A fundraising campaign currently underway is helping WAI Wanaka meet its ambitious riparian planting goal and community donations could make it eligible for an $8,000 bonus.

Under its Wanaka Water Project (WWP), WAI aims to plant 24,000 plants over a five-year period and, now in its fourth year, it has fewer than 8,000 plants to go.

WWP is hoping for the community’s support to help it win a online fundraising campaign which would help fund its planning programme for spring, adding 3,500 plants and further benefiting the local environment. 

“Riparian planting [planting next to waterways] is designed to act as a filter to the pollutants coming off the land, whether that’s farms, private land or urban areas,” WWP project manager Matt Shepherd told the Wanaka App. 

As well as reducing erosion and runoff and improving water quality, riparian planting helps to create a healthy ecosystem which allows aquatic insects and fish to thrive, Matt said.

The group hopes the community will get behind an online fundraiser that could provide it with an additional $8,000 in funding.

In the fundraising campaign, initiated by Million Metres Streams Project, 12 projects around the country are competing to receive the most donations (measured by number, not value) by closing day on Saturday to secure the additional $8,000 being donated by the Body Shop.

A mystery donor is also matching all WWP contributions up to $10,000, which means donations will go twice as far, Matt said.

“Thus far we are 14 donations in the lead - we are tracking well,” Matt said on Tuesday (July 27), adding that he hoped to keep the momentum up.

To make a donation and help WWP secure its lead for the $8,000 bonus, click here. Donations can be as little as one dollar.

WWP’s riparian planting programme is just one of a range of projects which WAI (which stands for Water Action Initiative) is undertaking to help safeguard and improve the quality of the water in and around the broader Upper Clutha catchment.

Its planting programme is undertaken in partnership with Te Kākano and the planting is done by a combination of people from WAI Wanaka, Matukituki Nursery and community members.

Matt thanked all the people who had helped with the 16,000+ plants already planted, either via donations or by taking part in planting sessions. 

PHOTOS: Dion Andrews