Projects

Schools Behind Our River

Supporting schools across the Ruamahanga catchment with activities and resources that help students respect and protect their environmental heritage for future generations.

Biodiversity Corridors

Our goal is to establish biodiversity corridors along the Ruamahanga River from Mt Bruce Pūkaha to Palliser Bay Kawakawa, including the many tributaries within the Ruamahanga catchment.

2024 Impact Report

2024 marked our fifth year as a registered charity supporting Schools Behind Our River with funding and materials for plantings and planting classes, supplying 2600 native plants, awarding Overnight Experience Trips to the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, conducting biodiversity and predator trapping workshops, and sponsoring visits by Ruud Kleinpaste a.k.a. The Bugman.

2024 also marked the launch of our Dialogue Series of lectures, and we continued to support rural landowners in 2024 supplying 3500 native trees for restoration plantings. 2024 also marked the first time that we organised a special community event day at the Solway Showgrounds to mark Conservation Week.

In addition to supporting ‘Schools Behind Our River’, our plan for 2025 includes more emphasis on restoring and protecting biodiversity along the upper reaches of the Ruamahanga River, which we hope will include a pest control program and wildlife monitoring.

Our vision and purpose to support environmental education and conservation efforts within the catchment remains as strong as ever and we look forward to another year of growth.

Ruamahanga Restoration Trust Impact Report 2024 (pdf 20 MB)

2023 Interim Report

In 2023, the Ruamahanga Restoration Trust continued to expand its reach and reputation within the local community, supporting additional schools and rural landowners with resources for restoration plantings and environmental education.

2023 was our fourth year supporting Schools Behind Our River by funding restoration plantings, educational field trips, predator trapping activities, and outdoor learning kits. The number of participating schools supported under the project increased from 18 in 2022 to 25 in 2023 (including one Kindergarten).

In 2023 we appointed Karin Stillberg as our Environmental Education Lead to help us liaise with schools and community partners, further strengthening our community engagement and educational reach.

One notable achievement was the creation of a Conservation Week school photo competition run in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Enviroschools Wairarapa. The Trust funded five winning entries with free Overnight Experiences at Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre for up to 45 attendees per group. Funding for the Pūkaha Overnight Experiences has since been extended to an additional five schools.

18 schools have now received our Conservation Award for Environmental Leadership. The trophies are awarded by schools at their annual prize-giving ceremonies.
Donor funding support was received from One Foundation, Masterton Trust House, Tai Shan Foundation, Lion Foundation, Nikau Foundation, Simplicity, and the Lotteries Environment & Heritage Fund. Lotteries funding supported costs for a feasibility report and preliminary designs for the proposed ‘River Theatre’ project.

Besides the numerous school plantings, funding also supported restoration planting on three forest remnant blocks and one council reserve bordering the Ruamahanga River.

Ruamahanga Restoration Trust Interim Report 2023 (pdf 14.5 MB)

2022 Interim Report

2022 was the year Ruamahanga Restoration Trust came of age by strengthening its reputation within the local community, especially in relation to its support of schools across the Wairarapa.

2022 not only saw the Ruamahanga Restoration Trust support over 18 local schools but we also provided a significant number of native plants for six very unique rural sites, of which two are listed as QEII covenants.

2022 was the third year of our signature SCHOOLS BEHIND OUR RIVER project, which is designed to engage local school students in the restoration and protection of bio- diverse ecosystems within the wider catchment.

Participation in our project increased from eight schools in 2021 to 18 in the 2022 calendar year, not including those schools who participated in the Predator Tracking & Trapping workshops, which are held in collaboration with EnviroSchools Wairarapa and the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre. This program in particular will continue to grow in popularity and requires further support in 2023.

One notable achievement was the creation the Conservation Award for Environmental Leadership. Fourteen schools each received one of the hand-made ceramic trophies, valued at $500 each.

In 2022, the Trust received funding support from One Foundation, Masterton Trust House, Masterton Lands Trust, The Gift Trust, Lion Foundation, and the Lloyd Morrison Trust.

The Trustees and several others combined contributed over 400 volunteer hours supporting schools and local landowners with restoration plantings, and several experts helped advise schools on local flora and fauna, predator trapping tools, and suitable restoration planting sites.