News and Events

Community Nursery News February 2025

After a quiet start to 2025, the Nursery is back in full swing on a Friday morning! Today we continued the watering – an almost daily task at the moment. Thanks to those on the watering roster over the holidays, much appreciated. The weather has continued to be sunny, so watering is a big task – we hand water due to being on tank water and it takes about an hour and a half to water the entire nursery. Any willing helpers appreciated.

Other tasks today with our 15 volunteers have been potting, weeding and now seed collecting – starting with red tussocks, toe toe and saltmarsh ribbonwood. We are also preparing for another big project on our property – another pond!!

If you haven’t yet seen the Jo Ogier exhibition at the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore, there is no time to lose – there will be a Floor talk by Jo on Sunday 16 February at 4pm, so maybe a good day to take in the exhibition and hear Jo. https://www.esgallery.co.nz/joogier

There is a marvellous opportunity to buy a wetland (with house attached!) – friends of ours are relocating to Christchurch and are selling their much loved property at Mabel Bush – see pics below and details here https://www.trademe.co.nz/link.aspx?i=12121&id=5146488854

Chris and Brian

www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz

Last Community Nursery Post of 2024!

We had a successful Community Nursery Break up on Friday 13th December, some jobs were done such as track gravelling and track clearing and much eating. As usual our pot luck morning teas were of epic proportions. A few thankyous to all our volunteers and gifts of Honorleas beautiful soaps and Christmas Wishes to all.

A band of waterers are in place over the holiday period. Hand watering (we are on talk water) of the Nursery takes about one and a half hours so it is quite a commitment, thanks to those who put their hands up for it. If you are at a loose end over the hols there is always weeding to be done, it wont be an organised thing, just come and do it if you feel like an hour or so of “quiet time”!!

And don’t forget, if you haven’t already done it to visit the Jo Ogier Exhibition at Eastern Southland Gallery, its on until February 25.

The Nursery will reopen for Volunteers on Friday 17th January 2025

Chris and Brian

Kowhai Reach – the next chapter

On 26 November 24, Brian and I attended the Kowhai Reach opening event. We and the Nursery have been involved in this project one way or another for a very long time. Since farmer landowners on the Winton Stream objected to it being straightened for flood control and a number of landowners protected the meandering, kowhai lined stream with a QEII Covenant under the guidance of Roger Sutton. Carried on with gusto by the next QEII Rep Gay Munro, she involved Limehills School and we at the Community Nursery had many sessions with Limehills students to grow Kowhai with them for this project. It is hard to keep up that momentum but now after a few years of less activity, Jesse Bythell (the current QEII Rep), the SDC, landowners and Limehills students have come together with a grand plan for the future and the opening of a new parking area and outside clsssroom and beautiful new sign and hopes for a new track and more planting is the start of a new era for the project. Speakers included landowner Francis Shand, SDC Mayor Rob Scott, Councillor Margie Ruddenklau, Gay Munro and Jesse Bythell QEII, Teachers Kathy Turnbull and Kirsty Smith and a special kowhai song was sung by the students.

At the Community Nursery we have continued growing eco-sourced kowhai from the site over all those years and last year and this year are supplying plants for the rejuvenated and larger protected area. It was great to see old friends, new students and landowners and renewed enthusiasm for this very special Southland place.

Chris

Sustainable Coastlines - 19 November 2024

On 19th November following the litter intelligence survey at Oreti Beach (as part of Sustainable Coastlines partnership with Aon New Zealand) and with the imminent arrival of rain, the group used the nursery education facilities to continue with their team building day. The group conducted the litter audit in a sheltered space, and celebrated with kai enjoying listening to the rain on the roof.

Bronwyn

The Great Matuku Muster November 2024

Wendy from the Love Bittern Project travels and meets with individuals and community groups, providing them with on the ground support, information and resources to raise awareness, monitor and record Australasian bittern.

The Community Nursery hosted Wendy on Sunday 17 November 24 for a talk with 15 people attending and this was followed by a field trip at dusk to Bushy Point overlooking the estuary to listen for matuku/bittern booming. On the Saturday morning she had been out with Pete McClelland to Big Lagoon.

The talk focused on the nesting, breeding and feeding requirements for bittern, ie their ideal habitat and the plight of this bird in New Zealand (due to that wetland habitat being lost or degraded). Wendy had travelled the length and breadth of the country, spreading the message, imparting information and enthusing communities.

Unfortunately, we didn’t hear bittern that night but we are now much more equipped to search for this elusive bird and record any sightings in the future.

We did later manage to see a matuku in our paddock, but it was super-sized! A massive bittern, next to the Education Centre designed by Barry Smith, who with Ray, mowed a brilliant lifelike bittern into our paddock – only seen from the air, so friends Beatty and later Daniel managed to get a photo from the Stewart Island plane as they flew over our place recently.

You can read all about the project at https://lovebittern.com/ and thanks to Catriona Gower at Environment Southland for organising these events for Wendy in Southland.

Chris