You’re invited to our HALO Community Lunch & AGM! 

This year is extra special as we celebrate 10 years of HALO Whakatāne 💚

We’re excited to welcome guest speaker Sam Rowland, whose work and whakaaro around regeneration and resilience are inspiring communities across Aotearoa 🌳

Whether you’ve volunteered for us, bought or sponsored a trap, followed our mahi, or simply care about the future of our natural environment, we’d love to have you there.

RSVP to Bridget by 15 June at bridget@halowhakatane.org.nz 💚

Ngā mihi to @Productivity People for their continued support, and to @Mata Brewery for hosting us once again 🍻🍕

You’re invited to our HALO Community Lunch & AGM!


This year is extra special as we celebrate 10 years of HALO Whakatāne 💚


This year, we’re excited to welcome guest speaker Sam Rowland, whose work and whaakaro around regeneration and resilience are inspiring communities across Aotearoa 🌳

Whether you’ve volunteered for us, bought or sponsored a trap, followed our mahi, or simply care about the future of our natural environment, we’d love to have you there. 


RSVP to Bridget by 15 June at bridget@halowhakatane.org.nz 💚

Ngā mihi to @Productivity People for their continued support, and to @Mata Brewery for hosting us once again 🍻🍕

The Ōhope Spit needs your help!

We’re holding a working bee this Sunday to release last seasons plantings from overgrowing weeds

We’ll meet at the end of Harbour Road under the information shelter, at the end of the gravel road past the golf course entrance.

If you’re keen to lend a hand, pull a few weeds, and spend a Sunday morning at the spit with us, we’d love to see you there

We’re hoping to re-establish monthly working bees to support the mahi and build on the success of the Ōhope Spit Care Group, who have spent the last eight years restoring this ecosystem through their weekly efforts.

Just bring water, sun protection, and gloves if you have them. We'll bring more tools, gloves, and extra bits and bobs including coffee & a BBQ to end the day

RSVP to Helen at halovolunteering@gmail.com

Taiwan Cherry is quickly taking over our native bush, and it’ll spread through your garden too if left untouched! We need your help to remove these invasive trees and make room for our native species to thrive again 🌱

🌳 When: Sunday, 23 May 2026, 9:30am - 11am

🌳 Meet: Appenzell Rd entrance to Waiewe Reserve (just past intersection with The Fairway)


IMPORTANT: Please RSVP to Linda to confirm your attendance. This is important as this working bee will be taking place on private land.

🌳 What to wear: Trousers, long sleeves, sturdy footwear.

🌳 What to bring: Drink bottles, gardening gloves, and your favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers). Tools, cut and paste, and tea/coffee will also be provided.


Cancellations or postponements will be updated on our Facebook page.

Learn more about this pest plant at www.halowhakatane.org.nz/taiwan-cherry-tree


Questions? Contact Linda:

📧 EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz

 📞 022 322 8245

Taiwan Cherry is quickly taking over our native bush, and it’ll spread through your garden too if left untouched! We need your help to remove these invasive trees and make room for our native species to thrive again 🌱

🌳 When: Sunday, 3 May 2026, 9am - 11am

🌳 Meet: Appenzell Road shops

IMPORTANT: Please RSVP to Linda to confirm your attendance. This is important as this working bee will be taking place on private land.

🌳 What to wear: Trousers, long sleeves, sturdy footwear.

🌳 What to bring: Drink bottles, gardening gloves, and your favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers). Tools, cut and paste, and tea/coffee will also be provided.

Cancellations or postponements will be updated on our Facebook page. 

Learn more about this pest plant at www.halowhakatane.org.nz/taiwan-cherry-tree

Questions? Contact Linda:

📧 EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz

 📞 022 322 8245

Taiwan Cherry is quickly taking over our native bush, and it’ll spread through your garden too if left untouched! We need your help to remove these invasive trees and make room for our native species to thrive again 🌱

Join Eastern Bay of Plenty Forest & Bird and HALO to kick start the 2026 Cherry Tree control effort in the Vi Briffault and Mokoroa Reserve.

