As we celebrate Matariki, this year’s theme, Herenga Waka – the gathering of many canoes, offers a powerful reminder of what communities can achieve when they come together around a shared purpose.

At its heart, Herenga Waka speaks to the idea that progress is not the work of one person, one organisation, or one group alone. Like many waka bound together on a journey, it is achieved through collective effort, shared responsibility, and a common destination.

This is something Upper Hutt is on a journey to embrace. Across our city, people are finding new ways to work together, contribute their talents, and build a stronger community around shared aspirations. While there is still much to do, there is growing recognition that our greatest successes will come when we combine our efforts and move forward with a common purpose.

Across our hāpori, people are working together to restore streams, plant native trees, protect biodiversity, control pests, remove invasive weeds, and care for the forests, rivers and open spaces that make this place special. Community groups, iwi, schools, businesses, landowners, council staff, volunteers and residents are all contributing in different ways. Each effort may seem small on its own, but together they create meaningful and lasting change.

The work of Forest & Bird is founded on exactly this principle. For more than 100 years, the organisation has worked to protect New Zealand’s wildlife and wild places so that both nature and people can thrive for generations to come. Through its network of volunteers and community-led projects, Forest & Bird gives nature a voice while empowering communities to take practical action for the places they love.

Here in Upper Hutt, local Forest & Bird volunteers are helping bring that vision to life. They are restoring the health of Hulls Creek and other waterways, caring for Ecclesfield Reserve, controlling invasive weeds such as Old Man’s Beard, advocating to protect and enhance Silverstream Spur, and leading the Pest Free Upper Hutt initiative with the aspiration of seeing our valleys once again resonate with birdsong and native wildlife.

Yet the true value of this work goes beyond any single project.

Through a te ao Māori lens, we understand that we are connected to te taiao, not separate from it. The principle of kaitiakitanga reminds us that caring for the environment is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is not simply about protecting what exists today; it is about ensuring that future generations inherit healthy forests, thriving waterways, abundant birdlife and a strong connection to the natural world.

Matariki encourages us to look both backwards and forwards. It invites us to honour those who came before us, celebrate what we have today, think carefully about the legacy we leave behind and the decisions we make for those yet to be born.

In conservation, that perspective matters. The trees we plant today may not reach maturity in our lifetimes. The habitats we restore may take decades to flourish. The pest control, advocacy and restoration work happening now may deliver its greatest rewards to our children and grandchildren. Yet that is precisely why it is worth doing.

Conservation is, at its core, an act of optimism.

It is the belief that the efforts we make today can create a better tomorrow.

Imagine an Upper Hutt where native birds are common throughout our neighbourhoods, where our streams run cleaner, where our forests are healthier, and where young people grow up knowing that they have both the opportunity and responsibility to care for the natural world around them. That future is possible, but it will not be delivered by a handful of organisations or volunteers alone.

It requires all of us.

You don’t need to be an expert to make a difference. You can join a planting day, become a backyard trapper, help remove invasive weeds, support a local environmental project, participate in a community working bee, or simply encourage others to connect with nature. Every contribution matters. Every person has something valuable to offer. Every waka strengthens the fleet.

Herenga Waka reminds us that we are strongest when we travel together.

This Matariki, let’s celebrate the many people already working to care for the environment in Upper Hutt and consider what role each of us can play. When we come together with a shared purpose, we not only create healthier ecosystems – we build a stronger, more connected community and leave a legacy that future generations can be proud of.

Barry Wards

Chair, Upper Hutt Forest & Bird

A “thank you” to Barry Wards for sending this letter to The Upper Hutt Connection.

03/07/26