Author: Wendy

Back to profiling our working group members – meet Wendy Sullivan, our Project coordinator. Wendy is passionate about connecting people, sharing knowledge and finding practical ways to make environmental restoration part of everyday life. 

What inspired you to become involved in the Wairau Nature Network?

I love that the Network is focused on collaboration across the landscape rather than working in isolation. Unfortunately, because of the funding environment, I sometimes sense a competitiveness between conservation efforts – people can end up competing for the same limited resources! The Network breaks those down – your neighbour’s win is everybody’s win.

What’s the biggest environmental challenge you think the Wairau catchment faces right now?

Climate change will have the biggest impact. We’re already seeing more extreme weather events, but the speed of climate change is just as concerning. Ecosystems have evolved to respond to gradual change, and the pace we’re seeing may be too fast for many species and ecosystems to adapt. The global scale of the problem can also feel overwhelming, leaving people feeling there’s nothing they can do. But if we can be world champions in rugby, why can’t we aim to be world leaders in climate mitigation?

Can you share a project or achievement from the network that you are most proud of?

Seeing it grow from an idea, to a project with over 200 supporters, hosting two impactful websites (Wairau Information Hub | Tamata and Wairau EcoMap | Haumi ) …. and eaves dropping people connecting and collaborating over a spade!

How do you see the role of community partnerships in restoring and protecting local ecosystems?

I think they’re absolutely fundamental. No single organisation owns or can solve the environmental challenges of a whole catchment. Landowners, iwi, community groups, schools, businesses, councils, agencies and volunteers all bring different knowledge, resources and connections.

The Network is really about making those connections stronger, bringing the right people together, sharing knowledge or helping someone get a project started. When people feel that they’re part of something bigger, I think you get much more lasting change.

What is your personal connection to the Wairau area – what makes it so special to you?

I love its vastness! Standing on a mountain overlooking majestic ranges, rolling high country and patchwork plains. There is an enormous opportunity to bring more native vegetation and biodiversity back into the landscape, and I find it really motivating to be part of that.

We are very lucky to have Xander on our working group, and he brings not only his enthusiasm (obsession?) for plants but his energy and drive to the team. Meet Xander:

What inspired you to become involved in the Wairau Nature Network?
The Wairau is the artery of Marlborough, this unique and amazing place we all get to call home. Its health reflects the health of everything around it: the land, the people, the birds and the bees. I wanted to be part of something that sees the catchment as a whole living system, not just a series of isolated problems to fix.

What’s the biggest environmental challenge you think the Wairau catchment faces right now?
The hardest challenge is one of imagination. We tend to see land as parcels; yours, mine, the council’s, DOC’s. But a catchment doesn’t work that way. Water doesn’t stop at a fence line. Native birds don’t read property titles. The biggest challenge is shifting from a title-by-title mindset to a landscape-scale one. It’s as much about people and relationships as it is about ecology.

Can you share a project or achievement from the network that you are most proud of?
As the native plant manager for Trees for Marlborough, I’m a bit biased! Growing locally sourced native plants which were then planted locally by locals (and the Selmes volunteers) was a real highlight for me.

How do you see the role of community partnerships in restoring and protecting local ecosystems?
One landowner planting a few hundred natives is great. A network of landowners, a community nursery, and council working together across a whole catchment – that’s landscape-scale restoration! Partnerships let us share knowledge, share costs, and avoid duplicating effort. None of us has the resources to do this alone. Together, we actually have a chance.

What is your personal connection to the Wairau area – what makes it so special to you?
I arrived here by chance almost four years ago. Pretty much stumbled into the Wairau without any prior thought other than a simple job offer. But there’s something special about this place that I just can’t put my finger on. Maybe it’s because it’s the longest continuously inhabited settlement in the country. Or maybe it’s just the sheer overwhelming beauty of this place. I don’t know what it is, but I’m drawn to it, and I don’t intend to leave.

The past few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for the Wairau Nature Network.

It began with an incredible high. Over two community planting days, 240 volunteers came together to establish 1,100 native trees at our new Thomsons Ford Reserve demonstration site. The energy, enthusiasm and generosity of everyone involved was inspiring, and together we created the beginnings of what will become a thriving example of community-led ecological restoration.

Just three weeks later, disaster struck.

