Totara Heights Bush Guardians

07/10/2026

Everglade #2 Reserve is being transformed! Thanks to our friends we have a pile of mulch to spread around the new plants on the bank to protect them over summer.
We'd love your help this Sunday, 11th October at 9am. Meet on the corner (1 Ransom Smythe Drive, Goodwood Heights) with a wheelbarrow, large bucket, shovel or rake, or just yourselves with closed shoes, a water bottle and a hat.
It helps with planning if you let us know you'll be there. Thank you! 🌱

06/10/2026

Watch this space 👀

01/10/2026

This is one of our awesome volunteers removing w**ds that are strangling the young trees we planted last year.

And behind the fence are invasive palms that are constantly seeding into our native reserve.

If you’re thinking about planting a palm in your garden, please consider nikau — New Zealand’s only native palm.

Unlike invasive palms, nikau belongs here and provides food for our native kererū.

24/09/2026

What did you do last Sunday?

24/09/2026

English ivy is bloody nuisance! We have a few hotspots in reserves surrounding Totara Park where ivy smothered everything. We really need everyone to get rid of it on their properties so ivy doesn't keep escaping into the bush.

⚠️ Pest plant of the month: English ivy⚠️

English ivy forms dense mats that smother native plants and stop new growth from coming through.

🚫 It's listed as a pest plant under Auckland Council's Regional Pest Management Plan, so it can't be sold, distributed or planted anywhere in Auckland (unless relocating an existing plant within your property).

If you've got it at home:

⛏️ Dig it out - roots, stems and all. Wear gloves, as it can cause skin irritation.
🗑️ Bag it in a w**d bag or drop it at a greenwaste facility. Ivy can regrow from stem fragments, so never dump it in a natural area.
🏡 Talk to your neighbours too. Tackling it together makes all the difference.

Find out how to identify and control English ivy and other pest plants on our Conservation portal:
🔗https://www.tiakitamakimakaurau.nz/resource-library/pest-plants-and-management/

20/09/2026

Thank you to 10 volunteers who came today to our working bee.

It was so satisfying to un-w**d the babies we planted last year. It’s astonishing to see how much they’ve taken off — some are already over 1.5 m tall!

They definitely love the site, and they love being loved.

14/09/2026

This planting season, we’ve planted a grand total of 2,669 native plants across 8 of the 20 bush reserves in the Totara and Goodwood Heights area!

But the job doesn’t finish when the trees go in the ground. They need care and attention to give them the best chance to thrive.

This Sunday 20 Sept, we’re revisiting one of last year’s planting sites to free our young trees from w**ds that are smothering them.

Join us! Register here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWi07whARb7Yewh5bwdXjHf-NFCCnLXAP-J1r4_7ZyQJWVIQ/viewform

12/09/2026

Spring is here — and predators are hungry.

As native birds begin breeding, our predator control team is working hard to protect them.

So far this year, we've removed 222 predators from our catchment, including 159 rats, 26 possums, and 20 hedgehogs.

But plenty are still out there.

Got a backyard bush block? Want to learn more about trapping in our reserves? Get in touch with us!

And if you have a rat trap at home, refresh the peanut butter regularly. No lure, no catches.

09/09/2026

Cats are predators, and our trail cameras show domestic cats roaming in our bush reserves every night.

They hunt wildlife and interfere with our rat control by pulling non-toxic lure from traps and spraying around trap boxes, leaving rats wary of them.

Soon, fledgling birds will be leaving their nests. They can’t fly well and are easy prey for cats.

Please keep your cat inside at night. It keeps them safer from cars and fights and reduces their impact on wildlife.

If your cat isn’t desexed and/or microchipped, 9 Lives Orphanage is running a desexing programme funded by the Manurewa Local Board.

Contact them directly: [email protected]

Responsible cat ownership is an important part of protecting our native wildlife.

03/09/2026

You've done some pruning and w**ding in your garden and now you need to dispose of the waste. You don't need to pay for a garden waste bin 'cos you live near a bush reserve and you can put it in there, right?

Wrong! Garden waste spreads unwanted plants (agapanthus in this case) into the bush and suppresses native plant regeneration. It's illegal dumping so it will be investigated and you could be fined.

This pile of w**ds is just inside the fabulous bush reserve opposite the Totara Park lookout - if you know who dumped it please email [email protected] so we can add that information to the 0800nodump (663867) report.