The Little Community that Could…
Tutaenui Stream Restoration | MARTON
Founder Greg and partner Maree, sparked a movement in Marton - the volunteer-powered restoration of the Tutaenui Stream and water supply dams…
Now a beloved community space that attracts thousands of visitors each year, back in 2016 when Greg and Maree began engaging with local planning processes and cutting the first walking track around the 70ha Tutaenui Reserve next door to where they live, it was a weedy, unloved and unused spot about the dams that supply water to the Marton township.
After 1000s of hours of advocacy and volunteer input, buckets of sweat and more than a few broken spade handles, the Reserve now boasts many kilometres of walking track, 5km of grade 2 and 3 mountain bike tracks, carparks, toilets, and picnic tables, with planning underway for an outdoor classroom, interpretation signage and education programme. Ten’s of thousands of natives have been planted in the Reserve on community planting days and an extensive track network established and maintained, along with wayfinding signage. It’s an oasis of calm and connection nestled amongst a predominantly agricultural area.
In 2021 Greg and Maree incorporated the Tutaenui Stream Restoration Society, aimed at seeking funding to support the goal of restoring the ecosystem of Tutaenui awa (restoring life-supporting flows and native habitats around the awa and dams and controlling predators and plant pest species). The Society attracts ‘doers’, as the wheelbarrow photo above testifies to, with society meetings often held on-site while ticking off one of those never ending ‘jobs to do’ lists.
Working alongside the Rangitikei District Council has enabled many facilities and aspects of the track network to be built, with the reserve designated an official public reserve in 2022 and in the same year, it made it through to the finals of Local Government New Zealand Excellence Awards.
