Events

Friends of Oakley Creek Te Auaunga Friday morning working bees provide a weekday opportunity to join a small group of committed volunteers who are helping to restore our precious awa. This is also an opportunity for you to discover some out-of-the-way areas on the creek.

Tasks and locations vary, depending on the priorities at the time.

If you are interested in joining us let us know and we can include you in the weekly emails. Contact Wendy 027 232 6454 or Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

For all activites on the creek sturdy / covered footwear, long sleeves and long trousers are recommended.

Group: Ngā Ringa o Te Auaunga Friends of Oakley Creek

Things are moving at a pace on this exciting project, thanks to the great work being done by Sandra and her volunteers. If you have some spare time we would love for you to join us at this special area on the ‘Oakley Inlet’, as we work to restore it.

Meet at the Waterview Park carpark, Waterbank Crescent

For more information contact Sandra 021 166 7647.

Group: Ngā Ringa o Te Auaunga Friends of Oakley Creek

Tom Kay, Forest & Bird’s Fresh Water Advocate will be talking about the Making Room for Rivers campaign.

• Website | https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/events/tom-kay-making-room-rivers-tamaki-makaurau-auckland-central
• Facebook | https://fb.me/e/8D48eXhTB

Allowing rivers to move rather than engineering them into artificial channels is a nature-friendly way to reduce flooding.

Working with nature to avoid disasters – how ‘making room for rivers’ and other nature-based solutions can help us out of the problems we’ve engineered.

Recent extreme weather, including Cyclone Gabrielle, has highlighted the vulnerability of our communities to flooding and brought into question our approach to river management and flood protection. It has also started conversations across the country about ‘sponge cities’, ‘making room for rivers’, and other ‘nature-based solutions’ to the impacts of climate change.

In this talk, Tom will show us how the way we have managed our environment has exacerbated flooding and disaster risk, particularly discussing the impact of flood protection engineering on the health of our rivers. He’ll discuss how this is made worse by the loss of wetlands and forests and outline a ‘new’ way of thinking about building resilience to climate change in our communities.

Bio

Tom Kay grew up in Hawke’s Bay but now lives in Wellington where he works as Forest & Bird’s Freshwater Advocate. Tom developed a keen passion for rivers whitewater kayaking on the Mohaka River throughout his childhood and continues to kayak around Aotearoa.

Tom has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Master of Science in Ecology from Massey University in Palmerston North – where his MSc research focused on measuring changes in river habitat over time.

Tom has worked at Forest & Bird for the better part of six years and has also worked briefly as a Policy Advisor at an environmental consultancy, as a field team member in a predator control R&D organisation, and as a raft guide.

Tom’s current interest is figuring out how to get decision-makers and policy-writers to protect the natural character and habitat of rivers, and make ‘room for rivers’, rather than just focus on water quality, quantity, and flood protection engineering.

Group: Wai-a-te-Ao – F&B Bullock Track Restoration Project