ENVIRONMENT NATIVE PLANTINGS
W
hen Gore dairy farmer, and Southern Field Days volunteer, Chris Giles comes up with ideas they are usually big – the Hokonui Hills to the Mataura River big. His aim, quickly embraced by the Hokonui Rūnanga, is for plantings of natives along two tributaries of the Mataura River, the Charlton and Waimumu Streams, to form a wildlife corridor between the hill range and the world-renowned brown trout fishing river. With Environment Southland land and water services team leader Megan Bates also keen, he got the regional council on board and, after a year of planning, the Charlton Waimumu Riparian pilot programme is underway. Environment Southland is now looking to extend the project across the region, albeit with a different approach to funding. Planting of 10,000 native plants started in November on more than 20 farms along 20kms of waterways including the Giles’ farm and at the 57ha Southern Field Days site which borders the Waimumu Stream. Dairy, dry stock, arable, deer and small block farmers are part of the project and to be eligible they must have an Environment Southland farm plan completed and the stream must be stock-proofed and fenced off.
“We certainly hope visitors to field days will enjoy the native plantings.”
Big idea
leads to native plantings Gore dairy farmer Chris Giles was keen to get a wildlife corridor going along the Charlton and Waimumu Streams. Riparian plantings are now underway. Karen Trebilcock reports. 82
The Hokonui Rūnanga is sourcing the seed for the plants locally and the plants are grown at the Milton and Invercargill prisons as part of a long-term programme started by the late Rewi Anglem. “As the stream boundaries on farms are fully planted, those farms will then leave the scheme and others will become part of it,” Chris said. “There are 120 farms on these two streams and after that we could do the other tributaries of the Mataura River as well.” As part of the pilot, Environment Southland organises the planting, including the plant protectors to stop the local hares damaging the seedlings. However, farmers are responsible for the follow-up spraying, maintenance and replacement of any plants that don’t survive. Pittosporum, kanuka, lancewoods, cabbage trees, tree fuchsias and others have been carefully chosen for their ability to withstand, once established, floods as well as seasonal wet and dry periods. Left: Jo Brand, of Hokonui Rūnanga, and Waimumu dairy farmer Chris Giles with the native plantings on the banks of the Waimumu Stream at the Southern Field Days site, near Gore.
Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | August 2021
