What’s happening in Belmont Regional Park?

Recreation planning

Toitū Te Whenua provides policy directions and outlines many actions for work in the park. Another level of more detailed planning for recreation facilities and activities is planned. We are calling this ‘master planning’.

Whilst changing policy direction is not within ‘Master planning’ scope, we will be working alongside mana whenua and community to develop a more detailed plan for the park. This ‘Master Planning’ stage will draw on Map 8 ‘potential enhancements’ (PDF 26 MB) from Toitū Te Whenua.

The focus of this planning is the trail network and facilities to support your park visits. Parks belong to the people of Wellington, so we really want to make sure that the facilities we have meet local people’s needs. Before large scale restoration plantings get underway, we want to make sure that we have marked out where new trails should be. At present many of the park’s trails are farming related, designed for motor vehicles and head straight up steep ridges. This isn’t ideal for recreation. Riding and walking trails are generally more enjoyable when they contour around the sides of hills and zig zag up steep sections. Well-designed trails mean less erosion, sediment run off and ongoing maintenance, so it makes sense to design a good network now.

Restoration planning

Recloaking Papatūānuku parks restoration guideline (PDF 23 MB) provides high level guidance about species and priority areas for plantings. For West Belmont, we have a draft planting plan but will also be developing a detailed restoration plan for the whole of Belmont. It will be developed in partnership with mana whenua and in liaison with community. It will help guide all the different parts of restoration work in the park. 

What public engagement opportunities will there be for these plans?

There will be more opportunities to get involved in detailed planning for the park when we start work on a master plan for recreation facilities. This is likely to commence later in 2023 alongside mana whenua partners.  We update these pages and post information in our social media channels when that is happening.

Once this planning starts there will be a number of opportunities for input. Email parksplanning@gw.govt.nz if you would like to add your name and contact details to our database for updates about parks planning matters. Master planning and restoration planning will be undertaken together. Page 15 of Toitū Te Whenua has more details.

The master planning process will follow the Reserves Act process. This means two formal rounds of public engagement. One to seek ideas for recreation facilities and the second to seek feedback on a draft map of trail and facility changes.

During consultation there will be a range of ways to input – online, in person chats and via email. You don’t have to wait for formal consultation processes, join one of the conservation or recreation groups helping out in the park and get involved now.

We are not starting work on this until we can work alongside mana whenua in partnership in the way they wish to work with us. We’re committed to working in accordance with our Toitū Te Whenua goals and park values. This can mean working differently to the way we have in the past.

In the meantime, work will continue implementing Toitū Te Whenua Actions including priority ones such as re-opening the east-west trail connections under the Transmission Gully motorway and reconnecting Porirua and the Hutt Valley via the park.

Restoration planning work will also have opportunities for public engagement. This is operational planning and doesn’t need to follow the formal Reserves Act process.

Master planning and restoration planning will be undertaken together. Page 15 of Toitū Te Whenua has more details.

We are acting on the Toitū Te Whenua management plan vision of ‘Restoring healthy ecosystems for the benefit of nature and people’ by phasing out stock grazing activities in regional parks. Toitū Te Whenua and its many actions for work in parks represents a significant investment in the future of the region and the well-being of its people. The benefits of acting on the Plan’s vision will be felt by the community for many generations to come.

Grazing ended in western Belmont Regional Park in early 2022 and the focus is now on improving recreation access, facilities and restoring a forest, waterways and wetlands with Ngāti Toa, many community groups and individuals.  We know the community is aiming high. One day this part of the park will be wonderful native bush and pristine waterways with rich aquatic life and a place to get together with friends, gather mahinga kai, or just be in nature. It’s a great vision and we would love you to join in.

You can read about the overall Recloaking Papatūānuku parks restoration programme and download the overall parks restoration guideline (PDF 23 MB) . In eastern Belmont Regional Park restoration work will be supported by mapping of natural values. This means identifying all the parks wetlands and native vegetation areas which can then be prioritised for restoration support work. Sub-catchments contributing the most downstream sediment and nutrient effects will be also be prioritised for restoration. There are already great bush fragments so these will be progressively expanded and pocket plantings in between can help connect them. Over time, as plantings expand the whole park will be restored.

In eastern Belmont Regional Park restoration work will be supported by mapping of natural values. This means identifying all the parks wetlands and native vegetation areas which can then be prioritised for restoration support work. There are already great bush fragments so these will be progressively expanded and pocket plantings in between can help connect them. Over time, as plantings expand the whole park will be restored.

