Ashhurst Domain Wetland
The Friends of Ashhurst Domain Wetland
 The caretakers of the Ashhurst Domain, which is owned by the Palmerston North City Council, follow a basic maintenance programme in the bush area and have been slowly reducing the impact of the wandering willy or Tradescantia fluminensis from blanketing off any groundcover hopes of regeneration of the native species. Along with voluntary assistance they have also trapped oppossums and set bait traps funded by the Community Initiatives fund of the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council, Horizons.
Wetland article
First steps of enhancement - background
1998
 Ducks Unlimited restored an area of open water from being silted up by the raupo and adding three islands in the middle of the ox-bow wetland at the Domain in 1998.
Photos by Simon Monteith of Ashhurst
2002
 Ashhurst School students have been growing trees in their plant-growing unit as part of a Trees for Survival Project since 2001. In 2002 students, parents and other volunteers planted nearly 600 trees in the grassy area on the eastern side of the ox-bow wetland. The trees are forming the nursery crop so that other taller growing wetland trees like kahikatea, pukatea, totara and swamp maire will be protected when they are planted. The nursery crop consists of flax (harakeke or Phormium tenax), lemonwood (tarata or Pittosporum eugenioides), karamu (Coprosma robusta) and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium).
2003
A group from the Ashhurst Action Group have seen a need to help protect the wetland at the Ashhurst Domain for a while now so formed a Friends of the Ashhurst Domain sub-group.
Newsletter:  Oct 2003 Ashhurst Wetland.doc(23.50 KB)
 This new group had a working bee on 1 November to release the weeds around the trees that had been planted. School students had also participated in some tree releasing earlier in the year. Even though there had been a drought over the summer, which effected the main bush area, the trees in this area were being protected by long reeds and the higher water table so survived very well.
2004
January: Funding applied for by Environment Network Manawatu was granted by the Horizons Regional Council to allow for animal pest management control and this started in January 2004. Stoats and rats are known to be scavenging on the Brown mudfish when the swamp dries up over the summer. Over ten days the volunteers caught hedgehogs, rats, cats and ferrets as well as trapped an oppossum each night. This needs to be an annual event.
 February: The wetland and floodplain came into its own on 16 February during the Manawatu floods. A wetland is the way to minimise the effects of flooding and to capture the silt and soil washed away in floods so they can be reused rather than lost to the seabed.
The islands are lost to view but the three cabbage trees are OK.
Photo by Sue Bird of Ashhurst
Photo from the Manawatu District Council's record of flooding early 16 February showing the Pohangina River in flood having washed out the Saddle Hill Road bridge and covering the Ashhurst Domain wetland and floodplain.
Working Parties had been planned since February but cancelled due to the "wonderful" (for ducks!) weather we have had.
October 2nd - yeah! Tom Robertson reports that fine weather and a small bunch of weeders released the trees planted two years earlier and gave them a tick for good health. Unfortunately there was a trace of cattle hooves in the area and they obviously decided to vary their diet with some leaves. Volunteers decided that October was not the best time to be down in this area as they nearly disturbed the nest site of a grey teal. Lots of baby swans are doing well.
November 27th - a group of 24 interested people (from Ashhurst community, local iwi, school, Massey University, Forest and Bird, Dept of Conservation, Horizons Regional Council, Palmerston North City Council, Wetland Care, Ornithological Society, Botanical Society, College of Education and other environmental groups) met to see how they could further protect and enhance this area along with the swamp forest that is integral to the wetland system as with the floodplain and terracing. A report was sent to PNCC and a copy is available from the ENM coordinator. Contact us.
2005
 April - Stuart Whitten's renovation of the Sexton's Cottage for a Cafe is complete and Cafe Domain is now open providing an added bonus to the enjoyment of visiting the Domain.
The work of November 2002 is now looking more obvious and increases the biodiversity of the Domain.
 July 16th - More native plants donated by Tom Robertson and Bill Phillips have now been planted amongst the protection of the first succession of plants beside the wetland by a small band of people from Ashhurst. The plants include kowhai, Carex secta, Hoheria and cabbage trees. There were about 60 pukeko enjoying the entertainment and obvious signs that the birds are preparing to nest.
2006
Requests by the volunteers to do some more weeding/planting have been put on hold until the management plan status of this area is verified with PNCC as a new reserve management plan is being devised. It seems that the Ashhurst Domain requires a separate plan and the old plan is still valid until updated.
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