Matuku Link

Closing the gap – Linking untouched kauri forest, a river valley, wetlands and the sea.
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December 2023
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Latest News

Santa’s elves

Santa isn't the only one who has helpers! We have many... last week we had our first volunteer sewing session to make beautiful, sustainable, cutlery bags from donated pieces of fabric, filled with recycled cutlery - a fork, spoon, knife and straw ready for your next...

Matuku moana

Many of our volunteers are not just "ours" - they volunteer at other projects as well - Mototapu, Oakley Creek, Orangihina, Ark in the Park - to name just a few! And some volunteer at Birdcare Aotearoa, which is the only place in Auckland where you can drop off an...

What a pARTy!

Our 2023 anniversary party turned into a three-day pARTy, thanks to Derek March's 'takeover' of our barn and education center as part of the Waitakere Open Studios. Professional artist and conservationist Derek March has been a volunteer with Waitakere Rivercare,...

Search and rescue Sundays

It's weeding season again! We'd love you to join us at 111 Bethells Road to care for the trees we all planted earlier. We call this "Search & Rescue": search for the white tipped bamboo stick and rescue the plant by cutting away all the weeds that are threatening...

PR for pūweto

Ever seen a pūweto, a spotless crake? Possibly not... but you can, soon, albeit digitally. Matuku Link will be featuring in the next episode of Wild Heroes, the Auckland Zoo series on the work their staff do outside the zoo. Zoo staff have been helping Matuku Link...

Open Studio

The wetland restoration project Matuku Link was an out door studio for professional artist and Matuku Link volunteer Derek March for five months. From February to June 2023 he designed, then painted a mural on a 35 meter long fence separating the wetland education...

Winter planting days

It's planting season again! We'd love you to join us at 111 Bethells Road to plant some new trees and care for the ones we've planted earlier. With the wettest summer and autumn on record, we do recommend gumboots - a bit of splashing around in the mud makes it even...

Education and inspiration

Of course our main aims at Matuku Link are protection of all our native flora and fauna, through best practice pest control (thank you trappers, baiters, weeders and sprayers!) and restoration of our wetland with our eco-sourced plants grown in our nursery (thank you...

The Tuesday Team

If you've got some time on Tuesday mornings, are interested in helping out and love good company and home baking, join our Tuesday Team! What started with a couple of people looking after the plants in our on-site nursery has evolved into several different activities...

Kayak Adventure

Every year the VIP Kayak Day is different, we've had super hot summer days when most guest went for a voluntary dip in the clear Waitakere river, a chilly day in October, postponed by covid from March, and this year a post-cyclone silted river adventure. Three out of...

Support our work

Hands-on volunteering

Our regular working bees are every Third Sunday of the month and every Tuesday morning. Depending on the weather, tasks will be around weeding, planting, growing plants in the nursery, doing predator control or building work. More info here. 

Please contact Annalily on matukulink@gmail.com with questions, or if you’d like to join us and it’s your first time out to Matuku Link. We’d love to welcome you here!

Helping out in other ways

Nothing is possible without our valued funders, donors and supporters. Matuku Reserve Trust is a charitable trust so any donation over $5 is tax deductible. Please consider becoming a supporter, more info here.

Thank you to our many generous sponsors and individuals who have helped us with in-kind or financial contributions! 

Current Campaigns

Bridge Opening by Minister

Auckland’s first accessible wetland - the doctor, the duck and the walkway Minister of Conservation and Disability Issues Poto Williams is perfectly placed to be opening the first accessible wetland boardwalk in Auckland’s largest wetland, built by Jobs4Nature, on...

Fundraising Film

Has it been six years already? Yes it has! Four trustees bought Matuku Link in November 2016 and we've been fundraising ever since... this time we hope to welcome you at our Fundraising Film Night - the incredible documentary on New Zealand wetlands "Rohe Kōreporepo -...