Supporting the park conservation work is an important recreation activity too. It involves growing and planting trees, helping with pest plants and animals, and it’s really rewarding work. You get to see the ‘fruits of your labour’ as the trees grow and the bird life returns.

The park has a few major service utilities running through it. Apart from the motorway, there are power and gas lines, so plantings in these areas will be low vegetation such as native grasses or flax, with mown or gravel access tracks.

Restoration work in progress in western Belmont Park. There are wetlands in most of the park’s gullies and basins.

Way back in 2018 when we started work on a new management plan, we asked you the community what you valued most about regional parks and what should change. The overwhelming feedback was that people of the region value the natural environment highly and this sentiment continues to come through in our annual satisfaction surveys. For Belmont people suggest ‘improve the natural environment’ as one of the top suggestions.

Many people submitted feedback to develop Toitū Te Whenua between 2018 and 2020. Over 750 submissions were received and there were many engagement opportunities. The Plan directions for restoration represent the Council and communities’ values for parks as expressed during this period.  If you want to check the detail of ‘core values for parks’ which reflects feedback, it's section 4, pages 38-39 in Toitū Te Whenua. Here’s a summary:

Ko Ngā Whanonga Pono / Core values for Parks

Ecosystem health, recreation experience, mana whenua partnerships and community are at the forefront of our work in regional parks:

• We protect, improve and nurture the natural environment in our care
• We provide for a diversity of satisfying and memorable recreation experiences and support full and easy public access to parks
• We work alongside mana whenua in the spirit of mahi tahi
• We connect with community and prioritise health and wellbeing
• We are good custodians and enrich Te Ao Tūroa/ the long-standing natural world

The ‘environment and community benefit first’ directions have been set through Toitū Te Whenua and Council’s Climate Emergency and Action Plan. 

There is one large stock grazing licence left in the park, and it ends in January 2026. In the lead up to the licence ending, we are focused on preparing a detailed plan alongside mana whenua for broadscale restoration and will be asking for your input at the ‘Master Planning’ stage. Once this planning starts there will be a number of opportunities for input. Email parksplanning@gw.govt.nz if you would like to add your name and contact details to our database for updates about parks planning matters. Master planning and restoration planning will be undertaken together.

Restoration of native vegetation delivers multiple benefits for the environment and people through improvements in ecosystem services e.g., higher quality freshwater for native species and people, biodiversity (native bird habitat), resilience of the land in extreme weather, recreation experiences (shelter), spiritual wellbeing, mauri (life force) and more. 

Pugging from stock can impact wetlands such as this on the top of Boulder Hill. Less than 6% of the region’s wetlands remain so they are now a priority for restoration

Toitū Te Whenua/Parks Network Plan sets a direction for environment first and a reduction in grazing across the parks. Within the plan Battle Hill Farm Forest Park is identified as the most appropriate place to continue to have a stronger farm presence and feel, given its legal status. Battle Hill is a mix of Local Government Act and Scenic Reserve. The park purpose identified in Toitū Te Whenua is Recreation, ‘working farm visitor experience’, forestry and scenery. It is the only farm park in the regional park network. Battle Hill also has accessible and concentrated farming heritage buildings that  make it easy to show case farming education and best practices in land management.

Park heritage is important. In Belmont we have a project to create a heritage story telling trail at the top of Hill Road around some of the Belmont bunkers. Read more about this project.

How does stock grazing fit with restoration?

When we assess the benefits of different types of activities in parks, we consider core values and how activities support them. Large areas of north-eastern Belmont (approximately 1000ha) are still grazed under a legacy stock grazing agreement which currently ends in January 2026. While the licence is scheduled to end in full then, Toitū Te Whenua policies and rules allow for the continuation of small scale, low impact grazing provided that benefits for conservation, recreation and community are demonstrated through environmental impact assessment processes. Grazing as a management tool can support benefits for the environment and people using parks, such as maintaining important open space areas and landscape vistas.

Why are stock still allowed in streams and wetlands in Belmont Regional Park?

Toitū Te Whenua policy directions are for Regional Parks to meet and exceed minimum environmental standards so that parks can be exemplars of best practice. Plan Policies 5P and 74P provide this direction. We do want to exclude all stock from all water ways, but we don’t want to invest more ratepayer’s money in fences that are not needed after the grazing licence ends. Across the formerly grazed areas of parks (such as western Belmont, QEP and Baring Head/Ōrua-pouanui) we are progressively removing and recycling fences, gates and other farming infrastructure.

