Watercare joins our project and we plan an inaugural Matariki event. Check out the significant progress made in the past month.
The following actions have occurred since the April update:
- Welcome to the Restoration. A huge welcome to the following new Restoration members. Thank you for your interest and commitment to the project Paulette Reidy-Davis, Sophie Haine, Mathew Lee, Molly Chen, Selwyn Liu, Jiayi Zhou, Angela Lyu, Natalie Mathews
- Cadey Korson, MU, submitted the Ethics application for the research she has committed to undertaking to capture the projects social value chain within a documentary
- We have met with the Ventia team, Acacia Cochise, Ricky Steedman and Chloe Brown to ask for support with recycled water transportation from Water Care to the Restoration site, to request support for roof water collect and to ask for consideration of support for the Matariki Event on June 24.
- Water Care have become a key stakeholder in the Restoration. Shannon Palmer, Water Care has been instrumental in securing free recycled water for the bioreactors, sharing water quality metrics, helping with developing a MOU, confirmation of not needing resource consent to use recycled water, and ascertaining if Water Care can also help transfer water to the Restoration site.
- Jade Li and Molly Chen (NEDF) have worked at pace to further develop Rangitahi/Graduate leadership positions for the Restoration. To date, school youth/graduates lead in the following spaces: Peter Felsted, Water Quality, Sam Weston, Graphic Design, Amelia Sangster, Strategy, Sophie Haine, Pest management leader, Michael Lee (also working in pest management), Selwyn Liu, Jiayi Zhou and Angela Lyu all leading managing watering the bioreactors. NEDF also have Bird Count leaders waiting for their education to begin developing bird counts. A Chinese Social media graduate has also been confirmed for the Project. We are especially grateful to all the youth/graduate leaders.
- The Restoration is now using Trap.NZ app and programme to monitor pests and birds. We are arranging an education session for youth leaders to begin upskilling in the chosen conservation areas. We are also using Tane’s Trees app and programme to monitor plant survival and growth rates. Water quality data is uploaded to out Teams platform and shortly, will be centralised with Wai Care.
- Met with Documentary team twice to progress film planning, timetabling, ethics applications, Consent documentation, H&S documentation, Screen Auckland film permit and application for a film fee waiver, which we have been confirmed as being successful, saving thousands of dollars in fees. Natalie Mathews, MU is kindly supporting Cadey’s research and filming while Cadey is based in America.
- Matt Cummings, Untangled Landscapes is working in close partnership with the Restoration to ready the excavator/mulcher for land clearance works. Matt has also developed the Bioreactor study day and Soil Health Study Day learning objectives and content for 120 students attending both days.
- Toni Shaw and Albany Senior High School are working hard to host the Soil Microscopy study day, huge thanks to the school for their support of the project. Toni is undertaking a Leadership of Authentic Sustainability education course. Her work is worth reading. I have uploaded it under the Education folder in Teams.
- NHHA are kindly hosting the bioreactor study day and will house the bioreactors until Landowner approval has been sourced
- Neil Henderson, Kaipatiki Project has agreed to support the Matariki event with the offer of education support on the day and Mana Whenua support.
- The communications team has met twice. Sam Weston and Sheryl Blythen identified the need for graduate SM students to support running the SM platforms content. We have identified the need to translate the business and community one pagers into Mandarin after NIcky had updated them to be FFP. Carole Tilman has progressed work on preparing the website domain and email address as much as possible. We are on hold until Mana Whenua have space to consult and consider a Māori name for the project if they wish to. Tracy Davis also has the Restoration graphics collateral to consider from a Māori lens.
- Jade Li (NEDF) has facilitated the opportunity to talk with two Chinese SME’s, Triangle Solar (Solar power lighting and video monitoring) and Hou Garden (Chinese Social media opportunity) to support the Restoration. Both organisations are considering their ongoing involvement.
- Extensive ongoing work underway to organise an inaugural Matariki event at NHHA, Friday June 24th, 9 am – 3 pm. Key stakeholders and dignitaries will be invited to a special opening ceremony and planting of Totara at the Restoration site, then progress to a general welcome for the public and wider groups at NHHA. Ngati Whatua O Kaipara Kaumatua will lead the community through honouring Matariki. We will be inviting people to attend the Powhiri, watch the Kapa Haka, enjoy festivities including hangi, music, art and craft stalls, games and sport! Please save the date and bring all your people to the day.
- Dan Marrow and Nicky presented the proposed Restoration model to the NW Mana Whenua Forum at Auckland Council following Dan facilitating an application to present the model for feedback. This is a privileged opportunity to consult with Iwi and receive feedback and guidance from Iwi representatives across Tāmaki Makaurau. We received insightful guidance and a request from Iwi to visit the Restoration site. Iwi leaders asked us to consider what this restoration might look and feel like for Mana Whenua in 50 years' time, which merits ongoing consideration and inspiration. The Restoration team has been requested to present at the Waka Kotahi IIG Central West Iwi Mana Whenua rōpū to seek broader advice from Mana Whenua regarding the project model and outcomes. We have actioned the request.
