Kōwhai Reach planting day with Limehills School
Kōwhai Reach has a brighter future thanks to the extra love it’s been getting! A portion of the fence was moved some distance from the stream edge and locally suitable native plants were planted to help increase buffering and habitat for future kōwhai trees. Many of the trees along the Reach are centuries old, but with little opportunity for new seedlings to establish in the dense grass over time one by one the old trees die and there is a risk of no new trees to replace them.
The planting day was whole team effort both in the lead up and on the day with many hands making things run smoothly. On 7 May Limehills School ‘Team Kōwhai’ students planted 520 plants in 2 hours with help from parents and teachers, QEII, local landowners Charleen and Chris Withy and ES Biodiversity Team staff. Additional support for this project comes from Southland District Council, KCC, Otatara Landcare Group, Southland Community Nursery, and Reforest Southland. Thanks also to the Southland Times for their write-up on the day.
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