From the blog

Santa’s elves

Santa’s elves

Santa isn't the only one who has helpers! We have many... last week we had our first volunteer sewing session to make beautiful, sustainable, cutlery bags from donated pieces of fabric, filled with recycled cutlery - a fork, spoon, knife and straw ready for your next...

read more
Matuku moana

Matuku moana

Many of our volunteers are not just "ours" - they volunteer at other projects as well - Mototapu, Oakley Creek, Orangihina, Ark in the Park - to name just a few! And some volunteer at Birdcare Aotearoa, which is the only place in Auckland where you can drop off an...

read more
What a pARTy!

What a pARTy!

Our 2023 anniversary party turned into a three-day pARTy, thanks to Derek March's 'takeover' of our barn and education center as part of the Waitakere Open Studios. Professional artist and conservationist Derek March has been a volunteer with Waitakere Rivercare,...

read more

Partners

The success of Matuku Link would not be possible without the support of people, businesses and organisations who have given generously of time, money and materials.

Alsco, Auckland Airport Staff Giving, Deloittes, Hybrid Residential, Lion/Speights,  Medical Assurance Society, Paradigm Associates, PlaceMakers Cook Street, Ricoh, Resene Paints, WashTech, CairnsSlane, FultonHogan, The Royal College of General Practitioners, Auckland University Event Services, Babich Wines, Wineries Out West and many private philanthropists who have been incredibly generous.

And all groups and individuals who donated their time by helping us out with weeding, planting, potting up plants, building, painting, cooking and everything else!

Auckland Council

The RENH fund supported the materials for our sheds and barn, and the current Community Coordinator Fund will support our part-time educator.

Sustainable Business Network

The Covid Relief fund Jobs4Nature provides SBN with the funds for several organisations to employ people in their “Partnering2Plant” programme. With this funding, we have been able to provide jobs for 9 different since October 2020 over 3 fte’s.

Keep Kauri Standing

To protect our kauri we received funding for boot cleaning stations and education: signage and educator time.

Department of Conservation

In October 2020 we were able to pay our first project manager, supported by the DOC Community Fund, part time for one year. This enabled us to do even more work with even more volunteers!

Mazda Foundation

The irrigation system at the nursery is now running on solar power, and we’re now the proud owners of two FoxPros to monitor our wetland birds by playback – thanks to two grants from the Mazda Foundation.

Million Metres Project

We’ve run three very successful campaigns with Million Metres (part of SBN) to raise funds for our plants to revegetate the Matuku Link wetland.

Perpetual Guradian

This grant will help us improve protection in the wetland with more traps and see how we are doing with more monitoring.

Waitakere Ranges Local Board

Every year our local board grants us funding for parts of our project: potting mix for the nursery, some materials for our education centre, traps or educational materials.

Million Dollar Mission

Just after buying the property, the opportunity came up to fundraise to restore our old, well ventilated barn into a wetland education centre: every vote gave us $5 towards our aim, which in total raised an amazing $85,000!

Native Forest Restoration Trust

This charity made the initial acquisition of the land possible with an incredible $450,000 donation.

Nature Heritage Fund

This DOC fund donated $300,000 towards buying the land in 2016

Forest and Bird Waitakere

The local branch of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society gave a donation towards buying the land and a number of long term Forest & Bird members are trustees and volunteers.

Waitakere Ranges Protection Society

WRPS has contributed from their own funds towards the acquisition of the land to by Matuku Link.

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is an American nonprofit organization 501 dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. 

Auckland Zoo

Contributing staff time and expertise, from monitoring to drone surveys as well as funding towards predator control, Auckland Zoo is a valuable partner in our project.

World Wildlife Fund

When we were just setting up our nursery, WWF helped us to pay for the tank to supply our irrigation system.

The Trust Community Foundation

Our barn got a large upgrade with a new roof and a sustainable, high quality wastewater treatment system through generous funding from TTCF.

Contact us:

Secretary Annalily van den Broeke

021-2207136 or email us at hello@matukulink.org.nz

Physical address:

111 Bethells Road, Te Henga, Auckland

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