For Belmont Action A200 says:

"A200 Support action in response to Greater Wellington’s Climate Emergency declaration and achieve its 2030 carbon neutrality goal by accelerating destocking of grazed areas of the park following priorities identified in this Plan and master planning. Accelerate restoration work following:

• Environmental Science priorities (refer Belmont Restoration Priorities map)
• A pragmatic approach avoiding further investment in farming related infrastructure such as fences
• Master planning directions for recreation and community facilities and uses"

Waterways such as this one beside Hill Road will be protected from further impacts of grazing in future too. 

How is restoration work being funded?  

Greater Wellington’s Low Carbon Acceleration Fund is enabling the parks restoration programme (called Recloaking Papatūānuku) work to take place. The funds come from carbon credits. The long term programme captures more than just planting trees, it also includes managing pest plants and animals.

A lot of other restoration work is being led by community groups and volunteers. Additionally, the GW ‘Key Native Ecosystem’ programme supports pest plant and animal work in the park.

What about revenue from grazing licenses?

Once the costs of assets to support and maintain commercial grazing activities are accounted for, the revenue returned from these licenses can be minimal. It costs a lot to build and maintain stock fences, water, roads and facilities such as shearing sheds and stock yards. The responsibility for maintaining these assets depends on the licence terms and conditions. Greater Wellington will always have an obligation for boundary fences where required by neighbours, however internal fencing and some roads are maintained for farming purposes only.

What about pony club horse grazing?

There are two pony club horse grazing areas in the Belmont Park, and these are set to continue. The focus here is sustainable use related to recreation activities.

Why restore now?

The need for restoration in the park to improve landscape resilience has become more urgent as our climate rapidly changes and severe weather events become more common.

In winter 2022 rainfall more than doubled some months in Wellington and resulted in numerous land slips. The grazed hills of Belmont are exposed and vulnerable to erosion and sediment run off. This can contribute to poorer water downstream. PCC’s research and riparian restoration programme  says that ‘sediment is the most significant threat to the harbour’s current and future health, particularly in Pāuatahanui Inlet’ and ‘reducing sediment run-off from rural erosion and urban development is key to protecting and improving long-term harbour health’.

The good news is that Greater Wellington is now prioritising restoration and where grazing has ended in other parks, we have seen how resilient nature can be. For example, stock grazing ended in QEP in 2021 and natural processes of wetland and bushland have been fast. Unfortunately, so have unwanted weeds, so managing them is an important part of supporting natural processes.

More than any other activity, stock grazing in Belmont contributes the most carbon emissions across our network of parks. Ending the majority of the stock grazing and restoring the parks native vegetation will help Greater Wellington achieve its Carbon Neutral target by 2030. 

Where does horse grazing fit with restoration?

The Belmont Pony Club have two licenses to operate in the park, one off Stratton Street and the other Hill Road. Toitū Te Whenua allows recreation-related horse grazing provided important natural values are protected and impacts minimised.  The park is vast and there are many opportunities for riding.    

What planning work is in progress for restoration

To date over 400ha has been retired from previous commercial grazing licences and is naturally restoring. In many areas, natural processes are supported with pest plant and animal work. To date over 14,000 native plants have been returned to this park to support natural regeneration processes. Papatūānuku is progressively being recloaked – but there is much more to do!

Working alongside mana whenua and with feedback from the community we will be developing a restoration plan for Belmont Regional Park which in two parts. Much of the park is already in different stages of restoration, but the areas still grazed will need a lot of support for the bush to be returned and pest plants and animals to be effectively managed.

There are many ways to undertake restoration work, both through ‘natural’ and ‘active’ processes.  The overall parks restoration guideline (PDF 23 MB) outlines options and key considerations for different ways to restore land which is in poor health such as the formerly grazed areas of parks.

Natural restoration can also be ‘kick started’ with native pocket plantings, then birds and wind spread seeds for more regrowth. Enrichment plantings of particular species also support biodiversity once the regeneration process is underway.

All processes of restoration take time and are great to observe. Have a look at nearby Whitireia Park where the blaze of yellow gorse which was dominant for many years is now being superseded with native ferns and trees. Ngāti Toa, the Whitireia Restoration Group and many other volunteers support restoration here with plantings and pest plant/animal work.