- In addition, we have sought to consult with Mana Whenua within Tāmaki Māori Hockey Committee, Harbour Sport and Ventia. Meetings are in place and the feedback we receive will be considered and integrated into the model.
- Paulette Reidy-Davis, Ngati Whatua O Kaipara has been supporting NHHA to organise a potential Hockey match for the Matariki event. She is gifting us more time to consult and will be an ongoing partner in the Restoration.
- A Forest and Bird Jim Lewis Fund application for $5 773.81 is being made to request financial support for securing the bioreactor materials. Applications close end of May. John Brown, Forest and Bird, has been very supportive of the Restorations intent to apply for funding, helping us with ensuring the application is FFP.
- May Chi, Great Families Organisation has been instrumental in applying for $5000 funding for Matariki event management from Blue Sky fund.
- Jade Li has worked hard to source a carbon footprint analysis firm to analyse the Restorations carbon emissions. We had useful discussions with EKOS. They have supplied a quote for assessing th4 Restoration emissions and a separate quote for finding a like for like traditional restoration project whereby we could compare and contrast carbon outputs. NEDF is kindly offering to sponsor the Restoration carbon footprint analysis.
- Glenn Browne, Auckland Council, has ringfenced a potential funding stream to support Mana Whenua involvement and running of the Powhiri on Matariki.
- Amelia Sangster and Warwick Stent are undertaking ongoing work with developing an understanding of how best to capture social and environmental value within the project's outcomes. Both Amelia and Warwick lit searches/research pieces are stored under Finance folder, Data collection. These pieces contain reports of recent winners of Aotearoa's integrated value reporting, which enables us to begin to discover what metrics we might use as Warwick helps the Restoration to develop a bespoke framework that enables us to measure some aspects of our outcomes in a revolutionary, more holistic manner. We have also approached Clement Chia, ex-COO Sanford, to talk with him about Sanford winning values framework. Warwick recommends we consider framing our report using aspects of the Matariki model https://environment.govt.nz/assets/publications/environment-aotearoa-2022-summary.pdf., the International Integrated value report and the Future Fit Business benchmark.
- Amelia has moved on to working on relating the UN SDG’s to the Project outcomes. This will enable stakeholders to more easily identify the gains the Project is making from a global perspective. We are using the SDGS split into three sections: Society, the economy and the environment.
- Teresina De LA Vega, Wai Care has been coordinating with Peter Felsted to share water quality assessment equipment and load the Restoration water quality testing sites onto the data collection website. Teresina is supplying 100 gloves for the bioreactor study days.
- Detrimental weather postponed our aquatic biodiversity teaching session with Briar Board at Whitebait connection. This is still needing to be undertaken. Measurements of aquatic biodiversity will be done twice a year.
- UWEN members have supported Jade, Molly and Nicky to begin to use the preferred bird count app for collective monitoring: Trap.NZ. We have had two teaching sessions and will be organising a youth leadership teaching session with the pest managers and bird counters. James Gow is kindly going to help us learn to identify bird species. Sophie and Mathew will receive ongoing support from Steve Cammell as they orientate to the pest management and monitoring role. Historically, no pest monitoring data capture was undertaken. Sophie will be leading collecting data once she and Mathew have opportunity to orientate to using the Trap NZ app.
- Nicky attended an AC risk management study day. Health and Safety plans have now been written for all but the pest management activities, including the film compliance requirements.
- Nicky is undertaking a St John's course to ensure as a first aider she is up to date. This is booked for next week.
- We have sourced Māori stall owners for the Matariki event.
- NHHA has contracted an event management company, Smart Moves Group, to begin working on the Inaugural Matariki Event.
- Kevin O’Leary, Business North Harbour is supporting the Restoration by advertising for 7 recycled IBCs (water containers) and 20 disused palettes from the local waste stream for the bioreactors to rest on. Kevin has offered the Restoration the opportunity to feature in the 3 quarter BNH magazine. And when LOA is through, advertise our business one pager that the communications team has developed
- A number of wasp nests have been exterminated on site to promote safety with land clearing and students coming on to the site.
- Sam Hill has supplied the Restoration with a guide to Sustainable Procurement.
- Hilton Brown continues to support the Restoration enabling access through their carpark for water and machinery deliveries. We have also requested special access for the opening ceremony for Matariki.
- Matt identified the potential for filtering town water supply if needed for the bioreactors
- Dan is kindly supplying the Restoration with a portaloo, handwashing and sanitizing gear, gardening equipment and safety glasses.
- We heard back from Council on Friday that the LOA is still in progress. We have been advised that we may be required to apply for resource consent. They estimate the result of the LOA is likely another three weeks away. On this basis, we needed to inform Matt, the Documentary Team, the schools and other members who would be directly affected by a later start. We hope we will have an outcome from Council as soon as possible. Some of the planned working bees can no longer be done by schools so the working bees will be shifted to weekend work. We will need all stakeholders to consider coming down to the site to help when it is possible to begin restoring the land.