Image credit: Imogen Warren Photography.
Our story
In November 2016 the Matuku Reserve Trust was able to buy 37 hectares of bush and wetland, naming it “Matuku Link”, after an intensive fundraising campaign. Buying it ensured the safety of the wildlife and forms a vital connection by linking neighbouring eco-restoration projects Ark in the Park; Habitat te Henga and the Forest & Bird reserve Matuku. Over 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands have been drained or filled, yet on Auckland’s doorstep is Te Henga wetland, the largest wetland in the region.
Matuku Link, at the head of the Te Henga wetland, consists of river flats at the foot of a large native forest block in Auckland’s Waitakere River valley. It is a home to rare wetland species such as our namesake matuku (Australasian bittern), puweto (spotless crake), pateke (brown teal), freshwater fish species and native bats foraging along the river forest edge. The kauri and broadleaf forest is home to many bush birds like kereru, fantail, tui, ruru, and tomtits.
Regular volunteer days have resulted in many thousands of trees, sedges, & reeds being planted to restore the alluvial flats to a range of wetland habitats. These plants are eco-sourced and grown in our own nursery tended by volunteers.
Ponds have been created with interconnecting boardwalks and trails made accessible for people of all abilities while the old barn has been transformed into a sustainable Wetland Education Centre and volunteer meeting place. More info about us here.
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.
We are also looking for more volunteers who are interested in helping with our school education days and school holiday programme days – these are always a fun time and a great chance to learn and share knowledge with the next generation.
Please contact Annalily using the form below 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!
Contact us 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!
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...
Seeds away!
Seeds away! One of our nursery volunteers loves to grow plants and was wondering how to regrow the native plants and trees on the many slips in the Waitakere River valley. Usually those barren sites get colonized by weeds before the native trees can take hold....
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...
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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