Active restoration work sees thousands of volunteer hours and paid professionals out in parks planting native vegetation. Restoration work, along with pest plant and animal maintenance is now a common recreation activity. Restoration can be achieved many ways including:

• Allowing natural regeneration processes to occur and supporting bush recovery with pest plant and animal management. This is the most common method of restoration in the region and NZ wide.
• Pocket/ patch plantings to support seed distribution, create shelter and begin the process of biolinks for birds and other animals.
• Mass plantings. This is a great way to kick start large areas of bush restoration. Pest plant and animal work helps to support the success of initial mass plantings. Once established, understory enrichment planting supports the diversity of species.
• Enrichment/understory planting.
• Temporary exotic plantings as wind break shelter for natives.
• Aerial seeding e.g., drone distribution.
• Blocking of drains/streams to re-establish wetlands.
• Fish passage works to support stream health.
• Distribution of logs and tree branches in open areas to capture seed spread, slow water flows and create pocket shelter.
• Corridor planting to link existing areas of vegetation (‘biolinks’).

Look out for the opportunity to participate in the development of the restoration plan for the park or get involved with a park conservation group now and help out. There is always work to do and more help is needed. Read more about the parks restoration programme. 

Farming infrastructure such as shearing sheds (one in East Belmont, one in West) could be repurposed to support restoration of the park, provide employment and social hubs. This is the enormous 1200m2 east Belmont Shed. It’s still in use for commercial farming but will become available for conservation or recreation uses in future.

This is the QEP Nursery and Nursery Group growing and planting in the park. Volunteering in this sort of work is a great way to get involved.

Many groups and individuals are involved in restoration in the park. This includes the Friends of Maara Roa, Friends of Belmont, Korokoro Environmental group (KEG) BAMBA, Pareraho Trust and more recently Ngahere Korowai. Many people maintain pest animal traps and come to working bees. If you would like to get involved find out more on our volunteering in parks page.

Approximately 200ha of this park has been actively planted by Transmission Gully contractors as mitigation for the road construction, some areas of retirement have been left to actively restore while other areas need further restoration effort.

Larger scale restoration work has started in the park on both sides of the Transmission Gully Motorway to make sure there are good access tracks and fire breaks adjacent to residential areas and around important assets.

Once the native vegetation starts to grow and where gorse is allowed to grow as a nursery species for natives to grow under, there can be a period where there is a lot of dry vegetation which can burn fast. We know from fire history in the region that most fires are lit by humans so we can work on this, but we can also create low fuel areas (fire breaks) and plant less-flammable vegetation as a ‘green fire break’.  We’re doing both as well as working on education activities.  The following photos show the views you get from the firebreaks being put into West Belmont, where new signs will encourage more visitors to experience this incredible place.

This picture tells a great story. It was taken looking east from beside Hill Road in April 2023. The hilltop is still grazed, the park below has been without stock for approximately two years and is recovering well through natural restoration processes and with pocket plantings. It’s a bit hard to see the plantings now, but we will take another photo in a year’s time and the change will be more obvious then. Down the valley to the left native bush is much more well established and is providing a great seed source. Wind, birds and waterways help distribute the seed. Weeds also grow which is why some pest plants and animals are actively managed to support restoration processes. The Friends of Belmont Park and others have supported restoration work here over many years.

On many of the hills around Wellington you can see what happens when stock grazing ends and the bush starts to recover. Less than twenty years ago the hills of the Hutt Valley and the outer green belt in Wellington were a blaze of yellow gorse in spring. Now in many places the native vegetation has outgrown it and the gorse has died back. This process is called ‘succession’ and occurs everywhere. Gorse acts as a ‘nursery species’ providing shelter and nitrogen fixing which allows natives to grow underneath. The process is faster if there are nearby bushland areas for wind and birds to spread seeds from. Gorse grows very fast and whilst it can look unsightly, it soon dies off once the natives grow and put it in the shade or where wetlands are re-established.  Some people worry about it being a fire hazard but the incidence of fire is low and gorse also offers value in growing fast and helping to reduce erosion and land slipping on steep hillsides. 

Here you can see that gorse is being succeed by natives such as tree ferns. As the natives get bigger the gorse dies out but before then it provides shelter for natives to grow through.	All around Wellington the bush is coming back through natural processes of regeneration. Managing pest animals such as possums and goats is an important part of supporting native plants and animals. We acknowledge the generous work of individuals and community groups in supporting work to bring the native bush and birds back.

Let’s keep things in perspective. Our geographic location not far from a large dry continent (Australia) means New Zealand has a wet climate. We know there are drier periods in summer and the impact of fires can be significant, so we take fire risk seriously with plans and preparation. The best thing we can do to reduce fire risk is to restore native vegetation. Most species of New Zealand’s native vegetation don’t burn well, and some are quite ‘fire retardant’, so these are the ones that will be planted closer to residential areas and key park assets in the restoration areas.

