Motutapu Restoration Trust 

To Kiwicare

Thank you so much for the offer of continuing the sponsorship of weed inhibitor for our plants in the nursery. We have found it to be useful in the past and look forward to being able to apply it again in the future.

The Motutapu Restoration Trust is responsible of the restoration of the natural and cultural landscapes of the island of Motutapu (DOC estate). Most of what we do involves volunteers. We gather our own seeds, propagate them in the island nursery, plant them in retired farm paddocks and maintain them from invasive exotic weeds. We plant approximately 15,000 native plants each year.

We have public volunteers days every second Sunday all year, mid-week corporate groups, plus individuals who go out mid-week and on the alternative weekends.

We have been planting for 22 years and have grounded around 450,000 native trees covering an area of approximately 100 hectares.

The Department of Conservation removed possums and wallabies in 1990 and another eight species of animal pests in 2009 (ships, Norway and kiore rats, mice, hedgehogs, feral cats, stoats and rabbits. Since then we have released a number of endangered species including takahe (20), kiwi (20), saddlebacks, pateke (brown teal ducks), whiteheads, shore plovers along with red-finned bullies and koura.

We have a achieved a great deal but there is still plenty to be done. We have a year-round volunteer programme of weed control as Motutapu is home to a number of serious exotic plant species who thrive in the fertile volcanic soils. The problem is so big that we have to get contractors to help with the more difficult work. We are making progress.

We depend on the goodwill of the community to enable to project to progress. We have Friends of Motutapu, donors, sponsors, funders and a sports event the DUAL, to enable the ecological restoration work to be carried out.

I have attached a copy of our last year’s newsletters for your reference. They will give you an idea of what is happening on the island only 30 minutes by ferry from Downtown Auckland.

I look forward to working with you and Kiwicare with respect to Weed Weapon Preventer.

Bridget Winstone, Trustee of the Motutapu Restoration Trust.