794
Town Belt Kaitiaki
Town Belt Kaitiaki (TBK) is a student-led education programme for Dunedin schools and ECE centres.
SEEDLINGS NATURALLY REGENERATING![]()
![]()
TBK Student leaders were busy in their Role Model Site yesterday creating vegetation quadrats to measure the native and non-native young plants that are coming up in different parts of the reserve.![]()
![]()
In places where lots of different young native species were seen clumped together - all we had to do was look up! There above us was invariably a nice horizontal branch perfect for pooping birds to sit on! ![]()
![]()
It's no surprise that birds and plants are better at planting than us - they've had a lot more practice. However that won't stop us planting in places where seedlings aren't coming through for various reasons.
MAKING THE TOWN BELT EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL - ONE PLANT AT A TIME![]()
![]()
Year three students and our two TBK Student Leaders with St Joseph's Cathedral School were busy last week in their adopted spot in the Town Belt in Robin Hood Park. There are big trees here, mostly exotic and an understory that consists primarily of ivy, tradescantia, aluminium weed and bare ground. The students planted 30 shrubs, ferns and bush flaxes to help build a native understory.![]()
![]()
This is an ongoing job for St Joseph's - a wonderful project! For many students it is their first time planting, so rather exciting for them. And there is always the fun of finding a worm. ![]()
![]()
The goal is to restore the native hauora of this site. The mature exotic trees play a part too - providing shade and a future cavity home perhaps for kaka!
NEW GEAR!![]()
![]()
We are so grateful to Balmacewen Lions for their donation to us this year - that we've used to buy three good quality sweepnets, four more spades and some gloves. So much fun to have new stuff!![]()
![]()
This year we have a new Discovery Planning Group within TBK that is focusing on monitoring - invertebrates, birds, plants, fungi, invasive mammals.... all the critters and plants living in our Dunedin Town Belt. The sweepnets have already been invaluable to help the students gather information about flying insects in grass.![]()
![]()
The spades and gloves have been christened too now that planting season has started. ![]()
![]()
Thank you Balmacewen Lions! And all our other supporters - such as DCC, DOC, Dunedin Amenities Society and City Sanctuary - who help us in other essential ways!
The NanoFest 2026 programme is now live! ![]()
![]()
The Student Leaders from TBK will be participating again with an interactive stall - on Wednesday 15th July - at the Festival Hub in the Wall Street Mall. This year the students will be teaching you all about the invertebrates of the Town Belt and what they found in grass of different lengths. Our stall is always fun, with different activities completely created by the students. Come see us!![]()
![]()
Bugs in the Grass | NZ Science Festival
scifest.org.nz
Hub: Learn how we can help the bugs, bees and butterflies that live in lawns and grassy parts of the Town Belt.
George Street Normal School is the first of our TBK schools to start planting at their TBK / GSNS Restoration Site in the lower part of Prospect Park. 50 trees and shrubs in the ground to add to the existing native forest there. ![]()
![]()
The 20 plus students planted very well with a bit of help from adults, they got excited by the worms that are plentiful at this site and even had time to start some weeding of trees planted last year. Our new TBK Link Teacher Jess is keen to get back to the site to finish this job - hopefully in Term 3.