Te Mata Wetland Care Group

26/09/2026

Another awesome planting day at Te Mata, thanks to the great support from Western Bay District Council, and HELP Waihi.

And of course, the highlight was the involvement and enthusiasm of the kids and staff from Waihi Beach Primary School, who collectively planted 1,000 native wetland plants in under four hours of hard labour.

Huge thanks to everyone involved, together we are transforming this back into a functioning wetland ecosystem!

And for those who couldn't attend on the day, keep an eye on this page for news of upcoming working bees in late November / December to place mulch and/or carry out weeding to get these plants off to a flying start.

18/09/2026

It's that time of year again! Planting Day at Te Mata Reserve is this Thursday 24 September and everyone is invited to come and help the kids from Waihi Beach Primary School to plant 1,000 more native seedlings.

This is the sixth year that the school has planted in the reserve and the results are really transforming the reserve. This work is supported by Western Bay District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, HELP Waihi, and volunteers from Te Mata Landcare group.

On the day we need adults to help the youngsters so that they can successfully get these plants into the ground, so anyone can come and help.

Details are:

Thursday 24 September, 8.30 to 3.00, in the reserve, immediately facing the new apartment block The Reef. Come any time that suits you, and stay as long as you like. Any contribution is very much appreciated.
Best access is from The Reef carpark or the end of Edinburgh Road.
Bring a spade, boots, hat, sunscreen and gardening gloves.
The school will provide a sausage sizzle with support from WBDC to help to sustain us.

Any questions, just post as a reply to this message so everyone can see the answers.

04/10/2025

Had a great working bee this morning, which almost fitted between heavy downpours! Eight of us were able to complete a tidy-up of weeds and plant 4 trays (128 plants) of manuka and kanuka, kindly donated by Aaron at Waimata Native Plant Nursery.
Woohooo!

Send a message to learn more

02/10/2025

Just a reminder that we will be planting and weeding in the area below the skate park tomorrow. The forecast is for showers, so we'll hope for the best. If it's tipping down and looking set-in I'll update at 9.30 to postpone, otherwise we'll be going ahead and will work around the showers.

Saturday, 4 October
10.00 till 12.00
meet by the skate park

Bring boots, sunscreen, and a spade or favourite weeding implement. I will have a few hand Sharks.
If the weather is no good, we'll postpone to Saturday 11th.

20/09/2025

What an awesome morning today. Over 15 volunteers had a great time, planting around 1200 native plants, with help from the awesome team at Project Parore. There was lots of chatter and laughter as we continued the process of restoring the health of Te Mata Reserve, one of the very few remaining coastal wetlands in the country.
A big thanks to Western Bay District Council for their support, the Project Parore team, and all the volunteers.
If you're interested in this work, PM me or keep an eye on this page. We have more working bees coming up over the rest of the year.
Alan Campbell

11/09/2025

Planting day.
Here's an invitation from Western Bay District Council to join in a planting day on 20 September. Everyone is welcome. Details below.


Jake Andersen
Sep 10, 2025, 11:41 AM (2 days ago)
to me

Kia ora,



We’re getting in touch to let you know about a special opportunity coming up for our community – and we’d love your help to spread the word.



Western Bay of Plenty District Council is hosting a Community Planting Day at Te Mata Reserve, Waihī Beach, on Saturday 20 September (10am–12pm).



More than 19,000 native plants are being established at the reserve - including kahikatea, puriri, tī kōuka (cabbage trees), harakeke (flaxes) and carex species. This is part of a wider restoration project to improve stream health and replace vegetation removed during earlier erosion protection works.



The planting day is a chance for locals to roll up their sleeves, enjoy the outdoors, and make a positive difference to a much-loved reserve.



Event details to share with your group:

What: Te Mata Reserve Community Planting Day (with a bite to eat afterwards)
When: Saturday, 20 September, 10am–12pm
Where: Te Mata Reserve, car park accessed between 6 and 10 Hillview Road, Waihī Beach
Bring: Water bottle, warm layer, decent shoes, spade and gloves


Please share this invitation with your members, whānau, and friends. The more people who come along, the bigger the impact we can make together.





Ngā mihi nui,



Jake Andersen
Reserves and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator
Kairuruku kaitūao – Whenua Rāhui me Whakaurunga

Send a message to learn more

21/11/2024

After a very long time of silence from me, it's time for a little update, and an invitation. You might have noticed, if you walk around the wetland regularly, that there have been quite a few changes over recent weeks.
The old, poisoned willows are starting to break down and collapse, so the old, tall titri is now dominating the canopy.
The flax and titri are just beginning to flower, so the tui are playing, especially in the flax.
We have been operating a set of predator traps and have taken out several rats and two stoats so far.
While the plantings are thriving, so are the weeds. A couple of us have been doing a bit of weeding in the past week or two, just to keep the plantings clear, and it is making a big difference along the walkway.
The invitation:
I will be there at 9.00 am on Wednesday next week, 27 November, to carry on with some weeding. It'd be great to have some company. So if you are free come on down to the carpark by the skate park, bring some sturdy footwear, work gloves and a weeding tool, and we'll see what we can do in an hour or so. I hope to have a few "shark" weeding tools, but if you could bring a decent sharp implement to cut away the grass that could be good.
Everyone is welcome.
Cheers
Alan

15/05/2024

What a fabulous day yesterday! The tamariki from Waihi Beach Primary planted 700 native wetland plants that they had grown at the school in their Trees for Survival growing unit. Judging by the noise, they had a wonderful time doing it too.
One of the features of the day was that it was made possible with support from HELP Waihi who prepared the ground in advance, Trees for Survival who support the propagation unit and provided the seedlings Western Bay District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council who provided funding and technical advice, and of course a great bunch of volunteers who dug all the holes on the day.
Awesome work everyone!

13/05/2024

Don't miss out! Planting at Te Mata wetland reserve tomorrow with the kids from Waihi Beach Primary. Any time from 8.00am until about 2.30. Stay as long as you can.
The job is to dig holes and help the kids to plant 700 native plants. Heaps of fun and a fair bit of dirt. Bring boots and a spade.

06/02/2024

A quick reminder about our weeding session tomorrow, Wednesday 7 Feb. We will clean up last year's plantings. As always, meet in the carpark beside the Community Centre at 9.00. Bring boots, and gloves.
Work for one hour, followed by coffee.

Support the work that these kids have been doing for three years now!

Woohooooo!