The first event is on Sunday 12th October 2025 – a book launch by our good friend and nature educator Mark Oster. His collection of poems “The Incessant Gossip of Leaves” and author talk will be in the Invercargill Library 2-3.30pm - more details below.
Friday 17 October 2025 Nursery Volunteers will be helping to put out plants and combi guards in preparation for the Bushy Point planting day on 18th October. This will be the 25th Anniversary of the Bushy Point project. All of the 30,000 plus plants have been grown by the Nursery, first by Linda and Ray and latterly by Nursery volunteers (including Linda and Ray). If you can help out Friday all good but also if you can come and help out on the planting day it will be a big celebration event and free bbq. You will be able to see the difference the Otatara Landcare Group has made by looking at the “before” and “after” photos below and we would welcome anyone who has been involved the past and new helpers on this longstanding and inspiring project. Poster for details here.
There is one place left on the Jo Ogier Art Workshop to be held on 8th November 2025 - details here. Get in quick if you’d like to attend, send me an email.
Congratulations to all the Environment Awards nominees and winners last Friday but especially to Alan McPherson (eighty something) and Jordan for Kew Bush and Zac Marsh (11) from Te Anau, such inspiration to everyone.
Chris
Posted: 6 October 2025
Jo Ogier Art Workshop Weekend - 8 November 2025!!
The news you’ve all been waiting for – Jo is coming down to do another lino cut workshop at the Nursery. The date is 8 November 2025 and details are on the poster here
The first nursery session on Friday was well attended and we had Rachel from ES drop in and give an impromptu talk on a new weed resource ES has just launched. Give Rachel a call at ES if you want one of the booklets.
There will be Five Minute Bird Count workshop here at the Nursery Education Centre 14/15 October 2025 – see flyer and book in through NMIT. We are just the venue and don’t have any other details so please use the email on the flyer if you want more information.
Chris
Posted: 29 September 2025
Kia ora everyone
After an extended break, including Shetland Islands, Chris and Brian are back (a few pics of their adventures below) and the Nursery will open again for volunteers on Friday 26 September – come anytime between 9am and noon, and if you want, bring some yummy kai to share.
There will be lots of tidying-up to do after winter as well as lots of potting up for the new season and putting out plants for the next planting day – the Bushy Point 25th anniversary, see details below.
While we were away Bronwyn held a Bug Hotel making workshop in our Education Centre as one of Environment Southland’s Conservation Week Activities. See report and photo below.
Some events for your calendar below – including a planting day for the 25th anniversary at Bushy Point and a Weekend Southland Ecological Restoration Trip to Te Anau – all for free - details below. And if that’s not enough join Judy and gang weeding at Thompsons Bush every Wednesday morning!
Events for your calendar
Saturday 18 October 2025 - Bushy Point 25th anniversary – there will be planting, weeding and a celebration bbq! For more details https://www.otataralandcare.org.nz/
Saturday/Sunday 15-16 November 2025 - SERN Spring Field Trip to Te Anau – explore some exciting local restoration projects – details at https://www.sern.org.nz/events/sern-spring-field-trip-te-anau-area/
Another exciting event is on the horizon, details to be released very soon!!
Nga mihi
Chris and Brian
Posted: 23 September 2025
The moment you’ve all been waiting for……………………..
See pics below for the lucky raffle winner!!
We did do some work today too and had a fabulous morning tea. See you all back at the Nursery on Friday 26 September
Chris and Brian
Posted: 27 June 2025
Our last day for Friday volunteers will be Friday 27 June 25. For regulars you’ll also know this is the day we will be drawing the Jo Ogier raffle for the amazing kaka print! Drum roll……..
For Matariki we sowed all of our seeds for the season with a hardy bunch of volunteers as the weather was again questionable! We also got a shout out on National Radio courtesy of Judy who txted in our intention to sow seeds for Matariki, which seemed very appropriate.
We have now sown over 8000 species of seed over the 30 years we have been operating – all locally sourced. This year we have sowed around 40 large trays and a similar number of small trays of seed for use in local projects next season. Last weekend another 100 plants went to the Oreti Totara Dune Forest where Barry Smith again arranged for Southland Tramping Club members and a few hangers-on, like ourselves, to plant and cover the plants near Matai Grove.
If you missed out on our seed collecting, cleaning and sowing efforts have a look at the following link https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/get-growing/seeds/
As you will see we sow all our seeds now, in winter, outside but under shadecloth enclosures (so birds and mice don’t eat them) and leave them out over winter for the rain and cold to get at them. This negates the need to “cold stratify” them and replicate winter – we don’t need to do that as we actually get a winter! We expect the seedlings to come up in September – probably more a response to day length than temperature as the timing seems to be consistent each year, regardless of the weather.
Next Friday we will be doing cuttings, drawing the Jo Ogier raffle prize, socialising and having kai so bring your best baking!! If you haven’t been for a while come along and share the camaraderie. We will then be taking a break, coming back in September.
A future date for your calendar is Saturday 18 October when we will be planting more of our plants at Bushy Point. It’s the 25th anniversary of the Otatara Landcare Group and the Bushy Point Project and all 37,000 plants to date have come from the Community Nursery. For many years Linda and Ray produced the plants in the Nursery and later years the Community Nursery took over all of the growing. Watch out for publicity nearer the time, but put the date in your calendar today!
Chris and Brian
Posted: 22 June 2025
