Down to the River
Chris Morrison and Campbell McLean visit Ray Labone’s riparian forest regeneration block on the banks of the Ruamahanga River.
The Ruamahanga Restoration Trust creates educational conservation projects that engage with schools and rural communities across the Wairarapa.
As a non-profit organization, we support local schools and rural community groups within the Wairarapa, creating restoration projects and educational activities around conservation and environmental heritage. Our goal is to help restore and regenerate streams, wetlands, and pockets of native bush along the length and breadth of Ruamahanga River and its many tributaries, which in turn will help protect native fish species and create bird corridors from Pūkaha to Kawakawa Palliser Bay.
For us, this means starting with our Schools Behind Our River project to deliver hands-on learning opportunities for school students to embrace environmental conservation projects that connect local communities with the health of their river catchment, Māori heritage, and sustainable biodiversity goals.
The Ruamahanga Restoration Trust embraces traditional values, mātauranga Māori, sustainable farming practices, and the use of new technologies as a means to reverse the effects of climate change and protect our natural environment for future generations.