From a Coffee Conversation to Community Regeneration
The Story Behind Vaughan Stream’s Restoration – by Michelle Beard, Gareth Roberts, Nick Jones and Dick Downing
Three years ago, a conversation over coffee between Long Bay residents Nick Jones and Dick Downing sparked an idea that has since grown into a community-led regeneration project focused on Vaughan’s Stream and the surrounding area. United by a shared passion for community development and environmental restoration, they began exploring what might be possible closer to home.
Inspired by the success of Kaipātiki Project’s community-led restoration work in Hobsonville, they looked at Vaughan’s Stream, then an undervalued waterway with enormous potential, and imagined transforming it into a thriving native ecosystem while bringing neighbours together.
“We looked around and thought about what had been achieved elsewhere,” Nick recalled. “If we could do something like that here, imagine turning what was then an open streamway into a beautiful regenerating native forest.”
Rather than establishing a new organisation, Nick and Dick agreed the focus should be on bringing together the many groups already active in the area. Dick introduced Nick to Long Bay Residents Association (LBRA) Board Chair Gareth Roberts, and the conversations expanded to include Kelly Meikle, the Manager of Restore Hibiscus & Bays (RHB). The idea of existing organisations contributing their own strengths, from funding and environmental expertise to volunteer coordination and community engagement, was building momentum.
Soon, through LBRA and RHB networks, other community leaders, environmental volunteers, local businesses, residents’ groups, and mana whenua representatives were exploring what could be achieved collectively. This all came together at a hui at the Vaughan Homestead, which brought together a diverse mix of people, including Tangata Whenua to imagine what might be possible when a goal of strengthening community connections was paired with ecological restoration.
Facilitated by Ben Sheeran from Recreation Consultants, the hui gave clarity to what might be possible. The core proposition was that while the regional park itself was already protected, the surrounding neighbourhood offered an opportunity to create a “halo” of restoration extending beyond the park boundaries.
With this idea at the centre, the group developed ideas on ways to invite and engage local residents directly in restoring the landscape. This included creating ecological corridors, controlling pest animals and plants, improving habitat for native species and enhancing water quality.
Nick describes this as a “theory of change” where community connection would be strengthened through restoring nature.
Rather than creating a traditional mission statement, the group developed what Nick calls an “imagine statement”. They invited people to picture themselves walking the stream in five years’ time, pointing out the trees they had planted together and the native birds that had returned. By starting with a shared vision instead of a list of goals, the project keeps its focus on both restoring the environment and strengthening connections between people and place.
This was shared at a second “Imagining” hui, which included a wider network of people, and from there the ideas began to turn into action. One of these was the set-up of a group that would focus on Awaruaika and restore it to health. By adding the expertise of Maeva Ord (LBRA) and Deborah Colson (RHB) to the conversations this group began to imagine what might be possible and then turn that into a plan to work towards not only restoration but regeneration and longer-term care of the ecosystem in and around the awa.
Building off the existing work by the developer of the area, improvements in water quality were already becoming apparent, with recent testing showing the presence of koura and other taonga species.
This, along with the setup of the voluntary group, the Vaughan Stream Team, has meant that pest plants are being cleared and Awaruaika was already looking healthier.
A programme of regular weeding began in late 2025, with a focus on preparing the streamway for a major planting event in 2026.
Awaruaika – Vaughan’s Stream – Community Planting Day
With the expert guidance of RHB and LBRA and with the Vaughan Stream Team leading the way local residents and the wider community came together on 16 August 2026 for an inaugural planting day.
With volunteers ready to play their part in restoring the area, Auckland City Councillor Victoria Short and Local Board Chair Alexis Poppelbaum reflected on the impressive turnout and the long-term impact of this work. As Dick Downing put it, “If people get involved in a place, they care for a place”, and that spirit was unmistakable throughout the day.
Around 140 volunteers spread out along the stream banks and planted a diverse mix of 1,847 native trees and shrubs, koromiko, tōtara, māhoe, harakeke, kōwhai and a huge number of tī kōuka (cabbage tree), helping to control erosion, suppress invasive weeds and restore vital riparian habitat for local native wildlife. A kahikatea glade was also planted as a symbol of what is being imagined in the long term.
The energy and enthusiasm were palpable. Volunteers spoke about the importance of protecting the streamway, the sense of community they felt and the intergenerational value of the planting. One volunteer laughed, “It’s fun!” Another said, “I thought it would be a good way to give back to the community.” Many talked about the future, including one who shared, “I’m going to bring my grandchildren here and show them the trees that I’ve planted.”
The day was made all the better thanks to contributions and support from:
- Auckland Council Community Parks, which provided the plants
- Long Bay Regional Park lent their spades and other resources
- Food was provided by New World Long Bay and New World Browns Bay; and
- Shore Friends cooked a delicious barbecue
Support also came from Mountains to the Sea Conservation Trust and Recreation Solutions, who rounded out the morning with their displays on improving water quality and waste management.
With the number of volunteers, the planting was completed well ahead of time, and an afternoon sprinkle of rain was perfectly timed to wet the new plants.
What began as a conversation over coffee has become a collaborative effort involving residents, community organisations, environmental groups, local leaders and volunteers, all working together to restore Awaruaika while creating stronger connections across the Long Bay and wider North Shore community.
Community Planting Day photos by Keerti Siag Photography
Community Planting Day videography by Jon Bowden – Bowden Visual
For more information, visit www.longbay.nz and www.restorehb.org.nz