Waihaere Mason and Barbara Faulls
Co-chairs, Te Hoiere Kaitiaki Charitable Trust
On the dairy farm of Mason and Rebecca Coleman-Cowie in Lower Pelorus, the Te Hoiere Project assisted with planting at a wetland area and former effluent pond. The 2 hectares of planting included a foundational species mix from carex to totara. This new planting connects with existing native bush, creating a longer corridor for native biodiversity to thrive. Before the Project, this farm had already fenced off a wetland on the property and were looking to undertake planting but were constrained due to time and resources. The Project not only accelerated the landowners’ planting aspirations, but also supported the release of dung beetles on the property.
Mason says that planting the unproductive land was a no-brainer. “It was already in an area that was unproductive. It’s a big catchment of water that rolls off those hills. We weren’t going to incorporate the bank but there were no cows on it. After hemming and hawing, we thought we should do this, and it would be cool to make a bit of a sanctuary out of it.”
