Climate action takes root at Ātiu Creek

By Steve Burgess & David Bowden, Auckland Council

At Ātiu Creek Regional Park, a shift from marginal grazing to permanent native forest is delivering long-term climate benefits while restoring the health of the land and waterways. This work forms part of Auckland Council’s 200-hectare Urban Ngahere programme, which focuses on reducing council’s carbon footprint through practical, nature-based solutions.

Ātiu Creek Regional Park’s climate restoration builds on a long legacy of land stewardship. The 845-hectare working farm was gifted to Auckland by Swiss philanthropists Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat in 2006 and opened as a regional park in 2008.

Purchased in 1951, the land was managed alongside early forest protection and planting. Today, Ātiu Creek - one of only two regional parks on the Kaipara Harbour - combines farming, predator and weed control, and native restoration, while providing vital public access to the harbour.

Restoring land for the long term

“For me, restoring native forest is one of the most meaningful climate actions we can take on council land. It transforms worn and vulnerable landscapes into living, breathing carbon sinks that will continue delivering benefits long after we’re gone.”

- Steve Burgess, Ngāhere Advisor for Auckland Council

Some areas of Ātiu Creek were grazed for years despite being steep and erosion-prone. As climate change brings more intense rainfall, these areas are under increasing pressure, with impacts already visible across the land and waterways.

Working closely with our Regional Parks farm operations teams, we’ve reduced stock numbers in marginal areas and begun replanting them with native species. This approach stores carbon, stabilises soils, reduces sediment runoff and restores biodiversity and ultimately strengthening the land’s resilience as the climate continues to change.

From seed, to nursery, to forest

“For me, climate action doesn’t start with planting. It starts with a seed.”

-David Bowden, Healthy Waters Specialist for Auckland Council

With support from the Urban Ngahere programme, we’ve upgraded the Ātiu Creek nursery so it can grow native plants more efficiently and at greater scale. Alongside Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ), volunteers collect eco-sourced seed, propagate native plants and care for them until they’re ready to return to the land.

In 2026, the nursery will grow around 25,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses. There’s something powerful about seeing the full journey from seed, to nursery, to forest. Growing plants on site reduces transport emissions and costs for council, while building connection, pride and shared ownership in the work.

Protecting the Kaipara Harbour

The Kaipara Harbour has been shaped by generations of forest clearance, leading to ongoing sediment issues that affect water quality. By restoring forest in upper catchment areas like Ātiu Creek, we’re helping slow runoff and reduce sediment entering waterways and the harbour.

Healthy forests upstream play a quiet but vital role in healing the harbour downstream, supporting the wider Kaipara Moana restoration effort.

Climate action through partnership

This work is only possible through partnership. We work closely with Te Uri o Hau, whose rohe includes Ātiu Creek, to make sure culturally significant areas are protected, the right species are planted in the right places, and tikanga Māori is respected throughout the restoration process. Cultural surveys, archaeological assessments and tikanga-led site blessings are core to how we work.

Strong relationships make climate solutions stronger and ensure they endure.

Ātiu Creek Regional Park shows what climate action looks like when it’s practical, local and long term. By restoring marginal land to native forest, growing plants locally and working in partnership, Auckland Council are turning climate commitments into real, visible change on the ground and shaping a landscape that will continue to give back for generations to come.

It’s Conservation Week (20–26 April). Want to get involved?

From seed collection to planting and forest restoration, there are many ways to support nature-based climate action across Auckland.

Find out how you can take part through Auckland Council volunteering opportunities

Or get involved with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand