About

Introduction

Indigenous bush areas, both public reserves and privately held, provide an important link to maintaining and preserving the natural ecosystems and heritage of native plant and bird life in this country.

In the Tawa suburban area of Wellington City there are few enough remnants of bush and these require proactive management if they are going to survive the rigors of surrounding commercial and rural development and uncoordinated community pressure.

The bush remnants in Tawa also provide important linkages and corridors between the larger bush areas around Colonial Knob to the north and the Wellington City Inner Town Belt to the South.

It is only through the continued vigilance of the local community that remaining bush remnants will be protected and where possible expanded to form more viable ecological communities for the benefit of future generations.

Reserves

The primary reserves of interest in the Tawa basin to the Friends are the following: –

• Charles Duncan Reserve
• Forest of Tawa (Te Ngahere-o-Tawa)
• Larsen Crescent Reserve
• Pikitanga Reserve
• Redwood Bush Reserve
• St Anne’s Reserve
• Wadham Grove Reserve
• Wilf Mexted Reserve
• Willowbank Reserve
• Woodburn Reserve

History

The Friends of the Tawa Bush Reserves Inc was formed out of an inaugural public meeting on the 27^th February 2002.   Prior to this there existed an interim committee whose initial focus was to preserve the widely acclaimed, botanically unique in the Wellington region, indigenous bush remnant of Larsen Crescent Reserve that was under threat from urban development.   It was recognised that such preservation and conservation could not be sustained in the longer term without increasing the size of the ecology catchment to at least include the Redwood Bush Reserve.   Community input to the founding public meeting further extended the catchment of the friends group to the wider Tawa basin area.

Our plan is to achieve these ideals by:

• active guardianship on matters concerning the indigenous bush reserves of Tawa;
• preserving, restoring and enhancing the essential character and beauty of the indigenous bush reserves of Tawa;
• working in close association with the Council; and by
• ensuring that the indigenous bush reserves of Tawa remain an inspiration for today’s citizens, and for future generations.

Linkage to Council Strategies

The Friends contributes to and works in conjunction with many of the Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington policies and strategies that have impact on the bush and open areas in the Tawa area.   These include the following: –

• Outer Green Belt Management Plan (public submissions were sought October 2003 – published May 2004, reviewed and reissued August 2019)
• Northern Reserves Management Plan – discussion document (public submissions sought late 2004 and March to May 2008, issued August 2008)
• Open Space Access Plan – also known as the City wide Track Plan (public submissions sought January 2004 – published December 2008, reviewed and reissued September 2016))
• Northern Growth Management Plan (first round of public submissions sought May 2002)
• Northern Growth Management Framework (further public consultation August 2003 – final Framework published February 2004)
• Wellington Wet And Wild – Bush And Streams Regeneration Plan 2001-2006 (an operative plan determining input to each Annual Plan during this period)
• Hilltop and Ridges policy (an evolving guiding policy as part of the keeping Wellington beautiful strategy)
• Greater Wellington – 2002-2022 Regional Pest Management Strategy
• Wellington City Pest Management Plan (public submissions sought March 2004 – published June 2004)
• Greater Wellington – 2019-2039 Regional Pest Management Plan