To reduce the occurrence of fire, we are also working on the main historic sources of fire ignition – people lighting fires! Please observe park rules and ask others to do so as well. To help protect parks from fires we don’t permit open fires in Regional Parks apart from at designated locations (camping areas such as Battle Hill and Kaitoke). We prefer that people don’t smoke cigarettes in parks and we ask all our park concessionaires and recreation clubs to not use machinery or vehicles in long dry grass in summer. Everyone can help by becoming more informed and aware of risky behaviours that can contribute to fire ignition.  

Fires need fuel to burn. To further reduce risks, we monitor ‘fuel loads’ and reduce fuel by mowing in key places such as near important assets or along the boundaries of residential areas and along the sides of designated fire breaks. However, a lower cost and more beneficial solution for nature is ‘green fire-breaks’. This means planting low-flammability species which don’t burn well if a fire is started by people or a natural event such as lightening. Across parks where grazing has ended or is being phased out, we have been working on fire break access tracks. Good access tracks allow rapid on the ground access if a fire should occur. An example of a well-established fire break track is the QEP cycleway. It has mown verges and provides easy access for vehicles if required. New wider access tracks can initially look like a scar on the landscape, but they will soften over time as vegetation establishes around them.  In most parks existing tracks serve this purpose, but in parks such as western Belmont some tracks are being widened a little to better serve vehicle access purposes. 

Sometimes the biggest areas of fire danger are not well known or forgotten about. Pine trees, particularly when in large blocks are incredibly flammable and burn with significant heat. A fire in a pine tree block can pose a significant threat to any neighbouring residential areas.  

What have we done about this?

We are progressively removing wilding pines and old stands of trees in regional parks. In 2013 a 24-hectare block of plantation pine trees was logged in the Stratton Street area, and in 2018 more pines were removed in the Baked Beans track area. The revenue from pine tree removal has been returned to the park, with track and amenity improvements in Belmont.

Since then, Belmont Area Mountain Bike Association (BAMBA) and the Korokoro Environmental Group have been helping to restore this area with native bush and are continuing to remove wilding pines that grow from the seeds left in the soil. This work will be ongoing over many years.  Volunteer efforts have been paying off seems their efforts are already paying off with regular sightings of the kārearea, New Zealand’s only endemic falcon. This is a species in recovery so it’s wonderful to see the regenerating park habitat supporting it.

Is the possibility of a fire a good reason not to restore native vegetation

Quite simply, no. Native vegetation restoration is enduring and provides the best long-term solution to minimising the threat of fire. At the same time it provides multiple benefits for the environment through ‘ecosystem services’ such as clear water, air, habitat, human wellbeing, residence of the natural environment, mahinga kai and many others. 

Speeding up the natural recovery of forests through restoration plantings, or most commonly, a combination of natural regeneration and restoration plantings reduces fire threat. This includes planting taller canopy tree species that will eventually take over from the exotics. Restoring native vegetation is the best long-term solution to fire threat.

Other fire threat reduction activities include park rules about use of fire, education activities, and work with park neighbours on fire breaks, access tracks, fire emergency response plans and maintenance of equipment.

Restoring parkland grazed by stock offers the benefit of increasing the health and quality of freshwater streams, wetlands, rivers and inlets. Farming activities make ongoing contributions to the sediment load in water catchments, especially on steeper slopes. Stock access to any waterway and overland flow path through grazed paddocks is one of the main routes for E. coli (from stock dung) to enter waterways. Macroalgae blooms occur when there is excess phosphorus and nitrogen in waterways. Macroalgae blooms have a range of adverse effects including, reducing light for desirable species, smothering shellfish beds and other desirable species, and depleting sediment oxygen.

Restoring headwaters of streams and the wetland gullies that contribute to them has downstream benefits across the park’s catchments, streams through residential areas, right through to the Te Awarua-o-Porirua and Te Whanganui-a-Tara harbours.

A lack of vegetation, particularly streamside (riparian) can reduce fish spawning habitat, and cause streambank erosion resulting in increased sedimentation of waterways and affect the functioning of aquatic species. Riparian planting is an effective method to mitigate sediment, pathogens, and excess nutrients.

There have been extensive riparian plantings alongside Duck Creek as part of the Transmission Gully motorway mitigation planting. In addition, Porirua City Council has started further planting of the Porirua catchment streams since 2022. Both of these planting programmes have led to thousands of stream plantings throughout Belmont Regional Park.

See Greater Wellington’s Whaitua programme and Recloaking Papatūānuku programme for work relevant to Belmont Park.

Whenua recovery- before and after stock grazing in Belmont Regional Park beside Hill Road. It’s great to see change like this in just a couple of years. There are many more water ways to be protected from stock, but progress is being made.