A meat worker from Ashburton creates a native riverside paradise

Ross Hawthorne hopes to complete his vision of creating a native forest along the Ashburton River thanks to a grant from the Ashburton Water Zone Committee.

Local biodiversity and pest control projects got a boost when a committee approved $50,000 for six applicants last week.

Hawthorne received $11,343 for the Hakatere Rākau Group to clear weeds and plant native plants along the Ashburton/Hakatere River.

Over the past three years, the meat producer has transformed a roughly 750m stretch of waterfront between Chalmers Avenue and Trevors Road.

Hawthorne, now assisted by a small group of volunteers, has already planted 4,900 native saplings to create a thriving native forest.

With the funding, he hopes to complete the greening of the area, with the goal of planting another 1,690 locals in the next planting season.

A portion of the money will be used for planting, and the remainder will be used by a local contractor to kill ivy and weeds such as silver poplars and sycamores.

“We cleared the last 100 meters from Chalmers Avenue heading downstream, most of it was just a massive tangle of old beard and Asian willow.

“We are laying a footpath so that pedestrians can walk without fear of being hit by a speeding biker. Half of it has already been completed.”

The first year he started on his own, he now has the support of seven volunteers, as well as help from Longbeach School, Ashburton College Environmental Committee and the Boys Brigade, while Anzco pays seven workers for a day of planting.

According to him, after sowing, it is necessary to maintain the territory with constant control of weeds.

“I hope that one day, when the trees are bigger, other native birds will feel at home here.”

In addition, there are other 18km of the Ashburton River Trail on the north banks of the river, from State Highway 1 to the coast, that need similar care, and Hawthorne hopes his group’s efforts will inspire others to take on and develop a section of the river.

“The funding is there, but it’s a commitment.”

Over the past three years, the project has received preliminary funding from the Ashburton Water Zone Committee ($5,000) last year and Ashburton District Council ($2,500), spending at least $1,600 of its own money.

Destruction of pests

The Ashburton watershed is bounded by the Rakaya and Rangitata rivers. The role of the committee is to work with the community to develop actions to deliver the Canterbury Water Management Strategy.

Other projects that received funding from the zonal committee were related to planting and pest control in the county.

MHV Water Ltd and Cloud8 Dairy Ltd have a $249,855 project to decommission and replant around 5.5ha of a known wetland at Cloud8 Dairy Farm in Coldstream.

The territory will be fenced off and planted with perennial plants, which will become a biological filter for removing nitrates.

The zoning committee allocated $11,216 to the project, with the condition that the money go toward planting the project’s plantings — about $22,000 for the first phase.

Ashburton Forks Catchment Group received $8,480 for pest and predator control.

There are 32 farms in the catchment, 20 of which are members of the group.

Over the past nine months, the group has captured 1,473 hares, 856 possums and 27 feral cats, testing five AT220 traps in conjunction with shooting and other pest and predator control methods already in place in the area.

Funding will go towards the purchase of additional AT220 traps.

Awa Awa Rata and Pudding Hill Game Reserve Predator Management received $5,589.

The project, led by Mike Prince, has captured 250 predators in the past 12 months and aims to add more traps to expand and maintain coverage.

The Hekeao Hinds Water Enhancement Trust (HHWET) requested $8,000 for the maintenance of its plant but received only $6,000.

This is because committee members were concerned that HHWET is a rate-funded group and applies for community grants for work that could be considered as part of rate-funded activities.

Ashburton Borough Biodiversity Advisory Group has been awarded $7,370 for the second phase of weed control in Pudding Hill Stream.

District councilor Richard Wilson did not fully support the application as he believed DOC or ECan should be doing the work.

LDR is local journalism jointly funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.