Omaru Stream Clean-up

The first stage of the Omaru Creek clean-up and the evaluation of the task to open-up this historic stream to the Tamaki Community took place on Saturday 24^th of September.

 

Two supermarket trolleys, an office chair and a skateboard were amongst the rubble blocking the flow of the Omaru Creek between Apirana Road and Line Road.

 

Two dozen St Johns Rotary members, Friends of St Johns Rotary and other Rotary clubs encountered this when they joined forces to get some insight of the task of opening-up this historic stream, which starts on the slopes behind Sunhill Nursery, twisting and turning through Glen Innes, before entering the Tamaki Estuary, near Tamaki College.

 

In recent years the St Johns Rotary Club had joined forces with the pioneering group, the Friends of Apirana Reserve to plant, weed and maintain that formerly abandoned section of land behind houses on Apirana Road and the Eastern Railway line.

 

Trees for Survival, a hugely successful Rotary Project which introduces school students to the concepts of rearing seedlings before planting and maintaining them in public areas, has indicated it will join forces with St Johns and mobilise schools in the area to support the vision of a revitalised Omaru Creek and other areas.

 

Gary Key, Co-President of St Johns Rotary and a Trees for Survival board member, described the first step as “tentative, as you’d expect”.

 

“We have an enormous task ahead of us, which is going to require an alignment of many social, political and economic interests, without stepping on other initiatives which might be running in this environment.

 

“We see ourselves as facilitators and motivators to capture the attention of what a fabulous asset the Omaru Creek could become again for the local community, and even for people living in Auckland.  We don’t pretend to know all the answers and want to ensure, through working with the schools along the stream’s course, what the community would value. 

 

“Obviously, Ngati Pao, Auckland Council, the local Councillor,  Local Board, and our friends in the Tamaki Regenerate Company, Manaiakalani Schools and other Rotary clubs and community organisations will need to be involved and supportive, if this project is to succeed,” said Key.

 

Asked what he felt the Rotarians had learned from the first outing away from Apirana Reserve, he said:  “A pleasant surprise was the eels several of us encountered.  That was somewhat reassuring that we aren’t starting with a toxic stream.

 

“A major task will be the removal of tens of tons of diseased willow trees choking the stream.  This is a huge challenge which we will try to get the AC to tackle.  We will be approaching the new mayor as soon as he has had time to settle into that task.

 

“I expect we might be able to get commercial support or funding from companies in the area too.

 

“We have already got excellent support from KiwiRail, up at Apirana Reserve. They showed us what having the right equipment and goodwill could contribute in a matter of hours.”