Trinity Lands has helped set up a trust to support the environmental health of the Pōkaiwhenua Stream.
The stream is a 56km long tributary of the Waikato River. It starts near Tokoroa and meets the Waikato River near Maungatautari. Keen cyclists will know the spot where the stream meets the river as the starting point of the popular Waikato River Trail.
Farmers with a passion
The Pōkaiwhenua flows along the boundary of five Trinity Lands farms – Russell, Ronald Lion, Alexander, Hewlett Bryant and Jaguar – and GM Sustainability Brett Fleming says the creation of the trust was driven by passionate staff who farm alongside the stream. A number of other Trinity farms also feed into the waterway via smaller streams in the South Waikato.
Reconnecting with nature
Chair of the trust – and the man whose enthusiasm got the project up and running – is Andrew Lennox, sharemilker on Trinity’s Russell Farm. He’s supported in his conservation efforts by other Trinity partners, such as Alexander Farm sharemilkers Eoin and Sian O’Mahony and their farm assistant Lisa Amundsen.
“The stream is important to this community because it's a traditional area of food gathering. It has historical significance and is just a beautiful spot.”
Brett Fleming,
Trinity Lands
Sustainability Manager
$13,000 donation towards setting up the trust
Trinity gave $13,000 towards the legal set-up and admin of the trust, which has been busy planting hundreds of natives on farms and DOC land along the Stream’s banks since September 2021.
“The initiative is to create a walkway, or cycleway where people can get greater access to the Pōkaiwhenua Stream and eventually go right through to Karāpiro.”
Brett Fleming
“This project is the first step in helping others to gain greater access to the taonga that we have in this land, & also to help and contribute to better water quality and increase biodiversity.”
Jared Dixon,
Youth Mentor
