Papanui Bush Community Planting Day 2025

Nau mai haere mai ki Papanui Bush!

Join us at Bridgestone Reserve for a community planting day as part of the Papanui Bush restoration project. 

This is a great opportunity to get out in the fresh winter air, give back to te taiao-the natural environment and connect with your local community. 

We'll provide the tools, all you need to bring is:

• weather appropriate clothing
• sturdy, close-toe shoes 
• and a water bottle.
  

Meet at the picnic table under the oak tree next to the BrainTree car park at 9:00am and we'll kick off from there.

Any pātai-questions, please contact the event host, CCC Community Parks. 

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Papanui Bush was a thriving 30-hectare remnant of native forest up until the European colonisation of Ōtautahi in 1851, where it was cleared by colonisers within 5 years of settlement. Tōtara, mātai, kahikatea and kānuka once dominated the original wetland forest and provided a haven for various birds such as kererū, kākā and pūtangitangi-paradise ducks.

Bridgestone Reserve is located within the area Papanui Bush once used to be.The park land was gifted to Council by Bridgestone Tyres who previously occupied the site between 1947-2009. While the reserve functions primarily as a stormwater drainage facility, it is also a significant site of community care and social action. Forest patches are being restored around the reserve with the help of a number of community groups and volunteers (e.g. Denis McMurtrie, Papanui Rotary, Papanui High School, CVNZ and more).