News & Events

The 2026 Planting Day was successfully completed on Sunday 4th October. After weeks of rain the day was hot, sunny, blue sky and windless, also a change from recent years! A group of around 35 people assembled at 10am and we were finished by 1pm. The plants – the usual collection of wind and frost tolerant “first planter species” (such as cabbage trees, Pittosporums, Coprosmas, broadleaf) were collected from the Southland Community Nursery on a very wet Friday morning, put onto trailers by Nursery volunteers and a group placed all the plants on-site on Friday afternoon when it had stopped raining so hard!

Barry Smith and Brian Rance oversee the whole operation and the ground had been prepared earlier with herbicide and combi-guards were on hand to protect the new plants from rabbits and enable spray releasing to be done later. With the scale of the Bushy Point planting project, spraying is a necessary evil, but hand weeding of many other areas is always a popular activity in summer and if you can help with that contact the Enable JavaScript to view protected content.

The plants this year were funded by Trees that Count which funded the main plantings 500 trees, OLG have funded a further 200 red tussocks which were also planted on the day and 100 tall long lived in-fill plants such as kahikatea, pokaka, totara, matai and rata have been funded by OLG to be planted by other groups such as schools this year.

After planting, people walked either through Bushy Point back to Rances Education Centre for a bbq or collected their cars and drove round to Grant Road. Ray and Nicky were waiting with bbq delights and drinks – very welcome. Thanks to Dani from DOC for organising the bbq food.

Thanks to Barry for the bulk of the organising, OLG Committee members and all the volunteers from the Nursery and OLG for another successful planting day. Barry will have exact stats on just how many plants we have put into the ground at Bushy Point but it will now be over 38,000 plants!

If anyone has photos to add please send. I know Deidre had a time lapse of the planting which looks great, we will publish it sometime soon.

Chris Rance

Bushy Point Planting Day 2026 - Sunday 4 October 2026

Meet Bryson Road 9.45 am for Parking and Briefing

Start Planting at 10am

Following the planting a BBQ will be held at Rances Education Centre from noon (walk through from Bushy Point, transport back to cars)

Bring your own spade, gloves, wet weather gear, snacks and drinks

That was the theme of the guided walk held on 15 August 2026 as a nationwide day of opposition to the Conservation Amendment Bill.

The walk was led by OLG’s Brian Rance and was joined by a good number of people concerned about this bill which elevates “economics” above “conservation” in the Conservation Act.

There were good discussions on the hill overlooking the estuary about the various aspects of this bill and people also enjoyed the walk through the public conservation land at Bushy Point and its 25 years of native plantings. A picnic was held at Barrys Pond

For more information read – “New Zealand’s Conservation Jewels are not for sale” – by Southland’s Robin McNeill and Allan Brent Federated Mountain Clubs

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-press/20260629/281702621439771?srsltid=AfmBOoppjj-21c1WTQKlRfxLCDN9gialSDJDNUVPY6PLZ4DFpL5dLVqU

Come and join us on Sunday 4th October 2026 for the next big planting day at Bushy Point.

Chris

Otatara Landcare Group

Bushy Point guided walk with Botanist Brian Rance is part of the Nationwide Day of Action against the present Government’s Conservation Amendment Bill. The OLG submitted against this Bill.

Bushy Point, as Conservation land without a status, is exactly the sort of land the Government could sell off under this proposed Bill. The Otatara Landcare Group and community have been planting and controlling pests on this Public Conservation Land for over 25 years. Join us to celebrate the progress that has been made and oppose the Bill that will elevate “Economic Interest” above “Conservation” in the Conservation Act!

For more information read – “New Zealands Conservation Jewels are not for sale” – by Southland’s Robin McNeill and Allan Brent Federated Mountain Clubs

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-press/20260629/281702621439771?srsltid=AfmBOoppjj-21c1WTQKlRfxLCDN9gialSDJDNUVPY6PLZ4DFpL5dLVqU

Come and support this work at Bushy Point, enjoy a walk and express your concern at the Conservation Amendment Bill

If you havent been to Bushy Point recently below are a few “before” and “after” photos of the site!

Meet at Bryson Road entrance to Bushy Point at Noon on Saturday 15th August 2026 (bring your lunch). The walk will take about an hour.

Business

1. Receive apologies
2. Confirm the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held 20 May 2025
3. Consider any matters arising from the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
4. Presentation of the annual report on the operations and affairs of the Otatara Landcare Group for the year ended 31 March 2026 and the adoption of that report
5. Adopt the Committee’s report on the finances of the Otatara Landcare Group and the annual financial statements
6. Confirm the financial signatories of the Otatara Landcare Group
7. Elect Officers to the committee
8. Appoint an honorary solicitor and honorary auditor
9. Set any subscriptions for the current financial year
10. Consider any motions of which prior written notice has been given to members with the notice of meeting
11. Consider any general business

Talk by Lloyd Esler - “Otatara Stories”

N Carter

Secretary

1 July 2026

Previous Minutes 2025 AGM (PDF, 211.16 kB)

Financial Statement (PDF, 1.19 MB)