The Waikato Coastcare planting season is now six weeks behind due to Covid-19 delays.
Nearly 70,000 plants need to get into dunes before Labour Weekend, a job that usually takes volunteers up to 1,500 hours to complete.
The Coastcare programme is in partnership with the local community, iwi, district councils, the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council and aims to restore the region’s coastlines.
Volunteers plant dunes along the coast in order to protect beaches from coastal erosion and sand inundation.
Waikato Regional Council site restoration advisor Moniqua Nelson-Tunley says they are keen to recruit more helping hands, particular in Raglan.
“Connecting with people and getting outdoors are two very important things for our health and wellbeing and this was highlighted quite well to many of us during lockdown,” Nelson-Tunley said.
For more information on Coastcare, or to find out which groups operate in your area and the dates of planting bees, visit the Coastcare Waikato Facebook page or go to www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/coastcare.