The first Cherry Tree Working Bee of the year will be held on Sunday 29th March at 9am. We’ll be meeting at the picnic table at Vi Briffault Reserve, located off Ōhope Road between the George Road intersection and Foxglove Drive 🌱

These working bees will continue monthly over the coming months in and around Vi Briffault Reserve and Mokoroa Bush Reserve.

Learn more about this pest plant at www.halowhakatane.org.nz/taiwan-cherry-tree

💚 What to wear:
Trousers, long sleeves, sturdy footwear.

💚 What to bring:
Drink bottles, gardening gloves, and your favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers). Tools, cut and paste, and tea/coffee will also be provided.

Cancellations or postponements will be updated on this page.

Questions? Contact:
📧 Linda - EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz
📧 HALO - halovolunteering@gmail.com

The Ōhope Spit needs your help! 

We’re holding a working bee this Sunday to release last seasons plantings from overgrowing weeds 🌱

We’ll meet at the end of Harbour Road under the information shelter, at the end of the gravel road past the golf course entrance.

If you’re keen to lend a hand, pull a few weeds, and spend a Sunday morning at the spit with us, we’d love to see you there 👏🏼

We’re hoping to re-establish monthly working bees to support the mahi and build on the success of the Ōhope Spit Care Group, who have spent the last eight years restoring this ecosystem through their weekly efforts.

Just bring water, sun protection, and gloves if you have them. We'll bring more tools, gloves, and extra bits and bobs including coffee ☕️

Email Lorena at halovolunteering@gmail.com for any questions!

HALO Whakatāne will be back at Seaweek with Eastbay REAP!

Tuesday & Wednesday | 10:00am - 11:30am
Activities:
- Can You Find These Manu?
- Rocky Pool Mat Activity
- Reading & Jigsaw Calm Space

Thursday | 10:00am - 1:00pm
Activities:
- Can You Find These Manu?
- Rocky Pool Mat Activity
- Reading & Jigsaw Calm Space

Friday | 10:00am - 1:00pm
Activities:
- Can You Find These Manu?
- Rocky Pool Mat Activity
- Reading & Jigsaw Calm Space

Bonus Activities for Primary Schools (Friday only):
- Binoculars & Birds
- Bird Beak Adaptations

Registration is required!!
Email sheryl@eastbayreap.org.nz or scan the QR code below.

We’re back at the Wild Food Festival 2026! 

Come find us in the Eco Zone, where we’ll be connecting with our community and having conversations about conservation.

Pop over for a kōrero about our trapping network and how you can support pest control efforts from your own backyard, or learn about volunteering opportunities and get actively involved!

We’ll have activities for all ages - including our kick wall game, and rat-in-the-trap throwing - so there’s plenty of fun to be had!

While we won’t be serving food like previous years, we will serving up great conversations, good vibes, and plenty of inspiration. So come say kia ora while you’re enjoying all the tasty treats on offer from the festival!

For more information on the event, please visit www.localwildfood.com.

Ōhope is getting a brand-new Beach Festival, Ō ☀️
FREE entry and packed with goodness for the whole whānau!
Find out more about the full festival here.

9am-12pm: Come chat to us about how to set up a trap in your backyard, joining a growing network of trappers in the Eastern Bay of Plenty! You can also fill out a weed & animal questionnaire to enter a raffle for gifted art by Dannika Tukua.

11am-12pm: Interwoven Workshop where you can create ūwhi/plant guards (see below) which will be used by our Trees for Survival schools to protect seedlings from animal browsing and weeds. A beautiful initiative inspired by Te Kākano.

Join us at Sullivan Lake next Wednesday for Art in the Park

It will be an afternoon of fun, creativity, entertainment, and community. We can’t wait to see you all there!

As always, this event is FREE entry provided by Arts Whakatāne.

Note: The date was changed to 28 January due to rain.

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and will take over your garden if they aren’t stopped. We need your help to remove these trees, and create space for our natives to thrive. 

Join us and Eastern Bay of Plenty Forest & Bird, for the final Cherry Tree Working Bee of 2025.

Bring: A drink bottle, garden, gloves, and your own favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers), otherwise tools and gel will be supplied. 