A one-in-15-year flood tore through the reserve, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Seeing the site devastated after so much hard work and aroha was heartbreaking. I have to admit, I cried when I first saw the damage.

But as we looked more closely, there was hope. Although every single plant guard had been swept downstream, around 800 of the trees had survived. Many had lost the soil around their roots and were buried beneath flood debris, but they were still there.

We put out a call for help, and once again our community stepped up. Eighteen dedicated volunteers joined us over two working bees to rescue and re-establish the planting. We also received incredible support from Advance Landscape Systems, who generously supplied replacement guards and weed mats at a heavily discounted price. To top it off, we managed to recover a couple of hundred of the original mats and stakes that had become tangled in downstream fences.

Restoration is never easy. Nature constantly reminds us that there are no guarantees, and climate-driven extreme weather events are making the work even more challenging. Yet these moments also reveal something just as powerful—the resilience of both nature and our community.

The flood may have knocked us back, but it hasn’t changed our commitment. If anything, it has strengthened it. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has rolled up their sleeves to help restore the site, and we look forward to watching these trees continue to grow for years to come.

Giving up has never been an option. Together, we’ll keep restoring, learning and building a more resilient landscape.

Another powerhouse of our working group is Nic Dann. Nic can always be relied on to make things happen and tends to shy away from the spotlight – but not this time, Nic!

What inspired you to become involved in the Wairau Nature Network?

Having a passion for the continuous enhancement of our natural environment led me to Wairau Nature Network. I love the idea of providing habitat for our song birds and the loveable Kereru across the Wairau plain.

What’s the biggest environmental challenge you think the Wairau catchment faces right now?

With so few areas of land available to create native trees, we need a community response to fulfil the vision of hearing and seeing our native birds, invertebrates, lizards on the Wither Hills and beyond into South Marlborough. I’m optimistic that we can all do a little, and often to achieve this lofty goal.

Can you share a project or achievement from the network that you are most proud of?

The Wairau Nature Network has been extremely collaborative with the Marlborough community, and I’ve been so excited to see a huge diversity of people wanting to lend a hand and support projects. I’m most grateful for businesses, vineyards, small landowners and the Council for looking at spare corners of land and committing to creating biodiversity.

What is your personal connection to the Wairau area – what makes it so special to you?

I’ve lived in Marlborough for close to thirty years, and love the landscape, love the outdoor opportunities, and love the people that make this region so special. 

Our second Junior Landcare planting day, delivered in partnership with Wairau Nature Network, brought together 120 students from Wairau Valley, Springlands and Rapaura Schools.

As well as planting more than 500 native trees, the tamariki enthusiastically took part in a Crazy Yoga session led by Pilates instructor and physiotherapist Miranda Vriend. While the Junior Landcare programme is about creating lasting environmental benefits through planting, it’s also about giving young people tools to support their body, mind and wellbeing, and making nature restoration fun. Miranda’s Crazy Yoga certainly delivered on that front, and it was great to see plenty of adults joining in too!

It was also wonderful to have the Trees for Marlborough team alongside the tamariki on the day. The plants had been lovingly grown by the team, so it was especially rewarding for them to see the process come full circle, from seed to planting in the ground.

Huge thanks to NZ Landcare Trust’s Junior Landcare sponsors Bupa Foundation, for enabling this legacy planting to happen.

Our first community planting day was a huge success, with an incredible turnout of around 100 people!

Alongside the familiar faces who regularly support our projects, we were delighted to welcome a strong contingent from the Chinese migrant community, students from Marlborough Boys’ College, a group of dads from the local playgroup, and many families and individuals eager to get involved. It was fantastic to see experienced and first-time planters working side by side, sharing knowledge and enjoying great conversations throughout the day.

The planting marked the beginning of our demonstration site at Thomsons Ford Reserve, where we will trial and showcase a range of restoration techniques. This first planting established a “green firebreak“, a mix of low-flammability species designed to slow wildfire.

A huge thank you to the Bupa Foundation and NZ Landcare Trust for co-hosting this event as part of the Junior Landcare Programme, and to the Blenheim Lions Club for keeping everyone well fed with a delicious BBQ.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who came along and contributed to such a positive start. We look forward to seeing this site grow and develop in the years ahead.