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Mid Canterbury pupils are getting behind Ross Hawthorne’s Ashburton/Hakatere River planting project, which is flourishing.
Now, he could extend it towards the State Highway bridge.
Hawthorne has been trying to establish a native forest alongside a section on the northern banks of the river, east of Chalmers Ave.
It has seen thousands of seedlings planted.
‘‘I’m running out of room. We may look at between Chalmers Ave and the bridge yet,’’ he said.
His enthusiasm for the project, first started as a one-man-crusade about four years ago, was still evident.
‘‘I love it. As it expands, more and more people are becoming more realistic and realise its happening. More people are prepared to help.’’
He recently applied for funding from Environment Canterbury and Ashburton District Council and was surprised to get exactly what he sought.
‘‘I wasn’t expecting to get everything that I applied for in funding,‘‘ he said.
‘‘I got everything I asked for.’’
In the latest funding round, he received a $3248 biodiversity grant from district council, and earlier had received $8182.95 from the Canterbury Water Management Strategy Action Plan in its 2025/26 funding.
Those funds allowed him to purchase more plantings.
Seedlings include pittosporum, cabbage tree, lancewood, five fingers, wine berries, broadleaf and flaxes to name a few.
Hawthorne is a keen walker of the 19km trail, which runs along the northern bank of the river from State Highway 1 to the sea.
His ultimate goal is to see the seedlings and surrounding trees thriving, attracting native species such as kereru, tui and bellbirds, alongside the many fantails already in the area.
The section he first focused on was about 750m between Chalmers Ave and Trevors Rd, when he was inspired to clear out weeds.
Struck by the sad sight of a large pittosporum tree being smothered by old man’s beard, he went and got his hedge clippers and cut the climbing weed down.
He just kept on clearing more weeds, rescuing more trees.
Then he started planting.
Since then others have joined him, including tamariki from around the district.
Most recently 50 pupils from Ashburton Borough School planted close to 500 plants on the northern side of Trevors Rd.
The planting was finished that day, Hawthorne said.
Also to help out have been kids involved with the Kanuka Trust, and students from Ashburton College and Longbeach School, and about 30 kids were also expected from Mayfield School.
Pupils generally stayed about one to two hours, he said.
Hawthorne and his supporters were regularly down the track carrying out tasks.
‘‘It depends on what has to be done.
‘‘For planting, we’ll carry on until its finished or we have to come back the next day until its finished.’’
Since starting the project, Hawthorne has also installed picnic tables and bench seats, enhancing the trail for its many walkers and cyclists.
His employer, ANZCO, has been a supporter; donated one of the picnic tables, and plant guards.
■ If you want to help Ross Hawthorne with his project to plant natives along the Ashburton River, phone him on 028 409 8185.