleared the pine forests just as they finished building the tracks.

"It looked like a bomb went off, and it took out all the tracks."

This led the group to start the process of getting council approval for the Tutaenui Reserve Restoration Project.

"It's been a really neat turnaround with the council to get their recognition and support of this place. We pushed pretty hard," Carlyon said.

He said since the council offered its support, it had been committed to the project and provided resources and help to get the reserve to where it was now.

Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said initially the council couldn't back the project because it couldn't assure it would pump water back into the stream, due to hesitancy about the water supply.

"But we absolutely admired the intentions and aims, so it's grown from small beginnings to leaps and bounds."

He said the community involvement in the project was phenomenal, and the reserve was well utilised by the public since its official opening in October 2020.

"Every day, even in the current weather, we get a huge number of people from the community and from the region walking and cycling these paths or fishing in the dam," Watson said.

"It's not unusual on a weekend to see a dozen cars parked at the reserve."

Carlyon said some people walked around the reserve every day.

"It just goes to show people are desperate and excited to have a nice place to go and take a breath and relax," Carlyon said.

The project is a finalist in the Air New Zealand Excellence Award for Environmental Wellbeing category in the annual Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) awards.

LGNZ president Stuart Crosby said the awards covered a broad range of outstanding council leadership initiatives.

"Councils provide far more than vital infrastructures such as water and wastewater management, rubbish collection, and roading. They also work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to deliver projects that engage and enrich their communities," Crosby said.

"The 2022 finalists exemplify the value of building strong partnerships to develop and deliver solutions and services that support the wellbeing of millions of New Zealanders.

"A common denominator among them is a focus on strong communication and consultation, involving their communities in the planning and decision-making process."

The other three award categories are the Creative New Zealand Excellence Award for Cultural Wellbeing, the Martin Jenkins Excellence Award for Economic Wellbeing, and the Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities Excellence Award for Social Wellbeing.

Councils were praised for innovation, ambition and taking responsibility as local governments were having to "bend their minds" to more complex social issues. Some were already delivering tangible results, the judges said.

The panel said there was also a very strong theme of councils recognising the value of engaging mana whenua partners early and sustaining that engagement.

The awards, now in their eighth year, recognise and celebrate the key leadership role local government provides and the work it undertakes to promote and improve the wellbeing of communities throughout New Zealand.

The winners will be announced at the LGNZ Conference dinner in Palmerston North on Friday, July 22.