Deep within this unassuming suburbia flows Te Ara-rata Creek. It has garnered quite a bit of attention recently. Known before as Rata Creek, it flows with history. Once a sad, rubbish-filled drain, Rata Creek has transformed. It is now a cleaner stream edged with native plantings.
Back in 2004, Julia Tu’ineau saw the potential of Rata Creek. She wanted to use her Environmental Science degree locally. Rata Creek was the ideal project because some properties along the stream were flooding. Julia convinced residents that planting the banks would reduce flooding, and it worked. Funding followed and the Stream Team was born.
The Stream Team began planting native sedges. As the banks stabilized, they progressed to harakeke and manuka. In 2017 and 2018, Wai Care provided enough plants for a solid chunk of bush. Pūriri, kahikatea, rewarewa, and taraire were planted, canopy trees to bring more birds. Now, ducks, shags, and herons are often seen here at Rata Creek. Tuna and eels are common. Inanga or whitebait lay eggs among the sedges every autumn.
Then in 2019, an endangered giant kōkopu or native trout was discovered. This unexpected proof that the Rata Creek could sustain this secretive fish amazed environmentalists. It fired the team with new enthusiasm.
Pragna Patel volunteers with the Stream Team. With a teaching background, she helps schools fulfill their native ecology curriculum. Streams provide opportunities to study various subjects. The Te Ara-rata Creek regeneration has proven valuable. Students cover biology through plant identification, fish migrations, and food webs. They plant shrubs and trees. They measure their growth, take water samples, and trap pests. Maths and engineering are covered too. Changes in water quality and growth of bush diversity are logged using digital systems.
Spending time in green spaces has health benefits too. Shinrin-yoku, a Japanese concept translating to forest bathing, counters depression and anxiety. It boosts immunity, aids sleep, and lowers blood pressure.
Kāinga Ora has been open to conversations around the future of Rata Creek. They are concerned for the mauri or life force of the stream. They have been able to have some input into stormwater design. For James Fisher, the Te Ara-rata Creek regeneration represents an opportunity. Instead of traditional solid concrete outfalls, they have constructed rock beds planted with native wetland species. This stops erosion and creates more natural places for fish to spawn in Rata Creek. Obstacles like rocks and logs slow the water flow. They create safe habitats where fish can hide and breed.
Along with educational opportunities, there are some big cultural concepts here. Rangatahi, young people, need to realize how very unique the New Zealand environment is. Te Ara-rata Creek is a wonderful place to do that.
The creek has now officially reverted to its historical name, Te Ara-rata. Te Kete Rukuruku is a cultural identity programme all about collecting and telling the unique Māori kōrero or stories of Tāmaki Makaurau. The naming component restores Māori names.
Te Ara-rata means the preferred route. The harbor inlet was a favourite mooring point for waka and their crews. They came for seasonal gathering of tuna, inanga, and water birds. The area south of Te Pane o Mata-oho was one of the largest wetlands. It provided a rich source of food for the mana whenua. Imagine waka being paddled up the inlet and loaded up with kai provided by hunter-gatherers.
The names for the park and the creek were provided by local iwi, Te Ākitai Waiohua. The Te Kete Rukuruku programme represents much more than the return of names. It is about the return of a unique sense of identity.
Julia Tu’ineau and the Stream Team have plenty of ideas for the future of Rata Creek. They would like to set up workshops in rongoā, Māori medicine. They want to teach native plant seed collection and propagation. They want to build community gardens and art installations. They also want to build a māra hūpara, a traditional Māori playground. They would really love to create a platform for an outdoor classroom beside the stream.
Te Ara-rata is the source of ongoing connections. It connects the community to the water and land.