Native Planting Day 2025
"The worst thing to do is nothing – start small and start early."
At our second Native Planting Day on March 19th, we visited three properties within our catchment area with a focus on riparian planting, two in the north, Tom and Anna Mandeno's, Phillip and Ann Woodward’s; and one in Ruakiwi, at Raymond and Tanja Lempriere's. Each property offered a unique perspective on restoration, from early-stage plantings within the last five years to more established native regeneration planted over 40 years ago.
With 51 keen participants, it was a full day of learning, connecting, and getting inspired about native planting. One thing we heard often was “I wish I’d started earlier.”
We were fortunate to have guidance and insights from Robbie Shearer of Native Awa, James, Operations Manager at Restore Native, and Rick Donaghue and Paul Smith from the Waikato Regional Council.
There’s no doubt about it, restoration is a journey—and that the best time to start is now.
Check out our video and continue reading below to find out what we learnt at each of the three properties.
Tom and Anna Mandeno - Waikaretu Valley
47 years ago, a lake was constructed with the foresight to integrate a native patch and provide clear water to the farm, thereby creating a wetland area with a peninsula, including fencing and wetland creation. They envisioned a landscape with a blend of native and non-native plants to create a long-term picture for managing biodiversity and controlling erosion.
Site preparation was crucial, considering soil type and appropriate native species, as drought-resistant species are necessary. All plants were planted in winter 2023. Robbie suggested exploring opportunities to propagate seeds from existing plants to aid in creating new areas.
The next plan for them is to plant a new wetland in winter 2025. Their goal is to have shade trees in every paddock. For the future, they envision a hut at the lake and walking tracks on the farm.
Ann and Philip Woodward - Waikaretu Valley
It was desired to fence the area due to difficulties in farming the land that had a lot of bluffs. The QE2 Trust was discovered as a beneficial option. There are 3 blocks within QE2 Trust, one block of 30 acres and two other blocks.
Since 1986, they have planted around 20 hectares over 10 areas, driven by conservation and practical management goals. Funding came from fencing contributions by QEII Trust, Environment Waikato, Waikato District Council, tree donations from Waikato District Council, and regular gifts from Joy Plants. Terry Hatch from Joy Plants guided them in planting all native trees. Main pests were possums, rats, cats, mustelids, deer, pigs, and sheep. Challenges included droughts and sea salt spray which shortened fence life.
Many plant varieties have been lost in floods, though some have been retained. Native grasses are beneficial in flood-prone areas as water can move through them, whereas flaxes tend to be uprooted and clog culverts.
Moving forward, they aim to plant along the Waikaretu Stream boundary and improve pest control management.
Raymond and Tanja Lempriere - Ruakiwi
Their project aimed to fence off waterways along the Kerikeri River to improve water quality, protect the water system, and restore native vegetation, supporting sustainable land and water management.
Their funding came from a shovel-ready project known as Clean Streams 2020, through the Waikato Regional Catchment Management Officer, Taylor Scott. The agreement specified that the fencing should be set back five meters from the stream, using seven-wire fencing, and that planting should extend no more than ten metres from the stream.
Fencing projects commenced at the end of June 2022 by Raymond and Luke Lempriere, taking a total of 60 hours to complete on June 27, 2022. Planting began in early July 2022 and was completed by the council. Following the planting, there was a period of heavy rain leading to extensive flooding and then two wet summers.
A total of 11,220 plants were established across an area of 5.75 hectares.
The species planted included:
ToeToe: 1200
C. Sector: 1200
C. virgata: 1200
Karamu: 1400
Cabbage Tree: 1315
Giant Umbrella Sedge: 400
Kanuka: 600
Manuka: 1275
Swamp Flax: 1550
Kohuhu: 600
Kahikatea: 280
Ribbonwood: 200
Watch Video - Learn how to choose the right tree size and plant it for the best results with Adam Thompson of Restore Native.
Thank you very much to the three farmers who shared their properties with us, and to our generous sponsors:
