Southern View: October 22, 2020

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday October 22 2020 9
Your Local Views
Encourage birds back into the city
Heathcote River
health
I HAVE been thinking of trees
this week.
There have been very few
times when as a member of
the Spreydon-Cashmere Community
Board I haven’t thought
about trees one way or another.
Trees are probably the third
most raised topic in the community
after water and traffic and
roads. Everyone loves a tree but
at times many of us are inclined
to have a word or two about
their leaves, their roots, their
placement and whether they are
native/endemic to Aotearoa New
Zealand or exotic.
With the winds we have been
having recently trees have been
badly damaged in several of our
parks and reserves and I have
sent in one or two SnapSend-
Solves to the city council requesting
a clean-up of enormous
branches and split trunks lying
on the ground where children
may have been playing the day
before. You will have seen some
damaged trees too.
I often look at trees in our
parks and reserves and think of
their possible history. Were the
lombardy poplars planted by or
for returning soldiers from the
World War 1 battles in Italy to
remind them of their time there.
From the board
Karolin Potter, chair
Were the oaks and elms and
beeches similarly reflecting time
spent in the United Kingdom
around the same time.
Many of these trees would live
Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board
BIRD CALL: There are groups of people in Christchurch
planting endemic trees to encourage bellbirds, tui,
kereru and the rest to come to town.
hundreds of years in their
home on the other side of
the world but will live only
decades in New Zealand because
our winters are not cold enough
to give the trees their proper
rest.
When I first came on the
board we used to talk a lot about
planting a native tree pathway
from Banks Peninsula into town
to encourage our birds and
other fauna to return to the city.
Other New Zealand cities have
great populations of our native
birds in their neighbourhoods
with Wellington leading the
way in restoring populations of
native birds that we in Christchurch
never see.
I am so envious when I hear
an interview in Wellington
on radio drowned out by the
squawk of a kaka. I am thrilled
to know that we have groups of
local people planting endemic
trees to encourage bellbirds,
tui, kereru and the rest to come
to town and that that effort is
supported by the Summit Road
Society and all the other groups
who are working so hard to
make the Port Hills predatorfree.
You can’t do much better than
planting a tree for your children
and their children unless its
also putting a well serviced
and humane trap in your back
garden if you live on the river or
the hills.
A RECENT newspaper article
highlighted the poor water quality
of Christchurch’s urban rivers.
The Ōpāwaho Heathcote River
scored the worst for sediment,
zinc and copper, according to a
city council report.
The report showed a lack of progress
made in dealing with these
contaminants.
Jenny Webster-Brown noted,
“city residents should take more
responsibility” for the health of
the river.
The Ōpāwaho Heathcote
River Network is an organisation
working with community groups
to advocate for the continued
improvement of the river.
The recent World Rivers
Day and World Fish Migration
Day celebration had a huge
community response. It brought
together community groups,
councils and businesses involved
in river care.
People saw how they can make
a difference. A co-ordinated
approach between tangata
whenua, local government and
the community is essential.
Community engagement and
involvement is a powerful tool to
institute change. – Annabelle
Hasselman, chair Ōpāwaho
Heathcote River Network
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