A community planting day will be held this weekend to celebrate the completion in February this year of an upgrade to the Whirinaki Crescent stopbank.

The work is part of the Hutt River Floodplain Management Plan and the project was managed by Greater Wellington Regional Council.

The stopbank was completed in three stages:

• Stage one was completed in May 2007 and involved the upgrade of 175 metres of stopbank on the Royal Wellington Golf Club’s boundary.
• Stage two was completed in June 2008 and involved the upgrade of the remaining 700 metres of stopbank from the Royal Wellington Golf Club to St Joseph’s Home of Compassion.
• Stage three commenced in November 2009 and finished in February 2010 and involved connecting the upgraded stopbank to the high ground within the Royal Wellington Golf Club.
• Work to upgrade the stopbank included extensive consultation with the adjoining residents and major landowners, tree removal from the old stopbank and streambed of the Mawaihakona Stream, reconstruction of the stopbank, drainage works, relocation of a 33 kV overhead transmission line, and landscaping works around the Mawaihakona Stream and on the residential boundary.

The upgrade to the Whirinaki Crescent stopbank provides a 2,300 cumec (1 in 440-year) standard of flood protection to the Whirinaki Crescent community as recommended in the Hutt River Floodplain Management Plan.

Members of the community are warmly invited to attend a community planting day on the Whirinaki stopbank this Saturday (19 June) to celebrate the completion of this significant work.

Cr Sandra Greig, Chair of the Hutt River Advisory Subcommittee says, “It is a great way to celebrate the completion of the project. The community planting days are so enjoyable – especially for the children. The kids are able to get a bit muddy and have a great time while also learning about planting and the environment. And they will be able to return years from now to check on the trees they planted – as my now grown-up children do.”

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy says he is “excited to see the completion of the project” and that “the planting day is a great way to finish it off and include the community into something that will be of benefit for years to come.”

Community planting day details are:

• When: Saturday 19 June 2010
• Time: 10.30 am – 12 noon
• Where: Whirinaki Crescent stopbank, entry off Kiwi Street and will be sign posted.

Refreshments will be provided after to celebrate the completion of the flood protection works. Please bring yourselves, gumboots and a spade if you have one. Event will go ahead rain or shine