Volunteer with us.

Whatever your passion for the environment, we have something for you!

Field Volunteers

Join our team of Field Volunteers and gain field skills, learn about conservation and help to restore native forests to the Pūharakekenui. Field Volunteers will assist with planting natives, combiguarding plants, hand weeding, and maintaining predator trap lines. 

Meeting days:

Every two weeks on Tuesdays from 9am-12pm.

Bi-monthly planting events on a Saturday (during planting season).

To learn more about this programme and get dates, contact the team on styxllbom@gmail.com!

Bird Monitoring Programme

Date & Location

  • First Saturday of each month at 9am

  • Styx Mill Conservation Reserve, Styx Mill Rd Public Car Park (See map below)

Dr. Antony Shadbolt: Antony has more than 30 years’ experience in environmental horticulture, landscape architecture, planning, and ecology & wildlife research. He is a key driver in the re-establishment of Ōtautahi's native forest habitats and is a Trustee of Trees for Canterbury.

On the first Saturday of each month, those wishing to participate in the bird monitoring programme meet at the Styx Mill Conservation Reserve on Styx Mill Road at 9am to record the number of individual water bird species using a moving transect method (instruction provided on the day).

Two locations are covered during each session to compile a long-term data set for the reserves: 

Data collected is submitted to eBird, and may be explored by anyone with an interest in New Zealand's bird populations.

Volunteers need to bring:

  • Sturdy outdoor clothing & footwear for muddy & wet conditions

  • And it would be good to also bring:

    • Binoculars

    • Camera / phone

    • Paper & pen

For more information

Contact Antony Shadbolt

Water Quality Monitoring Programme

Our community water quality monitoring team take water samples, measurements and write down observations about the water quality, vegetation, and wildlife.

You will be given instructions and paired up with another volunteer. It's rather rewarding to be part of looking after our waterways.

Where

  • Meet at Styx Living Laboratory Trust Lab at 130 Hussey Road, Harewood. 
    The laboratory is in the CCC Park Rangers compound, north of the Styx Conservation Park).  Turn in the driveway, the lab is the dark building to the left.                                                                  

When 

  • Induction sessions for new volunteers held once every 3 months. Contact the WQ coordinator if you are interested.

  • Third Saturday of each month commencing at 10 am for inducted volunteers.  If weather is unsuitable, or the day is changed, the WQ Coordinator will contact all signed up volunteers.  

Volunteers need to bring

  • Sturdy outdoor clothing & footwear for muddy & wet conditions

The Community Water Quality Monitoring Programme began in 2002 when a pilot programme, to identify the issues and opportunities associated with implementing such a programme, was undertaken in conjunction with Waterwatch (Lincoln University) and members of the Guardians of the Styx. Since then, our Styx Water Quality Monitoring Volunteers have regularly monitored water quality at a number of sites throughout the catchment.

SHMAK Kits are used for our monitoring programme.

Water Quality Monitoring Programme Coordinator

Leo Fietje

Leo has a background in Agricultural Science and recently retired from Environment Canterbury after 35 years working in various regulatory and non-regulatory roles. Most recently he worked with individual land-owners farming adjacent to sensitive rivers and lakes to research reasons for decline in water quality and actions needed to address, both on and off-farm. He is currently a member of the North Canterbury Rural Support Trust and working with MPI to help build resilience in rural communities. Leo and is married to Julie and they live in Harewood, close to the top end of the Pūharakekenui.

To sign up for the upcoming induction session, please contact Leo and Ted at styxwq@gmail.com

The data from our water quality monitoring sessions contributes to the Christchurch City Council's Annual Surface Water Quality Report. 

Freshwater Invertebrate Monitoring Programme

There are a number of reasons for collecting information about the Styx River and its tributaries. These include:

  • To monitor habitat, aquatic plants and invertebrate communities over time.

  • To determine if there are any changes in habitat and in invertebrate communities over time.

  • To compare invertebrate communities in the Styx with invertebrate communities in other catchments within the Canterbury region.

  • To improve understanding of the current state of the in-stream habitat and invertebrate communities.

This is why the Invertebrate Monitoring Programme was very active up until the Christchurch Earthquakes (See Invertebrates for a list of the research done in this area pre-quakes). Since then, the programme has ceased to operate, until just recently when Dr. Jon Harding from University of Canterbury stepped in to get things up and running again!

Invertebrate Monitoring Programme Coordinator - Dr. Jon Harding

Jon has been a freshwater scientist for over 30 years, having undertaken research in New Zealand, USA, Singapore, Tonga and Nigeria. He has published seven books and over 150 scientific papers and reports. In both Singapore and Nigeria he helped produced the first keys to identifying freshwater invertebrates in those countries. Jon has focussed most of his research on the impacts of human activities on streams and rivers. He knows enough about lakes and wetlands to be dangerous! He has worked extensively on urban, agricultural and mining impacted systems. Jon has two doctorates (a PhD and a DSc) and he is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Canterbury. You can follow Jon on Twitter (jonharding333).

Environmental Advocacy Programme

Join our Environmental Advocacy Volunteering Programme and help us to draft submissions and responses for plans, comment on upcoming development, consents and any legislation that may impact the health of our awa. Environmental Advocacy Volunteers will get experience working with a diverse range of groups and it is a great opportunity to meet likeminded people and make a difference in the Pūharakekenui catchment.

If you have a few hours a month spare and are passionate about conservation then the Pūharakekenui needs you!

For more information contact get in touch with Jackie (jackie@thestyx.nz or 0220655624)