Clean Stream Waitakere

Introduction Adopt-a-stream One off clean up Wai Care Join a “Friends of” group How you can help Clean Stream Waitakere brochure Introduction The Clean Stream Waitakere (CSW) project is part of Keep Waitakere Beautiful and the Waitakere City Council’s Green Network strategy linking the Waitakere Ranges to the sea and is carried out by Keep Waitakere Beautiful (KWB).

Replanting the stream banks and cleaning up the streams is essential to improving our environment and encouraging native wildlife back into the city.

This is a job for everybody and volunteers are needed to assist with the following projects:

• Adopt-a-Stream where you live work or play
• Organise a one off clean-up of the stream
• Monitor the stream water quality monthly
• Become a sponsor (see information sheet for details)
• Plant locally sourced native trees
• Join a “Friends of” group to volunteer in clean-ups or assist in planning to inspire more community involvement (see “ Friends of ” below)

For further information contact us.

Adopt-a-Stream

Streams are important to the environment, providing stormwater drainage, a place for recreation and a natural habitat for native wildlife. Today there is a 10m margin (esplanade reserve) on the banks either side, to protect them from development and provide a beautiful asset for the whole community. 

Throughout the city volunteers are encouraged to “adopt” their local stream and arranged clean-ups with others in their neighbourhood. Once weeds and litter have been removed we recommend dense planting (every 0.5m) with locally sourced native plants during the autumn and winter months to keep weeds away. Volunteers visit the stream regularly and undertake regular maintenance (once every 3 months) to keep litter and weeds in check.

We can provide free gloves, bags, and advice, should you decide to adopt-a-stream. Free native plants are available as well as spray and mulch depending on certain requirements.

One off clean up of a stream

This may be an option if you don’t have the time to adopt-a-stream.

One of the reasons that people litter is that they see rubbish in a particular area and feel they have “permission” to litter. Once areas are cleaned up however, “permission” is removed and there is less chance it will come back. So, some areas simply need a one-off clean-up to look beautiful again.

KWB can provide free gloves, bags and bag collection. 

Wai Care

Wai Care is a programme in the Auckland Region, that brings schools, community groups, landowners and others together, to test the water quality in local streams. The results are used to plan practical actions to restore, enhance and/or protect our precious freshwater resources. 

Volunteer samplers are required for 1-2 hours once a month, for testing and then entering the results into the Wai Care website.

	Visit the Wai Care website or
	Contact: Waitakere City co-ordinator Ruby Jones Phone: (09) 834 6612

Join a “Friends of” group

Friends of the Whau (FOW) 

Most streams in the Green Bay, New Lynn, Avondale and Kelston areas flow into the Whau River. 

Local residents and business people who were concerned at the decline in wildlife at the Whau River originally formed the FOW in 1999. Since then they have participated in Wai Care’s water monitoring programme and have organised many clean-ups and plantings at parks and along streams. FOW have applied to Inland Revenue to obtain charitable trust status.

To volunteer contact:

Gilbert Brakey
Education Co-ordinator
5a Willerton Ave
New Lynn
Ph: (09) 827 3374
Email: Whauriver@xtra.co.nz

For further information visit www.manawa.org.nz/new.php?group=28

Friends of Waikumete

A community group involved in the maintenance and historical aspects at Waikumete cemetery in Glen Eden. A recent ecological survey of the Waikumete (or Gaden) stream found banded kokupu, a rare native fish for urban streams. 

Contact:
Peter Maddison
Phone: 818 6803

For further information see Friends of Waikumete

Friends of the Kaurimu Stream

A group of volunteers have been working to restore this beautiful stream just off West Coast Road in Oratia. Approximately 50 metres of the stream bank has been cleared of weeds and replanted with native trees and shrubs. 

Contact: Sharen Walker
Phone: 8133 884

Friends of the Oratia Stream

Several groups have been restoring the Oratia Stream in Henderson for a number of years. These groups include Pacific Youth Trust, the Latter Day Saints and NZ School of Outdoor Studies. These volunteers have removed hundreds of tons of weeds and many, many trolleys from the banks on the Oratia Stream. In addition, thousands of plants have been planted in an effort to prevent erosion and weeds and to beautify this important urban stream. 

See the Hart Domain Bullocks for information on how rubbish removed from streams can be transformed into works of art.

How you can help

Volunteer information sheet

If you want to help, please complete the volunteer information sheet and send to the address printed on the form.

Note: For the following you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print this document.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Clean Stream Waitakere flyer (Size 110K)