Over the years, you may have seen some of the stories we’ve done on the awesome-ness of our volunteers and their impact at the wetlands. And let’s again celebrate and uplift the mahi of volunteers in helping to create and maintain the unique ecosystem and regeneration of the Bullock Creek wetlands.

Importance of volunteering

Volunteering roles are as diverse as the motivations behind volunteering and the benefits that volunteers experience as a direct result of their mahi. According to Volunteering New Zealand[1] volunteers are motivated by factors as varied as social connection, ‘giving back’ to their communities, and seeking to make social connections. As to the benefits that volunteers gain as a result of their volunteering, people talk about a sense of purpose, personal development, the development of friendships, and learning new skills and gaining knowledge[2]. All of this and more can be said to be true of the volunteers we have, and have had, working at Bullock Creek over the years. Not to mention the tangible effects of wetland restoration at Bullock Creek, where a whopping 7,950+ volunteer hours and 10,578 plants have been clocked and planted…WOW! And what does that mean for the environment and its people? Land and water habitat for wetlands species in perpetuity, increased biodiversity, clean water, the cultural significance of taonga species found within the wetlands for Māori, and the development and maintenance of the wetlands as a public amenity[3].

Who are our volunteers at Bullock Creek?

Long-term locals; newer arrivals to town; those passing through as they travel Aotearoa, some of whom may end up staying for a few weeks or months and like to get involved and give back to the community; and everyone in between. Our volunteer base is diverse and everyone brings something unique to their volunteer role, and in turn, gets something out of volunteering, whether that be socialisation, a sense of purpose and meaningful action for the environment, or perhaps being outdoors in the fresh air, getting their hands dirty in the name of ecosystem restoration.

What do our volunteers do?

• Planting of native species

• Cardboard layering to suppress weeds around native plantings

• Mulching

• Weeding

• Releasing plant guards as plants grow

• Stripping cardboard of plastic to ready cardboard for layering

• Lots of wheelbarrow-ing, tool wielding, digging, chopping, and ripping fun!

• Oh, and of course, enjoying morning tea after all the mahi!!!

We say THANK YOU, to all of our current and past volunteers, for all your mahi; you are recognised and respected.

Volunteering opportunities

FOBC are just one of many local organisations and agencies working for environmental restoration. Check out some of our partners with volunteer options available for more environmental volunteering opportunities in Wānaka: Te Kākano, WAI Wānaka, and Predator Free Wānaka (formerly Predator Free Wānaka).

Stay tuned for more volunteer news and profiles over the coming months. If you want to get involved in volunteering, come along to our Thursday sessions, currently running 9am-11am. Contact us on Facebook, Instagram or email info@fobc.kiwi for more information.

[1] Volunteering New Zealand. (2024). State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2024. Wellington: Volunteering New Zealand.

[2] Volunteering New Zealand. (2024). State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2024. Wellington: Volunteering New Zealand.

[3] Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Why wetlands are important. https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/habitats/wetlands/why-wetlands-are-important/

What a successful day we had for World Wetlands Day on Sunday 2nd February 2025; we’re still on a high!

The sun was out, the birds were singing, the fish were swimming down the creek and we had at least 300 visitors pass through Bullock Creek! Many visitors took the opportunity to engage with the interactive displays and demonstrations, learning about the Bullock Creek ecosystem and the importance of wetlands and waterways and their conservation, to human and animal health. Demonstrations included fish displays, catching and viewing freshwater macroinvertebrates, learning about reducing the spread of didymo, meeting rabbit-catching ferrets doing their bit for predator control, learning about bees, wandering along the boardwalk to discover the native species plantings, getting to know a bit more about Wānaka history, and much, much more.

Visitors enjoyed a free community BBQ on the lawn and took the opportunity to chat with friends, new and old, and even engage in some fishing line casting fun! Some visitors were neighbours who walk along the boardwalk track daily; some were locals who haven’t visited for awhile and were awestruck by the changes made in ecosystem restoration and invasive species management; one couple who met each other at Bullock Creek decades ago came back to visit together; while others visited from out of town, keen to learn more about the gem that is Bullock Creek. Such beautiful stories of connection and of the social and ecological benefits that Bullock Creek provides for us all.