Wear: Trousers, long sleeves, sturdy footwear.

For further questions on Forest & Bird’s working bees, please contact Linda at EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz or HALO at halowhakatane@gmail.com.

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and will take over your garden if they aren’t stopped. We need your help to remove these trees, and create space for our natives to thrive. 

Join Eastern Bay of Plenty Forest & Bird, who have been leading incredible efforts to remove invasive Cherry Trees from our community.

Bring: A drink bottle, garden, gloves, and your own favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers), otherwise tools and gel will be supplied. 

Meet: The intersection by Camelia Lane at 10am.

For further questions on Forest & Bird’s working bees, please contact Linda at EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz or HALO at halowhakatane@gmail.com.

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and will take over your garden if they aren’t stopped. We need your help to remove these trees, and create space for our natives to thrive. 

Join Eastern Bay of Plenty Forest & Bird, who have been leading incredible efforts to remove invasive Cherry Trees from our community.

There are currently 5 planned working bees every Sunday! Last week we tackled Vi Briffault Reserve, and this week, we’re moving onto Waiewe Road (meeting at the start of Camelia Lane).

Bring: A drink bottle, garden, gloves, and your own favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers), otherwise tools and gel will be supplied.

What to wear: Trousers, long sleeves, sturdy footwear. 

For further questions on Forest & Bird’s working bees, please contact Linda at EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz or HALO at halowhakatane@gmail.com.

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and will take over your garden if they aren’t stopped. We need your help to remove these trees, and create space for our natives to thrive. 

Join Eastern Bay of Plenty Forest & Bird, who have been leading incredible efforts to remove invasive Cherry Trees from our community.

Bring: A drink bottle, garden, gloves, and your own favourite tools (hand saws, secateurs, loppers), otherwise tools and gel will be supplied. 

For further questions on Forest & Bird’s working bees, please contact Linda at EasternBayofPlenty.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz or HALO at halowhakatane@gmail.com.

Want to be apart of something rewarding?
Join the amazing volunteers of the Ōhope Spit Care Group!

Every Tuesday, this dedicated crew comes together to care for the whenua. Whether it’s weeding, planting natives, watering plants, or trapline maintenance, there’s plenty of hands-on mahi to get stuck into!

It’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, connect with nature, and make a real difference.

No experience? No worries - we’ll show you the ropes!

And who knows… you might even spot the tāonga Mātātā bird while you’re there.

Contact Brian Munro 027 636 1692 for more information.

Want to be apart of something rewarding?
Join the amazing volunteers of the Ōhope Spit Care Group!

Every Tuesday, this dedicated crew comes together to care for the whenua. Whether it’s weeding, planting natives, watering plants, or trapline maintenance, there’s plenty of hands-on mahi to get stuck into!

It’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, connect with nature, and make a real difference.

No experience? No worries - we’ll show you the ropes!

And who knows… you might even spot the tāonga Mātātā bird while you’re there.

Contact Brian Munro 027 636 1692 for more information.

Want to be apart of something rewarding?
Join the amazing volunteers of the Ōhope Spit Care Group!

Every Tuesday, this dedicated crew comes together to care for the whenua. Whether it’s weeding, planting natives, watering plants, or trapline maintenance, there’s plenty of hands-on mahi to get stuck into!

It’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, connect with nature, and make a real difference.

No experience? No worries - we’ll show you the ropes!

And who knows… you might even spot the tāonga Mātātā bird while you’re there.

Contact Brian Munro 027 636 1692 for more information.

Want to be apart of something rewarding?
Join the amazing volunteers of the Ōhope Spit Care Group!

Every Tuesday, this dedicated crew comes together to care for the whenua. Whether it’s weeding, planting natives, watering plants, or trapline maintenance, there’s plenty of hands-on mahi to get stuck into!

It’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, connect with nature, and make a real difference.

No experience? No worries - we’ll show you the ropes!

And who knows… you might even spot the tāonga Mātātā bird while you’re there.

Contact Brian Munro 027 636 1692 for more information.

We’re teaming up with BOPRC Rivers and Drainage and we need your help! 

