Is there funding available for creating wetlands?

No. Our first priority is to protect and restore existing wetlands. Created wetlands are not as rich and diverse as natural wetlands, and some wetland types, such as forest wetlands cannot be easily created as they take hundreds of years to develop. Ducks Unlimited and Fish and Game may be able to help create wetlands.

You can find out about funding available for wetland restoration here.

Does my wetland need areas of open water?

No, not necessarily. Many wetlands in the Wellington region do not naturally have open water. You can create open water in these areas through excavating material out of the wetland or by installing dams but it can be difficult to keep these areas free from weeds and algae in summer, and dams can block fish passage. Besides, most native birds prefer swampy rushes and flaxes rather than deep open water.

In some cases – for instance if a wetland’s soils have dried up and become dominated by weeds – creating areas of opens water may improve the health of the wetland. You may need a resource consent for this work, so check with your local council and Greater Wellington first.

How can I tell what predators I have?

Contact a biosecurity officer and describe the problem i.e chewed leaves, dead chickens, noise at night, droppings.

You can tell what pest animals you are dealing with by identifying the signs they leave behind.

Possum - torn leaves with ragged edges the stripped ribs are often left sticking out, scratches and bite marks on tree trunks and branches, stripped tree bark and broken shoots, fruit and vegetables eaten or with bites taken out of them.

Possums make a rasping coughing sound at night. Their fecal pellet droppings are oval and 2-3cm in size.

Hedgehog – doppings (scats) are a blackish colour with various shades of brown. Upon close examination you will see the shiny remains of insect exoskeletons throughout.

Mustelid - droppings (scats) are long and thin, often with a tapering twist at each end. Mustelids secrete a thick oily yellow powerful smelling fluid called musk onto their scats. The scats are deposited in eye-catching places, such as the middle of a track, to warn off other mustelids.

Where can I buy pest control products?

Greater Wellington sells bait, bait stations and traps for possums, rodents and mustelid control. Greater Wellington also loans traps for magpie control. Contact a biosecurity officer for these products.

Pest Management Services are specialist suppliers of an extensive range of products designed to manage and control vertebrate and invertebrate pests including rodent, bird, rabbit, wallaby, hare, feral cat, possum, mustelid, ferret, wasp, insect and fly control. They also provide advice on pest problems. They are located in Kapiti or go to  www.nopests.co.nz.

Wrightson’s rural supplies store stocks a range of traps and poisons for pest control. They are located in Masterton and Porirua.

What are the best native plants to plant?

If you are planting up bare ground you will have the greatest success using the more hardy plants, often referred to as “colonising species”. They are able to tolerate full sun and wind and, once established, provide a good environment for other plants that require more shelter to establish.

Fifteen useful hardy species are listed here.

It also pays to look around at what grows well in your locality. There are distinct “microclimates” throughout the region (depending on rainfall, exposure to wind, exposure to salt spray etc) and your choice of plants should be guided by what species thrive in your area.

For information on the full range of species suitable for your area (including trees, shrubs, climbers and ferns) the Wellington Regional Native Plant Guide is useful. You can get a copy free of charge from Greater Wellington offices.

Where can I buy native plants?

Many garden centres and nurseries sell native plants. Greater Wellington encourages the use of native plants that naturally occur in the region and are grown from locally collected seed. This is called “eco-sourcing” and helps protect the genetic diversity of the region’s natural areas. Eco-sourced plants are also likely to grow better as they are adapted to our conditions.

Ask your local nursery about eco-sourced plants. If they cannot supply them they may know who can. Two nurseries that can supply these plants are Kiwi Plants Ltd in Stokes Valley and Leacroft Nurseries Ltd at Pauatahanui.

In most cases it is best to permanently fence waterways with a seven to nine batten fence. However, in areas that are prone to flooding this may not be the best option. Greater Wellington can suggest a number of options that are available to ensure you use the right fence for your situation. Examples include: electric wire or a hurricane/netting fence with support wire along the top.

For more information on fencing, please email riparian@gw.govt.nz.

I have heard a bird in my garden - how can I tell what sort of bird it is?

There are a number of books that you can use to identify the different birds that may visit your garden.  We recommend that if you are going to purchase a book then you should consider one that identifies both New Zealand native and introduced birds. One of the books we recommend is The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand, written by Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, with illustrations by Derek Onley. This book covers native and introduced birds.  

If you want to listen to bird songs and check out more information on particular birds, there is a great website you can visit: www.whatbird.co.nz.