Hamilton City Council’s Nature in the City programme aims to increase native vegetation in Hamilton from 2% to 10% by 2050. It’s no surprise there are already people in our community doing the mahi to bring back nature in the city.

The Fairfield Project is a community-led initiative, that has so far planted more than 20,000 trees along the Kukutaaruhe gully.

“We estimate those trees are now pulling 94 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, and they’ll continue to do so for 50 years” said Vic Arcus, Chair of Kukutaaruhe Education Trust.

So how did they get there? Well, in 2013, Fairfield College had about 12 hectares of land they didn’t need, and an idea to sell it for some extra funding for the school.

“There was a community meeting to discuss that proposal, and at that meeting a new idea was put forward – what if we kept the land and turned it into an environmental education centre, that would have way more than just a financial benefit?”

The Fairfield Project was born. The vision is to restore the Kukutaaruhe gully to its former glory, and the core principles are education, restoration, and community building.

At the heart of all restoration activity is education. All Year 9 students at Fairfield College and neighbouring Waikato Diocesan School for Girls replant a section of the gully as part of a science project.

The Project also has a relationship with more than 20 other schools in the area. “The idea is this becomes a place where kids from all these schools can come to take part in the restoration and have an educational experience,” said Arcus.

The project hosts community planting days and regular working bees, which are well attended. Protecting and restoring nature has united people from across the community.

And there’s a lot worth protecting. The stream that runs through the gully is home to native species including the longfin eel and giant kookopu. The longfin eel and giant kookopu are both endemic to New Zealand and categorised as ‘at risk – declining’.

“NIWA has been studying the giant kookopu for years, and have made some pretty amazing discoveries about them, right here in this stream.”

The Project provides valuable training for future jobs too. “Ultimately, this education opens the door to so many career paths. From climate change and conservation to agriculture and trades, there is valuable skill-building for so many disciplines,” said Arcus.

The Fairfield Project is a hub for the community to come together and connect. There’s a vast community garden, where anyone can make a plot and try their hand at horticulture.

The local Tongan community has banded together to cultivate a huge patch of kuumara for their whaanau.

“We have people from all different walks of life coming together and sharing stories, sharing knowledge, and getting to know each other. It’s wonderful to see.”

For Council, groups like these are critical to reaching its target of 10% native vegetation cover.

“These organisations, with their passion and expertise, are an essential part of restoring nature in Kirikiriroa,” says Luke Archbold, Senior Manager of the Nature in the City programme. “We are currently in talks with the Fairfield Project about how Council’s Nature in the City programme can best support them.”

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