1. If you, or anyone you live with feels ill, please do not attend.
2. All attendees should follow cough and sneeze etiquette: Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (dispose of tissue immediately).
3. Bring gloves to the event if you have them available at home. Although we will have freshly washed gloves for those who need.
4. Wash and sanitise your hands regularly.
5. Social distancing of 2m must be adhered to for those outside your bubble.
6. The event may be cancelled at late notice due to the unfolding situation.
7. Our full Covid-19 Protocol is available at this link.

Collaboration is what we do, and the Maketū leg of the ANZ Love Your Water Tour exemplified this.

The planting was on retired DoC land, prepped and maintained by Maketū Ongatoro Wetlands Society, trees funded and provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and plants planted by local and non-local volunteers.

Hands big and small have joined together to give native plants a new home on the grassy banks of the Wharere Canal. 17 ANZ staff and 61 children from Fairhaven School started the planting on Thursday, followed by a public day on Saturday where people came from as far as Auckland to help out.

BOPRC Land Management Officer Richard Lyons said the vision is to create a corridor for nature from the coast to the hills.

“Planting this site creates an extension of the nearby Waihi Estuary Wildlife Management Reserve and wetland and helps towards this vision,” Mr Lyons said.

The marginal strip is an access point to the nearby wildlife reserve which is home to a variety of special and endangered wetland bird species including Australasian bittern. The reserve is available to the public, can be accessed by foot and has a no dogs rule to protect the wildlife.

Thanks to all those that came, see you next year!