Restoring Piriharakeke: Rangatahi Lead the Way
With gumboots on and gloves in hand, students from Manawatū College and Coley Street School stood alongside the Save Our River Trust (SORT) to breathe new life into the Piriharakeke Walkway. This wasn’t just a clean-up. It was a powerful step toward reconnecting rangatahi with the land, the water, and the stories that shape their place in our community of Te Awahou (Foxton).
Rangatahi, SORT, NZ Landcare Trust & Horizons Regional Council — hands in the soil, restoring Piriharakeke together.
Guided by local knowledge and community leadership, the day was filled with weeding, pruning, and clearing along the walkway. All small but significant acts of care for the whenua.
The kaupapa was grounded from the very beginning, as former SORT Chair Robin Hapi welcomed students and shared the history of Piriharakeke, weaving in whakapapa and ancestral knowledge to remind everyone why this whenua matters.
The day was opened by former SORT Chair Robin Hapi, with new Chair Irene Wakefield joined by much-loved local volunteer ‘Rabbai,’ a familiar face at restoration projects like this.
The event was made possible thanks to the generosity of NZ Landcare Trust under the Junior Landcare Legacy Project and the support of Horizons Regional Council Enviroschools team. NZ Landcare Trust provided morning tea, health and safety support, wharepaku, and all the tools needed, from secateurs and loppers to gloves and guidance.
Special acknowledgement goes to Pou Sefesi of Save Our River Trust for his leadership in engaging our local schools and working alongside NZ Landcare Trust to make this kaupapa possible.
”SORT Chair Irene Wakefield spoke to the deeper purpose of the day. She reflected on growing up in a generation disconnected from the awa, a generation that couldn’t swim, fish, or gather kai from its waters. But with days like this, she said, that narrative is changing. Rangatahi are leading the return.”
Students of Coley street school also took part in EDNA testing, helping to assess the water quality of the Piriharakeke. Results expected in the coming weeks will offer insight into the health of the water, knowledge that will guide future restoration.
And this is only the beginning.
Rangatahi leading the mahi — making steps toward restoring Piriharakeke.
Manawatū College students geared up and ready to roll — bringing fresh energy to the Piriharakeke clean-up.
In the next working bee, over 100 students from both schools will return to plant more than 500 native trees, building a living legacy that will grow for generations.
Together, we are restoring more than a walkway. We are restoring connection and conserve the Manawatū River Loop at Foxton (Piriharakeke), creating a vibrant hub for social, economic, and environmental wellbeing. This vision is more than words. It's a living kaupapa in motion.
This story was written by Anatia Mehana-Taylor of SORT
SORT Chair Irene Wakefield with Tania from NZ Landcare Trust — this event was proudly supported through the Junior Landcare Legacy Project.
Get Involved
Save Our River Trust has been restoring and protecting Piriharakeke for over 21 years, thanks to the dedication of countless volunteers. If you’d like to support our mahi — whether by joining a planting day, volunteering your skills in areas from comms to funding, or donating pūtea, equipment, or tools — we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at: admin@sort.nz