What natives to plant where?
A key goal for MCC’s Biodiversity and Restoration Thematic Group is to help Motueka catchment residents upskill about growing, planting and looking after native plants. Increasing the areas in our catchment planted with natives has many benefits. It provides habitat for native birds and other species which is greatly needed. It helps stabilise ares of erosion prone land, thereby reducing sediment run off, it helps shade waterways, among many other benefits.
If you’re a landowner or resident wanting to plant natives that are best suited to your site, check out this helpful guidance from the Tasman District Council (TDC). The guidance has a planting list specifically for the Motueka inland valleys, and also a guide for Tasman sandy coasts, estuaries and river mouths. You can find this and other guidance on – MCC’s website under Resources – Biodiversity and Restoration.
Good advice and high quality plants are also available from local nurseries, such as Westbank Natives and Titoki Nursery which specialise in growing locally eco-sourced plants. For Westbank Natives, you need to download their order form and either request an appointment or email your order to them. Get your applications in quick for this planting season!
AND you can contact our very own Biodiversity and Restoration Thematic Group who are also very knowledgeable about seed and plant sourcing, propogation and planting. Pictured here are some of the members of the group – Annette Litherland, Kate Radloff, Ollie Langridge, and Bill McKinley. Helen Forsey, Helen Lindsay and Debbie Win are also members of this active group.
A good place to start, if you have any waterways on your property, is riparian planting. Riparian planting is a particular type of planting that benefits catchment health, as it is done on stream banks and near waterways. It has many benefits. These two resources are well worth a read for those considering riparian planting:
