Community native plant nursery and educational resource for riparian restoration in the Whangarei area
He Kakano is sponsored by ASB Community Trust, Whangarei District Council and is managed by Whitebait Connection.
See He Kakano workshops in action here as part of TKKMo Te Rawhitiroa's short bi-lingual film entitled “Tiakina o Tatou Awa”. The film won best Te Reo and Tikanga Maori prize in 2007's Outlook for Someday film challenge.
Within Whangarei active contribution towards local catchment restoration has been incorporated into the Whitebait Connection Programme through raising native plants for riparian restoration projects at He Kakano Community Nursery.
History
Students of Otangarei Kura at He Kakano
The nursery project began with Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Rawhitiroa (TKKMo Te Rawhitiroa) students wishing to have an ongoing contribution to riparian restoration in their local area following participation in the Whitebait Connection Programme. With major support of Whangarei District Council (WDC) who provided the existing facility, He Kakano community nursery was established by the WBC in 2006 with a goal of active riparian restoration in the Whangarei area including propogation experience and community ownership.
From these beginnings, He Kakano has produced hundreds of native plants for student initiated riparian restorations within the Whangarei catchment such as that along the banks of the Waitaua River, upstream of the Whangarei Falls. This is largely due to the great sense of ownership by TKKMo Te Rawhitiroa and Tikipunga Primary School environmental team students who have sourced funding from various sources to keep the project going and purchase additional plants for their restoration site at the Waitaua River.
Annual Enviro-Matariki planting day events have been hosted by Te Rawhitiroa at Waitaua since 2007 planting over 3000 plants from He Kakano. Students involved have successfully learnt how to identify, eco-source, propogate, pot on, prepare and plant native plants suited to riparian restoration projects. Aspects of rongoa Maori and other uses of native plants have also been included in the learning at He Kakano under of the guidance of pouako Buck Cullen.
Facilities
Located in central Whangarei adjacent to the public fernery complex, He Kakano currently houses 100 m2 of irrigated shadehouse, several large potting tables and an outdoor hardening off area, all of which are provided by Whangarei District Council. In addition to the ongoing student maintenance a large working bee in August, 2008 was made possible by ASB Community Trust funding and labour volunteered by the Whangaruru Conservation Corps students. All plants grown within the complex have been sourced locally and raised by students. The complex currently contains over 5000 various native seedlings contributing to two restoration sites alongside the Waitaua river (Whangarei Falls) and further up the Waitaua catchment at Hodges Park in Kamo. Yet, He Kakano community nursery has only recently been planted. Watch this space to see how it grows and upcoming events.
For more information on He Kakano and how you can be involved contact Kim Jones -