Join us for a community planting day and make a hands-on difference for our taiao and the manu that live here in Ōtamakaokao. 

Where & When:

🌱 Ōtamakaokao (Awatapu Lagoon)

Meet across from the Awatapu Lagoon Walkway

🌱 Thursday 25 September 2025

🌱 10:00am - 2:00pm

What to bring:

• Sturdy shoes or gumboots

• Gardening gloves

• Water bottle

• Sunhat

We’ll provide the plants, spades, guidance and a sausage sizzle to refuel afterwards!

💚 RSVP so we know how many people to expect.

This Conservation Week, we’re celebrating by taking action for nature right here in our community.

Come join us for a morning of tree planting at the Ōhope Spit with the Ōhope Spit Care Group, where your mahi will help restore important coastal habitat and provided food and shelter for our native manu and ngāngara. 

Details: 

🌱 Ōhope Spit (end of Harbour Rd, past the Golf Course)

🌱 Sunday 7 September

🌱 9:30am - 1:00pm

What to bring:

• Sturdy shoes or gumboots

• Gardening gloves

• Water bottles

• Sunhat & sunscreen

We’ll provide the plants, spades and a sausage sizzle to refuel afterwards.

Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or new to planting, this is a fun, hands-on way to connect with the whenua, give back to nature, and be a part of Conservation Week 2025. 

👉🏼 RSVP to bridget@halowhakatane.org.nz so we know how many people to expect. 

It’s time to get back into it!

Forest & Bird are hosting more Taiwan Cherry working bees and we need your help.

Where: Camelia Lane

When: Sunday, 4 May. 10am - 12pm

Meet: The grassed area on Waiewe St just past Camelia Lane.

Cancellations due to weather will be announced on Facebook.

Wear trousers & long sleeves and sturdy footwear. We will be off-track, with some steep areas below the road on private land.

Let’s come together to remove these invasive trees and make space for our native species to thrive! Your helping hand will make all the difference.

For more information on Taiwan Cherry and our upcoming working bees, check out our website: https://www.halowhakatane.org.nz/taiwan-cherry-tree

It’s time to get back into it!

Forest & Bird are hosting more Taiwan Cherry working bees and we need your help.

First up -> Waiewe Reserve.

When: Sunday, 4 May. 10am - 12pm

Meet: The grassed area on Waiewe St just past Camelia Lane.

Cancellations due to weather will be announced on Facebook.

Wear trousers & long sleeves and sturdy footwear. We will be off-track, with some steep areas below the road on private land.

Let’s come together to remove these invasive trees and make space for our native species to thrive! Your helping hand will make all the difference.

For more information on Taiwan Cherry and our upcoming working bees, check out our website: https://www.halowhakatane.org.nz/taiwan-cherry-tree

We need your help!

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and could take over your garden if they aren’t stopped!

Let’s come together to remove these invasive trees and make space for our native species to thrive! Your helping hand will make all the difference.

Meet: Wedgwood Place

When: 10am - 12pm

What to bring:

• Gardening gloves

• Loppers and/or pruning saw if you have

• A hat

• Water bottle

• Tea, coffee & baking to share afterwards.🧁

Click here more information on Taiwan Cherry.

We need your help!

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and could take over your garden if they aren’t stopped!

Let’s come together to remove these invasive trees and make space for our native species to thrive! Your helping hand will make all the difference.

Meet: Toi Street

When: 10 am - 12 pm

What to bring:

• Gardening gloves

• Loppers and/or pruning saw if you have

• A hat

• Water bottle

• Tea, coffee & baking to share afterwards.🧁

Click here more information on Taiwan Cherry.

We need your help!

Taiwan Cherry is rapidly dominating our natives and could take over your garden if they aren’t stopped!

Let’s come together to remove these invasive trees and make space for our native species to thrive! Your helping hand will make all the difference.

Meet: Wedgewood Place

When: 10 am - 12 pm

What to bring:

• Gardening gloves

• Loppers and/or pruning saw if you have

• A hat

• Water bottle

• Tea, coffee & baking to share afterwards.🧁

Click here more information on Taiwan Cherry.