30 August 2024, Issue 1225
Volunteer in the valley Kōpūrererua Valley Rotary Centennial Trust board chairman Lyall Holmes is confident that with help from 200 volunteers, and a sausage sizzle to follow, it will take just three hours to plant 4500 plants in Tauranga’s historic 364 hectare wetland on September 29. “With pre-dug holes, we’re confident that we can get 4500 plants in the ground within just three hours at
the planting event,” says Lyall. The “jewel in Tauranga’s crown” is Kōpūrererua Valley Reserve – an open green space, stretching from Judea to Tauriko and bordered by the neighbourhoods of Te Reti, Gate Pā, Greerton, Westridge and Cambridge Heights. During the past two decades Tauranga Rotary clubs, in partnership with Tauranga City Council, Ngāi
Tamarāwaho, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and dedicated community members, have been transforming what is one of Australasia’s largest urban wetlands. Now they’re asking for volunteers to muck in once again on September 29, in the ongoing restoration of the valley. Find out more on page 7. Photo: Bob Tulloch.