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Farming
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EARTH MOVING AND CONSTRUCTION FEATURE
Greendots provide biodiversity corridor T
he establishment of two large native planting sites will mark another major step toward restoring native biodiversity in the Selwyn district. In August, members of the Te Ara Kakariki Canterbury Greenway Trust and friends gathered to plant the first of what will eventually be thousands of native seedlings at Ahuriri Reserve. The 3.5 hectare site, located between Tai Tapu and Motukarara, is Environment Canterbury-owned endowment land. It lies 500 metres upstream of the former Ahuriri Lagoon, and is a recently re-created wetland that has been planted with thousands of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, and is already attracting fauna to the area. As well as 20,000 plants from the totara/matai plant community, a walkway and shelter will be established in the site, which can be reached from the end of Neills Road and runs parallel to the Huritini/Halswell River and the Little River Rail Trail. Ngai Te Ruahikihiki kaumatua and co-chair of the Selwyn-Waihora zone committee Les Wanhalla, who also represents Te Taumutu Runanga on the Ahuriri Lagoon steering group, said that the first totara planted at a special dedication ceremony would be the “Tane Mahuta” of the planting
area, and acknowledged the dedication of generations of Ngai Tahu and the wider community to see Ahuriri restored. Te Ara Kakariki is also establishing another major native greendot inland near Springfield. A 6ha site containing a moraine, known to the locals as Broom Hill, will also be planted with 30,000 eco-sourced seedlings from the totara/tawhai/beech forest plant community. Te Ara Kakariki coordinator Letitia Lum said her team was excited about the potential these areas have to attract native birds from the nearby mountains and hills. “We’ve been planting greendots all over Selwyn over the past 12 years, as we work to establish a biodiversity corridor from the mountains to Te Waihora and the sea,” Lum said. “What we were missing were some larger sites that can extend the habitat of native birds, so they can re-establish a foothold on the plains. We hope these two sites, along with the other plantings being carried out, will help our native species thrive alongside us across the Selwyn region.” The two sites will be planted over the next three years, partly by volunteers through Te Ara Kakariki’s annual volunteer plantouts.
Land Development and Civil Siteworks Done Right 30 years of local knowledge and experience makes us the right people
Ngai Te Ruahikihiki kaumatua Les Wanhalla plants the first tree at a new site near Ahuriri.
Irrigation storage dam guide I
rrigation NZ has designed a guide to help irrigators through the process of constructing a freshwater storage facility for irrigation. It takes irrigators through each part of the dam-building process – from concept through to construction and sign-off. It includes information on council requirements and engaging professionals (like designers and engineers). What will a dam mean to you and your farming system? A correctly designed and constructed pond will provide: • Surety of supply (reliability). • Flexibility – you choose when you irrigate. • Effective utilisation of water. • Reduced risk of non-compliance. Through the feasibility, design and construction phases of the pond you need to ensure: • You have enough water to recharge the dam every year – or the recharge
period for which it is designed. • Consideration has been given to the lining material – clay or artificial. • The dam is the appropriate size for you irrigation area and crops. • The pond meets all regional and district council resource management and Building Act requirements. It introduces the fundamental questions that need to be answered before, and whilst engaging third party professionals, to deliver the most suitable on-farm storage option for your needs. The book is designed for irrigators who are looking to build small embankment dams or embankment storage ponds. It provides a detailed outline of the decision-making process required to ensure you build storage that is best suited to your needs along with basic design and construction information.
to talk to when it comes to earthmoving and civil siteworks. We explore every angle of a project upfront to ensure it runs smoothly and efficiently. For us, being the best isn’t about getting a job done fastest, or cheapest. It’s about getting it Done Right. Find out how we will get your project Done Right at tarbotton.co.nz
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