New Zealand Garden Journal, 2005, Vol. 8(1) 9

Inner city restoration of TaurangaGeoff Canham1

Tauranga City Council, a corporatemember of Forest and Bird, andNgai Tamarawaho Hapü are aboutto commence an ambitious 325hectare, NZ$20 million dollar,environmental restoration indowntown Tauranga.

The Kopurererua Valley is about tobe transformed back into thewetland it once was, reversingdecades of failed drainage projects,abandoned farming, and neglect.

Surrounded by commercial andresidential development, NewZealand’s only toll road, and criss-crossed by power, gas, water andsewer utilities, the valley is aboutto begin its transformation.

Consents have just been approvedafter a three-year visioning andplanning process. The KopurereruaRiver, a spiritual ancestor to NgaiTamarawaho, will be realigned toits natural course. At least onemillion native plants will be planted,and a network of pathways willtransect the valley. Large wetlandswill be created and many habitatbenefits are anticipated.

This undertaking is set to be one ofthe biggest environmental projectsin New Zealand, and with keensupport from the local Forest andBird members, the values of theproject have meant that theresource consent process haspreceded with praise.

According to Tauranga Forest andBird Chairman, Basil Graeme,wetland habitat was once adominant feature of Bay of Plenty,but has been trashed with less than3% remaining. Therefore, thisundertaking is a really significantrestoration project.

In what may well be a model forother projects to follow, therestoration involved a jointly funded

scoping of the project,between Te Puni Korkiri,Ngai Tamarawaho, andTauranga City Council.

Once the vision wasadopted by the jointgovernance steeringgroup of Hapü membersand Tauranga City Councilelected members,consultation with the4000 dwellingssurrounding the valleyand variousenvironmentalorganisations gotunderway. The challengewas huge; a 325 hectarerestoration with manyother features included,and an estimated cost of$20 million dollars.

Concurrently, a fundingtrust was set up by fourTauranga Rotary Clubsand Tauranga CityCouncil with an annualfunding target of $150000 per annum for 10years. Council had alsoembarked on its “CityInvestment Strategy” withat least eight majorcorporate organisationsgiving financial support tothe valley project at thescoping stage.

Ian Wilson, Rotary ClubChairman of theKopurererua Valley RotaryCentennial Trust, believesthat the project has beena big strategic move forfour Tauranga RotaryClubs. The four clubshave come together andset a funding target of$1.5 million as a RotaryCentennial project. Thetrustees will provide

1 Tauranga City Council, Private Bag 12022, Tauranga; liz.fowler@xtra.co.nz

Kopurererua Stream and Waihi Road circa 1920

Kopurererua Valley 1976

Area for restoration back to swamp land

Area for restoration back to swamp land

funding for the valley restoration asa community pride project. Thefundraising will be in either materials,cash, or in-kind services.

According to Tauranga’s Mayor,Stuart Crosby, the City InvestmentStrategy has been a significantsuccess for the Taurangacommunity. The Council knew thatit shouldn’t go it alone with majorcommunity projects, and there isnow a fostering of community pride,environmental improvement, andthe achievement of great thingsthrough relationships. They are nowworking closely with tangatawhenua, the business sector, andstakeholder groups in an intensiverelationship framework.

There are a number of relationshipstructures around the project.These are either formalised inagreements or in the meetingstructure where project groups areeach responsible for theircomponent part of the project’sfuture success.

The progress of the valley projectwill be subject to ongoing peerreview by environmental groups,and extensive communityinvolvement for implementationstages is already included. RotaryClubs and other service groups,schools, “Trees for Survival”projects, and various conservationplanting days for the communityare being organised within theoverall programme. Council will beinvesting more than $770 000 next

financial year for wetland planting,and walkway construction. Councilwill also be recruiting a dedicatedPark Ranger for the KopurereruaValley in early 2006.

This funding contribution is likely tobe equalled, if not exceeded bycorporate organisations. NaturallyNative, New Zealand’s largest nativeplant nursery is supplying thousandsof native plants. Council alreadyplants approximately 90 000 nativerevegetation plants per annum, andrevegetation accounts for about85% of its total landscaping activity.Natural Environments, led by MarkDean of Naturally Native aresupplying technical and plantingplan assistance.

Tauranga export furniture companyDesign Mobel, are supplying plantsvia Naturally Native, and PerryEnvironmental have ‘adopted’ alarge wetland area. WorksInfrastructure will be supplying asignificant sum of machinery hireand services, with horticulturalcontractor Gardenart also supplyinga major sum in services to clearareas of gorse for planting, andspreading Council mulch fromprunings on revegetation areas.

Opus Consultants are supplyingconsulting services in-kind andMarathon Print are producingpromotional material in the sameway.

International health productscompany Comvita are evolving with

Tauranga City Council to launch aninnovative children’s environmentaleducational programme called“Birds, Bees, Kids and Trees”. Theprogramme will involve a sponsoredday for classes of children to go toComvita’s visitor centre, followedby an interpretative afternoon,including a valley tour, a picnic lunchand a planting project at a wetland.

The valley will, however, never besafe. Some of the greatestchallenges will involve the constantassault by suburban influences likecats, garden plant escapes,incinerator fire risk and weedsources. However, of the 4000properties involved in theconsultation, the vast majority ofthose that responded wereimmensely supportive. Manyappreciate that the land right nextdoor will become a hugely positiveimprovement in theirneighbourhood, and that Councilhas committed to becoming anexcellent neighbour.

Geoff Canham is the Parks and

Leisure Manager for Tauranga,

New Zealand, with 20 years of

public park management,

including International experience

at the Royal Botanic Gardens

Edinburgh, Scotland and Hilliers

Nurseries, Hampshire, England.

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