May 2021

At Kaipātiki Project we try to grow a wide range of native plants to help restore the local forest diversity, over 80 different species in a year! Many of our coastal specialist plants are missing from Auckland due to pests & land clearance.

Tawapou, Planchonella costata is a coastal specialist tree from the north of the North Island. Tree 10-15m tall is frost tender and used to grow amongst Pōhutukawa & Taraire. It is part of a wider whānau that includes several South American species that people like to eat such as Lucoma. The large fruit are a favourite with the Kererū. Rats also find the fruit & seeds a delight, wiping out all fruit. Logs were used as the traditional rollers to move canoes and the curved glossy seeds used to adorn necklaces.

At the nursery we ferment the fruit in water for a few days to soften the fruit, then someone has the delightful job of squishing out the seeds for planting (thanks Issy). In a year or two will have this tree for sale – watch this space.

Below is a lovely write up by Northcote Development about the collaborative work at Te Ara Awataha and Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve. Be part of this amazing initiative and join us at any of the community restoration days listed below.

"Once the wider greenway is built we will start to see these creatures, and many more, living alongside the town centre and new homes in Northcote.”

Northcote Development works with partners to ensure biodiversity is retained and enhanced as part of its projects. At Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve, the Kaipātiki Project team has been working hard to regenerate flora and fauna, sharing the mahi with Panuku, Auckland Council and community groups. It’s a team effort caring for our whenua and the big picture is a healthy natural environment for all to enjoy. Read more here...

Over ANZAC weekend the Northcote Business Improvement District held an event celebrating the number and diversity of food outlets in Northcote. They set up picnic tables and chairs and arranged entertainment so residents and visitors could try some new foods and enjoy the performances.

This was Robyn Forryan's first Zero Waste event in Northcote as our Zero Waste Activator. We were grateful to have the support of the Para Kore ki Tāmaki team of Waiata and Ngarimu helping on the bins to ensure that the guests could determine what could be composted and recycled rather than going to landfill.

It was a great success and a gentle start to introducing both the food outlets and their customers to the zero waste journey. We were delighted when some of the nearby restaurants took the message even further and delivered meals to guests in their reusable plates and bowls which just had to be washed up at the end.

We did have quite a bit of organics collected but very little food scraps – it all just tasted too good for anyone to throw it away. And so continues the journey towards zero waste.

If you live in the Hobsonville Point neighbourhood and would like to compost with us, please contact Judith at gardenhub@kaipatiki.org.nz. We compost bokashi food scraps and if you haven't yet, you can attend a free composting workshop to learn more. 

There are many benefits of being a Member at Hobsonville Community Compost Hub:

• Membership is FREE.
• Collect your food scraps at home in bokashi bin and we’ll complete the rest of the composting process for you.
• Turn your Food Scraps into Living Compost.

We are thrilled and honoured to receive the SUSTAINABILITY AWARD as a Joint Winner, along with Zealandia-Karori Sanctuary Trust, at the 2021 NZ Charity Reporting Awards. We are proud that our work, along 800+ volunteers, has a real impact on the environment and our communities, which makes it so much more worthwhile. Read more here...

Based in Auckland’s North, Kaipātiki Project is an environmental organisation inspiring people to share in nature’s revival and live lightly on this planet.

Along with our regular volunteers, we run a thriving native plant nursery, facilitate forest, streams & estuary restoration, and promote zero waste and local food initiatives.

Get involved by volunteering, donate, become a member or a sponsor.

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