Thank you to everyone involved, funders and partners alike: Otago Fish & Game Council, Otago Catchment Community Inc and Nicole Sutton, Te Kākano, Predator Free Wānaka (formally Wānaka Backyard Trapping), Otago Regional Council, WAI Wānaka, Tiaki Bees, Wānaka History, QEII Trust, and Corrections NZ.

SAVE THE DATE!

A fun day for all the family to explore the unique Wanaka urban wetland on World Wetland Day 2025 - hosted by Otago Fish and Game and Friends of Bullock Creek. Bring your picnic & rug and enjoy a FREE BBQ. There will be lots to see and do in the Bullock Creek Wetlands :

• see how Fish & Game find fish in Bullock Creek and practice casting with a fun fishing game,

• discover the tiny creatures that live in Bullock Creek with Wai Wanaka and Otago Regional Council,

• learn more about the NZ native plants being restored to the Wetlands with Te Kakano,

• view the fascinating world of bees with Tiaki Bees, Wanaka,

• meet the team from Wanaka Backyard Trapping and learn how to protect our native birds and lizards, and

• have a chat with representatives from the QEII Trust and Otago Catchment Communities.

Volunteers excited for the plant delivery from Te Kakano

Here at Friend of Bullock Creek, we understand that we couldn’t accomplish what we do without the generous help and support from the Wanaka Community at large. We always enjoy and greatly appreciate any opportunity to collaborate and work with any friends. Work at Bullock Creek has managed to unite a community and heal an ecosystem.

Recently, we recieved a generous delivery of plants from Te Kakano, another amazing local organization. They too rely on generous volunteer time. This fabulous collaboration will lead to native species: Kanuka, Kahikatea & Olearia hectorii - getting to grow up right at Bullock Creek. Here’s the instagram and facebook posts about it!

Olearia hectorii in particular is a very important inclusion! This native - also known as Deciduous Tree Daisy, is nationally endagered. Many Olearia are simply nearing the end of thier life and there are not enough young plants growing to replace them. Meanwhile sprouting plants struggle to establish themselves and are often outcompeted.

Getting to put a few Olearia Hectorii in the ground was valuable to say the least. Existing Olearia are important members of the ecosystem, offering homes to many bugs and other forms of life! At Bullock Creek these youngsters will have plenty of opportunity to grow strong and healthy - and will always have friends in those who spend time there.

To learn more about Oleria Hectorii - DOC does a great job at profiling this awesome plant in a video. And if you want an even deeper dive - check out this article when Olearia was plant of the month!

It is always a pleasure to work with Te Kakano to help an ecosystem out… I wonder what team up will be next…? If you’d like to get involved with either Te Kakano or FOBC - don’t hesitate!

Olearia Hectorii & its yellow flowers. Image from New Zealand Plant Conservation Network.

Captured during the joint stream assessment - volunteers are listening closely and eager to help!

Usually, our Thursday Working Bees are filled with lots of weeding, mulching, and tough labor! One Thursday the volunteers had a chance to take a break from the work to help out WAI & Otago Fish and Game with a Stream Assessment!

This joint stream assessment at Bullock Creek consisted of a few activities. Water Quality was tested through measuring the pH, turbidity, and nitrogen levels of the water. Also, some creature samples were found in the lake, which helps determine how healthy Bullock Creek is! This time around, baby brown & rainbow trout were found! Additionally, we determine some other creek health parameters including: plant types, sediment types, amount of rubbish, and more. Measuring and recording findings is extremely important so this knowledge is accessible.

WAI does a fantastic job at including citizens in thier science initiatives, and we were lucky to work with them and Otago Fish and Game to make this assessment happen. If you want to learn more about WAI’s “Get Your Feet Wet” project - visit their website! This project is the epitome of citizen science, and contributes to keeping our community informed, and most importantly, keeping our waterways clean! Check out WAI’s Event Calendar if you are interested in volunteering at an upcoming event.

Baby Trout found during stream assessment! Can you tell the difference between the Brown and Rainbow Trout?

Another Baby Trout… Which is which? Rainbow or Brown!?

