Tui to Town
Natural Habitat Restoration for the Wairau Plain
Latest Tui Sighting Results
Tui and other native birds and animals (lizards, fish and insects) would once have been common on the Wairau Plain and around Blenheim. Before humans arrived the plain was covered in a mix of swamp forest, dryland forest and large flax wetlands, all of which would have been teeming with native birds and animals. While tui are occasionally seen in Blenheim during winter, they are not common any more because there is very little suitable habitat and food available for them.
Today the Wairau Plain is one of New Zealand's most changed and modified landscapes, with less then 1% of the natural vegetation cover remaining and the rich variety of native animals is mostly lost. Tui are still present in reasonable numbers in the forests on the north bank of the Wairau River and could be encouraged back onto the plain if there are some stepping stones of natural habitat created. Other native birds and animals are likely to also benefit.
Tui need trees and plants that provide nectar, flowers, fruit and insects to feed on. Nectar is an important food for tui - more then 70% of their diet at some times of the year. A number of non-native plants like eucalyptus species, banksia and bottlebrush can be good sources of nectar, along with the native species like flax, kowhai and native tree fushia. Fruits and insects are also important. Tui will travel over 20 km to feed at some times of the year (mostly winter and spring before they start breeding). Research has shown that to breed they need at least 1 hectare of suitable habitat so it will be a while before we can expect to get them breeding on the Wairau Plain, but we need to start somewhere.
By restoring the few remaining natural areas (mainly small remnant wetlands and areas alongside waterways) and re-creating small areas of natural habitat through new plantings, there could be a better balance between production, urban living and natural habitats for native birds, lizards and insects.
The vision of the Tui to Town project is to work together as a community to increase the area of natural habitat on public and private land suitable for tui and other native birds, lizards and insects by creating a minimum of five hectares of new habitat over the next five years.
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