Community champions leading the way for Biosecurity Week
As part of Biosecurity Week (21–27 July), we’re celebrating the people and groups across Waitaha/Canterbury working hard to protect and restore our unique biodiversity.
Whether it’s removing invasive pests, restoring native habitats, or educating the next generation, these local champions are building a better future through 'haumaru koiora kia pai ā mua — biosecurity for a better future'.
Some of these projects include pest and weed control, adding biosecurity to the school curriculum, removing wilding pines, and protecting our native wildlife, and span across the whole of Waitaha.
Nature returns to the valley
On Banks Peninsula, Lawrence Smith is leading the charge with reWild Wainui, a grassroots project helping nature regenerate through weeding, pest control, and native planting. The community-led effort has already removed large patches of invasive banana passionfruit and seen a 3,000-strong drop in pest numbers over the past two years.
Landowners are getting involved too, converting marginal land back to native bush — and nature is responding. Kererū are returning in flocks, and for the first time, tūī have begun nesting in the valley.
“There’s a great deal of pride in the community knowing Wainui is now a better place for all our visitors and residents - whether they’re feathered or two-legged,” said Lawrence.
Growing guardians of the future
At Tai Tapu School, biosecurity is being built into the curriculum — and the local environment. Back in May, 143 students helped plant 420 native seedlings along the Huritini awa/Halswell River, deepening their learning through The Ripple Effect learning theme and hands-on sessions with Enviroschools Waitaha and Predator Free Port Hills.
The school has since launched its own trapping programme and hopes to become a community hub for Predator Free Port Hills, working closely with Te Ara Kākāriki to connect and expand green corridors across the region.
This growing movement is empowering young people to take ownership of protecting native ecosystems — today and into the future.
Standing up for the Basin
Healthy, resilient, natural environments and thriving rural communities are what drive Haeleigh Turner, coordinator of Wilding Free Mackenzie, “and you can't have one without the other.”
“Tourism, salmon farming, primary industry, hydroelectricity — they all depend on a wilding-free Mackenzie. If we don't act now, we risk losing far more than just scenery.”
Haeleigh is working tirelessly to raise awareness about the severe threat wilding pines pose to New Zealand's economy, landscapes, and biodiversity.
Wilding pine removal not only protects water resources and reduces fire risk, but also helps preserve the alpine trails, lakes, and open landscapes that define the region and have an economic impact on all New Zealanders.
Through advocacy, community collaboration, and education, Haeleigh is championing support for the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme and mobilising action for long-term environmental resilience.
Haeleigh and volunteers from Wilding Free Mackenzie remove wilding pines
A place where birds can thrive
In Mid Canterbury, Gen de Spa, forest care coordinator at Staveley Camp, is working to keep a 10-hectare remnant forest from being overrun by weeds and exotic species. Their core work focuses on weed control and protecting native birdlife.
Gen is involved with Methven and Foothills Birdsong Initiative, who broke ground on a new 2-hectare native planting site next to the Garden of Harmony in Methven, designed to provide a safe haven for birds and biodiversity.
Innovative research is also underway into a potential cat-exclusion system, aimed at reducing the threat of feral cats and domestic predators to bush-dwelling birds.
“The more I do this work, the more I fall in love with native birds,” Gen said.
“Our kererū bird count doubled from two to four this year, which feels as good as finding treasure.”
Protecting native species is Gen's passion
Empowering action with better tools
We encourage you to explore our pest search, which is one of our most trusted resources. This tool will soon include all Unwanted Organism plant species present in New Zealand complete with images, making it the only resource of its kind in the country.
Already a go-to platform for identifying regional pests and invasive plants, this update has been widely welcomed across New Zealand. It continues to play a key role in our education and engagement efforts — empowering more people to recognise, report, and respond to pest threats.
Together, with tools like this and the work of community champions, we’re creating a future where our environment, economy, and biodiversity can thrive.