In addition to the bigger hut that is utilized for FOBC operations, now we have another little storage shed at the Wetlands! A huge Thank You to Roger Gardiner, Corrections Community Service workers, as well as the amiable permission of Otago Fish and Game Council. Lucky us! This little shed's purpose is to be used for storage with the plan to do some renovations on the bigger hut. Folks with FOBC are beyond grateful for this asset. Stay tuned for exciting updates!

FOBC’s newest addition - a little storage shed.

Our trusty bigger hut that will be renovated.

Some of you may have noticed the survey pegs on the old Fish & Game Hatchery Site on Stone St… As many of you know this site and also the adjacent Wetland site on which FOBC is carrying out our restoration project, is owned by the Otago Fish & Game Council (OFG).

Previously, OFG had proposed to do a 9 lot subdivision of the Hatchery Site.  This has now changed and instead OFG has done a boundary realignment for the Hatchery site.

Effectively this will mean that at some time in the near future, the old staff quarters hut will be removed and the land bounding Stone St (now Lot 1) will be offered for sale.   In the medium term this will not affect the larger remaining land on which the old Hatchery, Open Bay and the FOBC sheds and nursery are located.

FOBC is working closely with OFG, who have indicated their intention to keep FOBC informed of all changes occurring on the site as we go forward.   

Of note, OFG has also achieved a settlement with QLDC regarding the overflow of stormwater from the Alpha Series development and OFG will be able to release more details about the practical implications of this settlement hopefully in the near future.

FOBC is making BioChar! We have been busy clearing out some pesky tree species, and the resulting woodwaste from the work left us with the foundation to make Biochar.

What is Biochar you might wonder? Using a method called “Pyrolysis,” wood is cooked in an environment free of oxygen. This techinque can turn waste-wood into a type of beneficial charcoal!

Biochar is helpful for many reasons! Here at Bullock Creek, it allows us to minimize our waste stream, reduce our carbon footprint, and recycle nutrients back into the wetland’s soil. Neat!

You can pay a visit to the FOBC Biochar experiment by taking a short trek to the upper fork of the Bullock Creek Boardwalk.

We were inspired to try this new strategy out thanks to Dr. Compost and recieved some information from this handy article. Check them out if you want to learn more about BioChar!

A very happy team enjoying very tasty treats following a fun work day at Bullock Creek.

Incase you haven't heard... it's about the baking! The mahi we do in Bullock Creek Wetland is important and provides a huge source of joy to accomplish. Truly though, nothing beats a tasty treat at the end of a hard days work. Without help from volunteers, we would not have been able to transfrom Bullock Creek into the space we know and love. So, we like to show our love and appreciation towards our wonderful volunteers by offerring some goodies on occasion.

It's a toss up amongst the team whether Carrot Cake or Lumberjack ranks the favorite. In any case, either sweet snack never fails to hit the spot! Of course we will share the recipes for both treats. If you want to join the team of awesome people who lend a hand in the wetland (or have a recipe that needs taste tasting) - please join! Our team meets Thursdays 2-4PM at the Bullock Creek Wetland. Want more information? You've come to the right place! Call Andy 021 107 5520 or Paul 021 056 9146

Untamed Blackberry bush takes over fence.

As the FOBC hard working band of volunteers continue the restoration of the Wetlands at Bullock Creek there is one very nasty exotic weed that tries very hard to halt our progress - the Blackberry!

One issue is Blackberry bushes are so difficult to eradicate! The pesky plant has a never-ending root system that is very labor intensive to entirely dig out. Not to mention, blackberry roots are able to re-sprout themselves after being broken & can start a new plant!

Apart from being tough to control, Blackberries outcompete the native species. The bush is filled with thickets and are beastly burdens to other plants & animals (including us humans)! They also restrict waterways, like Bullock Creek.

Attempts to effectively mitigate the impacts of blackberries are tricky - but there are a few solutions! Manual removal can be effective when digging or tilling is completed correctly and consistently! It has also been suggested that allowing livestock to graze infested areas might help improve the area too. Planting grasses/other hearty plant species over affected areas can offer some rebuttal against the baneful blackberry bush! Any suggestions to help our chances against this fiesty berry?