The Green Page:

‘Critical Importance’ – Thousands of Hours Spent Caring for Project Twin Streams Despite Challenging Year:

A new report has shown the scale of work going on to improve the quality of Project Twin Streams in Henderson-Massey, with more than 6000 community hours spent in activities such as planting, weeding and rubbish removal in the last year.

Project Twin Streams is made up of Te Wai o Pareira (Henderson Creek) and Oratia, Opanuku, Swanson, Waimoka and Momoto streams. Along with other local boards and organisations, Henderson-Massey Local Board provides funding to several community organisations to help care for the water courses.

Key Figures

In the Project Twin Streams yearly accountability report, it was revealed that in the Henderson-Massey area:

• 6621 community hours were spent working on the project 
• 5115 plants were planted
• 600 bags of rubbish were collected.

Organisations Community Waitakere, Ecomatters, MPHS Community Trust and Te Ukaipo Mercy Initiatives for Rangatahi have, despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 Alert Level changes, managed to fulfil their contractual obligations.

This includes hosting several successful public events, such as Freshwater Frenzy, a number of bird monitoring sessions with schools and stories as you weave -Te Pā Harakeke o Te iwi, amongst others.

Critical importance

Henderson-Massey Local Board Chair Vanessa Neeson says that the work is of critical importance for the area.

“There’s a good reason we were known as the Eco-City back in the Waitākere City Council days,” she says.

“The health of our streams and rivers is of paramount importance and provides a window into the wider ecological health of the area.

“We have always viewed project twin streams as a precious taonga for our area. The richness and diversity of the natural environment along the water courses are second to none, and we have remained committed to protecting it while we are custodians of the area.

“Not only is it important for now, but it is important for the many future generations that will come to use and enjoy the awa, to learn from it and come to understand its importance and the connection to the history of the area.

“As we all know, this has not been an easy 12 months, with ongoing uncertainty of Alert Level changes and restrictions meaning planned events have had to be rescheduled and cancelled.

“So I want to acknowledge and thank all the organisations who have done such incredible work, despite those challenges, to do the mahi, and the countless members of the community who have stood up and got involved to help care for the area.”