North Harbour’s elite hockey players powered through a long list of tasks during their working bee at Te Hōnonga a Iwi Restoring Rosedale Park earlier this month.
The two men’s and two women’s teams took time out from preparing for the Ford National Hockey Championship (NHL) to help at the restoration site.
Restoration co-ordinator Nicky Shave says it was a great opportunity for the rep players to contribute to North Harbour Hockey Association’s sustainability and be part of the environmental legacy the organisation is creating.
The group helped lift the restoration’s new chicken coop into place and connect its water supply, collected wooden pallets and other materials to set up a new bioreactor area near the hockey turfs, and removed wilding wattle trees and Pampas pest plants. They also relocated a large number of natives ready for planting and released weeds in some of the existing planted areas.
Premier Men’s Coach and North Harbour Hockey Association Board Chair Dave Kosoof was delighted to connect the NHL programme with the restoration again this year.
“The players really appreciate how special this restoration project is for the hockey community and the wider community.”
The working bee is a great team building exercise, because the team members have to collaborate and work hard to complete the tasks, but it also provides a sense of achievement for the players, who are leaving the land in a better place for the future, Dave says.
“It’s great to see our top-level players giving back to the association and the whenua. They all take great pride in representing North Harbour on the field but, personally, I was satisfied to see them connect off the pitch and take pride in what is their hockey home.”
Nicky Shave says the group was able to carry out some of the heavy lifting tasks that other volunteers are not able to do, and it was fantastic to see them showcasing their skills and leadership away from the hockey field.
“They achieved a lot, very quickly. It’s amazing to see this group developing a sense of responsibility and ownership for the environment they impact.”
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