She’s a prick of a job. But someone’s got to do it …
Gorsebusters II – Return of the Pricks
GorseBusters is Okarito’s annual, Kiwi-as, week-long working bee; clearing gorse and invasive weeds around NZ’s largest unmodified coastal wetland, Okarito Lagoon.
The first go at this back in March 2021 pushed back gorse over some 19km of the lagoon shoreline between the town and Okarito River, and generated a huge amount of positive national media interest for the region as somewhere where we’re all proud of, and together look after, our backyard. About 90 people came and helped out over the week, from all over the country and all around South Westland.
Of course, there’s still heaps more to do – this is a forever job, to keep looking after our backyard.
So, GorseBusters 2: Return of the Pricks is running again in 2022, from Monday April 4th to Saturday 9th inclusive.
The GorseBusters team: Okarito Kayaks, Okarito Sandfly Repellent, and Okarito locals Cameron & Rhianna Hughes-Eddy – lead, equip, accommodate, feed and entertain volunteers from all over the country who’ve signed up to help. This year we’re aiming to host about 80 volunteers each day, from Auckland to Southland, who are coming to get stuck in, working alongside heaps of good buggers from South Westland.
This is all done on the goodwill and support from hundreds of individuals, families and businesses up and down the Coast, and NZ.
If you’re keen to get involved, then you can sign up on our website or just give us a call on 03 753 4014.
We’ll be looking to provide some 1100 meals over the week, so any help with kai is huge – home-baking, a deer off the back paddock or veggies out of the garden will all keep bellies full and energy up, and show good South Westland hospitality to those coming to help from the rest of the country.
She’s a prick of a job. But someone’s got to do it …
Text and image credit – Gorsebusters
