Restoring Whangateau Harbour - from hills to sea.
4,000 native trees were planted over the weekend at Dan and Alice’s Ti Point property - a local effort to stabilise the hills around their land and protect surrounding paddocks. It was a real community turnout - neighbours, friends, and families rolled up their sleeves, proving just how much can be achieved when people come together with purpose and passion.
Dan and Alice are long-time Ti Point locals known for their generosity, commitment to the land, and community involvement.
Dan described the day as “incredible and humbling. It was so good - no wind, amazing, peaceful weather. It was never a slog, over and done with. Later on, I went for a ride around the property, and everything has been done correctly, planted nicely.”
This planting bee is more than a single day of action, it’s a catalyst! It’s part of a broader movement - a growing, community-led effort to restore the Whangateau Harbour catchment. Dan and Alice have been working closely with Alicia Bullock, who is leading the development of a shared Action Plan through the Whangateau Catchment Collective. Alicia brings people together with a clear message:
“What happens on the land changes the water - we need to listen to what the harbour is telling us.”
Whangateau Harbour is one of Aotearoa’s most ecologically significant estuarine systems - home to seagrass meadows, shellfish beds, snapper nurseries, threatened shorebirds, and diverse marine life including rays, seahorses, and parore. It’s a place deeply loved, but under increasing pressure from sediment runoff, habitat loss, declining shellfish recruitment, and the effects of climate change.
This latest initiative builds on years of dedication & mahi in the Whangateau catchement. Groups like Whangateau Catchment Collective, Pest Free Leigh, Te Kohuroa Rewilding, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, Omaha Shorebird Protection Trust, Forest Bridge Trust, and Whangateau HarbourCare are working collectively to protect and regenerate the whenua, awa, and moana that define this area.
The 2024 Hui for the Harbour brought fresh momentum, confirming a strong community appetite for action. That energy carried through to the May workshop where locals came together to begin shaping the community-led Action Plan for the harbour and catchment, weaving together deep local knowledge and scientific insight from partners such as the Leigh Marine Lab. The mahi continues to build through collaboration with Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters, Restore Rodney East, and others.
What’s next?
If you’re passionate about making a difference - about protecting what we treasure, restoring what’s been lost, and building resilience for the future - we’d love you to be part of this movement.
📍 Next community workshop - Building the action Plan: Saturday July 5
📩 To register click here or get involved: whangateaucatchment@gmail.com
📣 Follow the Whangateau Catchment Collective Facebook group for updates and upcoming events.
Ngā mihi nui to everyone contributing to this kaupapa - together, we’re planting the future.
