Park rangers and the community are working together to realise the regeneration plan for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor.

Want to help create a living legacy for our city?

Rangers and the community are planting up the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor and they invite you to join them for planting days. 

Brooker Reserve

Help Avon-Ōtākaro Forest Park create a forest at Brooker Reserve by coming along to one of three planting events in 2023:

  • Sunday 21 May, 10am to midday
  • Sunday 11 June, 10am to midday
  • Sunday 30 July, 10am to midday

Contact avonotakaroforestpark@gmail.com 

Eco-action Nursery Trust at Chimera Crescent

Join students from all over Ōtautahi-Christchurch to plant natives grown by the students themselves from seeds collected at nearby Ōruapaeroa Travis Wetland.

At the Chimera Crescent site, along Atlantis Street, off Travis Road:

  • Sunday 14 May, 10am to midday
  • Sunday 18 Jun, 10am to midday
  • Sunday 30 July, 10am to midday
  • Sunday 3 Sept, 10am to midday

Contact ecoactionnt@gmail.com

Banks Ave Dudley Stream forest 

Join Avon-Ōtākaro Forest Park and the Red Zone rangers for a community planting day. We are going to extend the work we completed last season in creating a forest along the high part of the Dudley stream in the former Residential Red Zone.

  • Saturday 17 June, 10am to 12pm

Meeting point: 104 Banks Ave, Dallington.

Koru Forest (Richmond Community Garden)

In association with Matariki in the Red Zone, we will extend the mini forest at Richmond Community Garden. 

  • Saturday 15 July, times to be confirmed.

5000 trees that count whanau day

Join red zone rangers and locals to fill in the gaps at the '5000 trees that count' project, Deville Place, Waikakariki Horseshoe Lake and to do essential care and maintenance on last year's plants.

This day will include planting, releasing, and mulching - plant-based fun.

  • Saturday 8 July, 1pm to 3pm

Dallington Forests of Peace and Remembrance

Support Conservation Volunteers New Zealand and Rotary to create a future forest at the heart of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor.

  • Wednesday 14 June, 1pm to 4pm
  • Wednesday 12 July, 1pm to 4pm
  • Wednesday 30 August, 1pm to 4pm

Check out Conservation Volunteers New Zealand website(external link). 

Cedarwood Reserve

Help Council Rangers, CVNZ and the local community with this new restoration project beside the Ōtākaro Avon River. 

  • Saturday 24 June, 1pm to 4pm, in association with National Volunteer Week.
  • Saturday 22 July, 1pm to 4pm

Meeting points, bus and parking information to come.

Amelia Rogers Reserve

Help Council Rangers, CVNZ and the local community with this new restoration project beside the Ōtākaro Avon River. 

  • Sunday 20 August, 1pm to 4pm, in association with Conservation Week.
  • Saturday 24 September, 10am to 1pm, in association with World Rivers Day

For more information on these events, contact rrz.rangers@ccc.govt.nz

Autumn and Spring maintenance

This is a critical step in any restoration project - releasing the plants by weeding the long grass around each one and adding mulch. This allows each plant to access the sunlight and water they need to thrive and grow.

Contact rrz.rangers@ccc.govt.nz.

Cedarwood Reserve

We will return to release the new natives planted this winter, to ensure the success of this restoration project.

Put the dates in your diary and more information will be posted closer to the time:

  • Saturday 30 September
  • Saturday 21 October

Amelia Rogers Reserve

Put the dates in your diary and more information will be posted closer to the time:

  • Saturday 25 November 

Dallington Landing working bees with CVNZ

Conservation Volunteers New Zealand are creating a forest in the Dallington Landing area, as part of the Rotary Forests of Peace and Remembrance project. They hold regular maintenance events here. 

Date: Stay tuned for the next date

Time: 9.30am

Access: Between Dallington Terrace and Gayhurst Road

Register: Dallington Landing Working Bee - Conservation Volunteers(external link)

Contact: christchurch@cvnz.org.nz

5000 trees at Deville Place

This is the perfect site for any schools looking to fulfil their community service hours and October to November is a great time to do some Spring maintenance.

  • Sunday 9 September 1pm to 3pm

 

Contact the red zone team if you are interested in bringing your class to this site to make a real contribution to the restoration of this culturally significant site - Waikakariki / Horseshoe Lake. 

Contact: rrz.rangers@ccc.govt.nz

Please wear long sleeves and pants and bring:

  • Appropriate clothing for any weather: sunhat, warm jacket and raincoat.  
  • Sturdy footwear or gumboots.
  • Work gloves.
  • Water bottle and sunscreen.

Tools are supplied.

For further information contact parks.volunteers@ccc.govt.nz

At 602 hectares, the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor regeneration area is three-and-a-half times larger than Hagley Park. 

Although this will be a generational project that’s likely to take between 30 and 50 years to fully develop, we encourage people to visit and connect with the land that once held more than 5,000 homes.

The Green Spine will form the core of the regeneration area. At 11km long, it will follow the Ōtākaro Avon River and feature swathes of restored native habitat, trails, paths, footbridges, community spaces, and riverside landings that provide access to the water and local information about the area.

Over the past few years, Council staff, organisations and volunteers have planted tens of thousands of native trees throughout the Green Spine, as we begin bringing the vision of an ecologically-restored river corridor to life. 

Some of the larger ecological planting projects you can get involved in include: