Papa Ki Awataha | Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve in Northcote

Regeneration

Come along for a rewarding day of regeneration work at Papa ki Awataha, the source of Northcote’s treasured greenway. Together, we’ll enhance this important urban ecosystem by restoring the native bush surrounding the stream.

Make a day of it by exploring the nearby playgrounds and green spaces afterwards, or enjoy a bite at one of Northcote’s many local eateries. Sign up below—and bring your whānau and friends!

Native bush regeneration is a powerful way to make a positive impact on our environment. By getting your hands dirty at Papa ki Awataha, you’ll help restore the mauri of this special place. Your efforts will support native biodiversity, stabilise stream banks, create habitat, and contribute to long-term carbon capture. This is your chance to give back to te taiao and leave a living legacy in your community.

Ngakinga Sculpture Garden

In this special place, there’s much more taking place on various days. Meet Holli and get involved in Ngakinga, a public sculpture garden and living art space. This carefully cultivated area grows plants and flowers chosen for their natural dyeing properties, supporting textile arts and honoring Indigenous knowledge at the heart of natural dye practices.

By blending native and introduced species, Ngakinga’s mission is to celebrate creativity, interconnectedness and ecosystem regeneration. We invite you to help care for this space—softly and radically—across the seasons. It’s a place for sharing stories, reflecting together and making art with natural dye plants through a lens of decolonisation and sustainability, while the Northcote town center undergoes redevelopment.

We acknowledge Mana Whenua as kaitiaki of this land and their tupuna past, present and emerging.

Join their working bees and workshops, including seed painting installations, flower hammer printing and natural dye workshops. Click HERE for event details.

Cost: FREE

See below for event times and book your spot.

Date	Time	Location
Date 06/12/2025	Time 10am - 12pm	Location 21 Kaka Street, Northcote, Auckland	Book now

Our Work at Awataha

What a great way for you to make a positive impact on the environment, right when the planet really needs you! Volunteering at Papa Ki Awataha and Te Ara Awataha contributes to 5 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals:

3: Good Health and Well-Being 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities 13. Climate Action 14. Life Below Water 15. Life on Land

Replenishing the Old and Establishing New EcoSystems

Since 2021, Kaipātiki Project has been working alongside dedicated local volunteers to regenerate the native ecosystems of Papa ki Awataha and Te Ara Awataha—Northcote’s greenway that follows the daylighted Awataha Stream. This unique urban space blends restored waterways and wild habitats with accessible community spaces, offering a rare chance to activate new and old ecosystems in the buzzing heart of the neighbourhood.

This relatively new corridor needs many hands and hearts to bring it to life. Every planting session helps strengthen the mauri of this place, providing habitat for native wildlife, supporting water health, and creating a green spine for generations to enjoy.

Would you like to get involved?

Regeneration of this, and other unique space continues throughout the year, so stay tuned and sign up to help out whenever it suits you:

Kaipātiki Project Mailing List: For events and updates to your inbox monthly (no spam)

Kaipātiki Project Facebook or Instagram

Kaipātiki Project on LinkedIn

These events are a great opportunity to connect with the community and with nature, while becoming a highly knowledgeable, seasoned-hand at native bush regeneration.