Downer volunteers to restore Pāuātahanui Inlet

22/09/2022

Porirua City Council (PCC) has been reaching out to groups who are able to partner with them to restore parts of the Pāuātahanui Inlet, and Downer was the most recent group to join this great initiative.

Downer’s Porirua Transport team volunteered to be a kaitiaki of the Motukaraka Point area of the Inlet for the long-term.

Work began with representatives from Downer and PCC embarking on a planting session at Motukaraka Point on Friday 9 September 2022. This session saw more than 1400 oioi (a native reed) and sea rushes planted, which will provide the ideal shelter for birds once fully grown.

Other work over the duration of this partnership will include weed control and removal, and pest control monitoring.

“Council has partnered with several different groups to restore different parts of Pāuātahanui Inlet,” says Council Manager Harbour and Resource Recovery, Nigel Clarke.

“This work complements the wider Te-Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour restoration programme, and will focus on regenerating the salt marsh areas that have been degraded over the years due to roading and housing developments.”

Downer Maintenance Operations Manager Grant Dick said “It was a rewarding and satisfying afternoon for our team. You could see the progress that we all made in a few hours and everyone was proud of what was achieved. There was quite a lot of friendly competition to see who could plant the most. It is great that Downer supports its staff to give back to the community in meaningful ways.”

Thank you to Porirua City Council for providing our local team with this awesome opportunity to do some meaningful conservation mahi for the community!

Te-Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour restoration programme aims to improve the water quality and biodiversity of our streams and harbour - restoring the mauri of Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour. 

To learn more or to register for a community planting event visit: Streamside Planting Programme 2021 - 2041