Local school kids crush it for the environment

It's the ultimate eco collab. Auckland school kids and the tradescantia yellow spot fungus are teaming up to stamp out a pest plant here at Rosedale Park!

In a creative solution to the tradescantia plant problem, students from Wilson School are covering their shoes with a specific fungus that kills the tradescantia and walking around our site. A project like this shows how students who live with movement challenges can still participate in restoration. And what a difference they are making!  

“With their teacher’s support, they accomplish navigating slippery slopes and fallen logs with positive energy, teamwork, and build fitness,” says Project Co-Ordinator Nicky Shave.

“Students will inoculate their shoes with the tradescantia fungi that is present 500m within Rosedale Park and walk it back to our site. Students who work hard to balance and move their bodies are challenged physically and mentally, getting in and out of these sites.”

Tradescantia is an invasive pest plant that has been found on our restoration site. It can cause major issues, such as interfering with the growth of new seedlings and is challenging to get rid of once it finds a home it likes.

Working in partnership with iwi, and with guidance from Landcare Research, Auckland Council, and UWEN, a solution to our tradescantia problem has been approved through using the tradescantia yellow leaf spot fungus.

The tradescantia yellow leaf spot fungus is native to Brazil and was imported into New Zealand in 2017 as a biocontrol agent with the goals of reducing the spread of tradescantia. To work, the fungus needs to be in contact with the plant so it can infect it, causing the plant to shrivel and die. The fungus leaves yellow spots on the plants, allowing us to easily identify which plants have been infected. The beauty of this fungus is that it is specific to tradescantia, so there is no concern for it damaging any other plants on our site.  

Projects like this highlight the incredible community spirit and support cultivated at Te Hōnonga a Iwi, showing that everyone can participate in environmental restoration.

Now all that’s left to do is monitor our progress, and hopefully we will see a reduction in the spread of tradescantia at our site.