Kakepuku Mountain Conservation Project spent 18 volunteer hours putting right a Waipā District Council drainage project.
Kakepuku Mountain
Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt said half a dozen members put things right after the council ignored offers of help.
“This is the perfect example of using a little bit of local knowledge that was ignored that could have done a better job of the job that was done,” she said.
Ange Holt
“The digger has been up there and cleared out some of the water table,” Holt said.
“But they have plopped the dirt on the track. The dirt could have been spread out.
“A bunch of them have gone up the mountain and dug a whole lot of drains that run across the track,” she said.
Council community services manager Brad Ward said, in a statement, there was a limited budget to undertake extensive earthworks adjacent to the track.
“Steps were installed as the volume of earth to be shaped would have been reasonably significant and the area had long been a site challenging to navigate when wet,” he said.
Brad Ward
“We appreciate the work of the Kakepuku Mountain Conservation Society who have put in considerable effort to dig small trenches across the track to divert the water and continue to maintain them regularly.
“There is a swale present on the inner side of the track (towards the mountain), which has been designed to channel water away from the track and mitigate erosion. Our contractor has undertaken spraying as required to help the swale function effectively to reduce scour or slips occurring.
“We look forward to working more with Te Kōpua Marae, members of the society and the Department of Conservation to plan a holistic approach to looking after the maunga for the longer term.”
Kakepuku
