Restoration Day 2022 focuses on Wairarapa Moana. A place of immense cultural and ecological value impacted by changes in the last 200 years. What will it take to turn this around?

Programme highlights include:

• Rawiri Smith’s keynote speech asking: “How do we lift Wairarapa Moana from the too hard basket and restore its value?”
• A lightning round session exploring how to restore environmental values
• Field trips to Wairarapa Moana, Waipoua River and Tauweru Farm and an Aorangi Catchment Seminar

Registration

Restoration day will be made up of an online webinar and a series of in-person field trips. Please see the programme for further details and dates (programme link).

A moderate level of fitness required for field trips.

Click here for the Programme

Field trip Descriptions

Fieldtrips

Tauweru Farm - Friday 22 April 2022, 1.00-4.00pm

Rural Restoration – on farm native planting, wetland restoration and thinking of the wider catchment

Location: Tauweru (10mins east of Masterton)

Presenters: Michael Birch

Michael Birch, web designer, hill country sheep farmer and conservationist, will show how to store and slow water in a hill country farm.

A walk and talk looking at the importance of on farm wetlands and how to manage them in a farming system.

A moderate level of fitness required.

30 spaces available

Waipoua River - POSTPONED to Friday 3 June, 1.30 - 3.30pm

Urban restoration - Join us to hear about art, history and find out more about the Waipoua River

Location: Masterton

Presenters: Sam Ludden, Artist and Conservationist; Joe Potangaroa, Researcher and Project Manager; Ashley Mitchell, Greater Wellington Ecologist, Madeliene Playford, Greater Wellington Flood Protection

Come and hear about the Awatotara restoration and vision. Listen to Sam Ludden talk about how to use art to raise awareness of our rivers and streams.

Jo Potangaroa, Artist and Conservationist will show the dramatic history of the Waipoua River. Where this river once flowed and why and how it has been modified.

Come get hands on with Torrent Fish. Ashley Mitchell, Ecologist will lead a hands-on investigation of the Torrent fish (Mokomoko).

Learn more about the how the Waipoua River is managed today and the future plans with Madeliene Playford.

30 spaces available

Aorangi Catchment Seminar - Saturday 28 May 2022, 2.00 - 4.30pm

Find out more - Sharing the knowledge

Location: Pirinoa Hall - Opposite the store (20mins South west from Martinborough)

Presenters: Clive Paton, Chair of the Aorangi Restoration Trust and Vanessa Tipoki, Senior Planner at Kahu Environmental

Join us to hear Clive Paton talk about Aorangi Restoration Trust and Tonganui Corridors, large scale restoration efforts happening in the community. Vanessa Tipoki will speak about policy, Te Mana o Te Wai, and what it means for us here in the Wairarapa.

60 spaces available at each

MTSW - South Wairarapa Fish Monitoring Workshop - Saturday 28 May & Sunday 29 May 2022

Hands on activity - A chance to get kanohi ki te kanohi with some of the local fish species of the Wairarapa Moana wetlands. This field trip is broken into two sessions.

Part 1 – Saturday 28 May 2022, 4.00pm - 6.30pm

Location: Bartons Lagoon at Lake Domain Reserve (10mins south of Featherston)

Presenters: Liz Gibson, Project Manager at Mountains to Sea; and Kara Kenny, Freshwater Coordinator at Wairarapa Mountains to Sea.

This is a hands-on activity. Join us in a fish biodiversity survey- setting live catch fish traps. A kōrero about the importance of fish and how wetland restoration supports them.

Part 2 – Sunday 29 May 2022, 9.00am – 11.30am

Location: Bartons Lagoon at Lake Domain Reserve (10mins south of Featherston)

Presenters: Liz Gibson, Project Manager at Mountains to Sea; and Kara Kenny, Freshwater Coordinator at Wairarapa Mountains to Sea.

A walk and talk on Wairarapa Moana History and its importance. Talking about Ramsar, wetland systems and current restoration work in this area. A hands-on lesson in fish monitoring and seeing what is in the live catch fish traps.

30 spaces available - Please only book this session if you can attend both Part 1 & 2

COVID-19 Safety information

Please stay at home if you are feeling unwell. Masks are encouraged to be worn at the field trip.  

To help protect you, your  whānau, and your community, it is important to keep up the healthy habits we know:  

• If you have cold, flu or COVID-19 symptoms, please stay home and get a test  

• Sneeze and cough into your elbow  

• Sanitise your hands before eating (there will be sanitiser available) 

• Try to maintain 1m distance from others  

• Do not share food or water with others   

We will let all registered attendees know of any changes to these guidelines.

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