HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

There are nine main ways you get can involved:

• Protecting and enhancing existing native biodiversity on your land.
• Planting native plants on your land to attract native birds and reduce runoff.
• Participating in neighbourhood trapping programmes.
• Removing pest plants (weeds) on your property.
• Volunteering for one of our planting and weed busting days.
• Assisting with monitoring and recording biodiversity change.
• You can also contribute by donating the cost of planting and maintaining native trees such as matai and totara within the area. These trees can mitigate or help offset your individual or business carbon footprints.
• Mitigating your individual or household carbon footprints by paying for the planting of native trees within the area to sequester carbon over time.
• Regenerating larger areas of native forest.

PROTECTING AND ENHANCING EXISTING NATIVE BIODIVERSITY ON YOUR LAND

• If there is native biodiversity on your land already, the best thing you can do is protect and enhance that biodiversity, including by doing the things discussed below. To find out more about covenanting with either BPCT or the QEII Trust contact: http://www.bpct.org.nz/ and/or https://qeiinationaltrust.org.nz

Planting native plants on your land to attract native birds and reduce runoff

Participating in neighbourhood trapping programmes

Te Kākahu Kahukura is part of the Pest Free Banks Peninsula collaborative initiative http://www.pestfreebankspeninsula.org.nz/index.php/the-opportunity/what-can-you-do As part of that wider initiative, Predator Free Port Hills is a backyard trapping initiative in the urban fringe surrounding the Port Hills and Lyttelton harbour http://www.predatorfreeporthills.org.nz/. It is an initiative launched by the Summit Road Society to assist residents and local groups to achieve a community-led, long-term project to improve the biodiversity of the Port Hills, to make them safe for our unique native species and to encourage the continued regeneration of our native plants.

The Summit Road Society can supply traps on long term loan and can also source discounted traps if you would like to purchase one (or more).

Each suburb is supported by a Local Co-ordinator from your community, who can provide you with traps, show you how to use them, how to monitor and record your catches, and give any other advice you may need. 

Removing pest plants (weeds) on your property

Pest plants and animals are a critical threat to many native plants and animals on the Port Hills. To find out what the priority weeds are, how to recognise them, and how to control them see ‘The war on pests’ https://ecan.govt.nz/document/download/?uri=1172438.

Volunteering for one of our planting or weed busting days

Our volunteer programmes provide opportunities for residents and others to help achieve the ecological goals of the project For volunteering opportunities, see http://www.bpct.org.nz/our-projects?id=31, https://www.summitroadsociety.org.nz/volunteer-groups/ and CCC.

Assisting with monitoring and recording biodiversity change

If you would like to be part of our volunteer network monitoring the ecological changes brought about through the project, contact http://www.bpct.org.nz/ or https://www.summitroadsociety.org.nz/.

Making a donation

Unless you specify otherwise, a donation to Te Kākahu Kahukura will be used for either:

  1. Purchase of eco-sourced trees and shrubs, their planting and maintenance;
  2. Possum, mustelid, rat, and feral goat, pig and deer control;
  3. The costs of managing the revegetation and pest control.

You can also contribute by donating the cost of planting and maintaining native trees such as matai and totara within the areayour individual and household carbon footprints by paying for the planting of native trees within the area. These trees can mitigate or help offset your individual or business carbon footprints. 

To find out how this works, see Funding Options.

Regenerating larger areas of native forest

If you have a hectare or more of land and want to consider larger scale native forest regeneration as part of the project, there are possible options for assisting with funding for planting, fencing and pest control. For further information about larger scale revegetation and possible funding sources see Funding Options or contact http://www.bpct.org.nz.

How to find out more

The Te Kākahu Kahukura project is supported and facilitated by the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust. To find out more about how you can be involved contact http://www.bpct.org.nz.