Rubbish out and bees in along Tokoroa railway tracks

Thursday, 1 March 2018

Wildflowers are set to transform a section of Tokoroa's 'rubbish dump' railway line into a bee friendly corridor.

Tokoroa's Daniel Patterson recently instigated a community clean up day of Tokoroa's railway line off Maraetai Rd after being angered by the amount of household rubbish dumped along the sides of the track.

Patterson said more clean up days were needed but the goal was to plant wildflowers in place of the rubbish to attract bees which have been in steep decline in recent decades.

By beautifying the area it's also hoped people will be less inclined to litter.

'I thought s**t why don't we use an ugly stretch of land and plant wildflowers because the last I saw bees were on the endangered species list,' he said.

'I want to spread them both sides to have it all for pollinators. The grass is going to come through too of course but it will be a little bit more attractive to passers by and hopefully they won't throw rubbish there because of it.'

He said for now he wants to focus on the area between Bridge St and Maraetai Rd.

'It's a massive undertaking to get all the rubbish out but the idea is that once we sow the flowers they will look after themselves and will self seed the following year so we can then do the next bit,' he said.

'It's small steps but we will get there.'

Patterson said he hopes to eventually see the initiative rolled out to other areas in Tokoroa which are currently sprayed or mown by the South Waikato District Council.

'This would be more cost effective in the long run, a point of difference for the South Waikato, and if we can encourage people to spray less and let nature regenerate and look after itself it is a big win,' he said.

South Waikato Mayor Jenny Shattock said she fully supports the initiative.

'I knew [Daniel] had cleared a stretch of KiwiRail land and pretty much right from the start I took my hat off to him. He saw the mess and he did something about it,' she said.

'He came to see me but the good thing was he didn't come asking for money, he came to talk about what he planned to do. That commitment is pretty impressive.'

'He wants to take the next step now and that is not just to make the place look better but it is also about doing something constructive for the environment. I think his bee corridor idea is brilliant,' she said.

Shattock said she was willing to help fund the wild flowers through the Mayoral Fund as well as look at other areas for rolling out the initiative.

'If we can get the railway line, which goes right through our district, looking good then that is a brilliant start. It will take time but all good things take time,' said said.

A KiwiRail spokesperson said the company supported the move as long as it was done safely.

'KiwiRail is generally supportive of community efforts to beautify the rail corridor and discourage littering along the network,' they said.

'We work closely with community groups to provide rail safety protection and support in situations where volunteers need to access the tracks. KiwiRail reminds the public it's important to keep a safe distance from rail lines, only cross at dedicated crossings, and to always expect trains at any time, from either direction.'