Aroha Kaikorai Valley

Aroha Kaikorai Valley
Aroha Kaikorai Valley Trust
Founded2022 (2022)
FounderPaul Southworth
TypeCharitable trust
Registration no.CC59873
FocusEnvironmental conservation, pest control, waterway restoration, air quality monitoring, native planting
Location
  • Bradford, Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin, New Zealand
Area served
Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin, New Zealand
Websitehttps://akv.nz/

Aroha Kaikorai Valley (AKV) is a registered charitable trust, located in Bradford, Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin, New Zealand.[1] It was established in 2022 to improve the ecological health of the Kaikorai catchment through community-led pest control, native planting, waterway restoration, and air quality monitoring.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

History

The trust was founded by local businessman Paul Southworth following clean‑ups near his Turboweb business. When Southworth and his staff moved into their premises at 381 Kaikorai Valley Road, they found the adjacent bank overgrown with gorse, scrub and broom and littered with discarded household rubbish, and the building itself was plagued by rats. Cleaning up this site and witnessing ongoing dumping near the Kaikorai Stream sparked the idea of a wider environmental initiative to improve the valley's natural environment.[2][9]

What started as informal restoration work in the vicinity of Turboweb quickly expanded into coordinated community efforts involving rubbish removal, weed control, native planting and predator trapping. Residents began hosting traps on their properties as part of early pest-control activities.[2]

The charitable trust was officially launched in June 2023 at an event held at Kaikorai Valley College, attended by around 50 people. At the launch, Southworth described the trust's initial focus on “water, plants and predators,” and outlined plans to implement coordinated environmental projects across the valley.[9]

Soon after its formation, the trust secured funding from the Otago Regional Council EcoFund to establish a predator-trapping network targeting possums, rats, mice, hedgehogs and mustelids throughout the Kaikorai Valley catchment.[6]

In 2025, the organisation developed and began promoting the Business+ programme, a pilot educational initiative aimed at engaging local businesses in practical environmental action, with workshops on predator control, water quality and catchment stewardship.[10] [11]

The trust's activities also attracted support from other community groups; for example, the Town Belt Kaitiaki donated additional pest traps to the organisation to aid its work in protecting native wildlife.[8]

Since its foundation, Aroha Kaikorai Valley has grown beyond its origins as a single cleanup project into a structured community-led organisation focused on restoring the ecological health of the Kaikorai Valley catchment through rubbish clean-ups, predator control, native planting and water and air quality monitoring.[12]

Mission

AKV's mission focuses on five major areas:[13]

  • People: Bringing the community together around a common goal
  • Plants: Replacing weeds with native species and significant trees
  • Predators: Reducing invasive mammals to protect native wildlife
  • Water: Improving water quality in Kaikorai Stream to the estuary
  • Birds: Enhancing native bird habitats

Activities

AKV's programmes include:

  • Predator and Pest Control: Deployment of traps and coordination with landowners to reduce invasive species.[3]
  • Waterway Restoration: Stream clean-ups, monitoring, and ecological restoration.[14]
  • Native Planting: Removing invasive plants and establishing native vegetation.[15]
  • Air Quality Monitoring: Community-driven monitoring using deployed sensors.[4]
  • Community Engagement: Education and business programmes such as Business+ to involve the wider community in environmental action.

Recognition

On 17 August 2024, AKV was highly commended for the Taylor Community Pride Shield at the Keep Dunedin Beautiful Awards.[16]

On 17 August 2025, AKV was awarded the Taylor Community Pride Shield at the Keep Dunedin Beautiful Awards, recognising its work in pest control, stream restoration, rubbish removal, planting, and air quality monitoring.[17]

Sister project

Aroha Kaikorai Valley is affiliated with Aroha Cambridge, a registered charitable trust in Cambridge, New Zealand, established in July 2025. Aroha Cambridge supports community-led predator control, native planting, and waterway restoration, and receives guidance from AKV in areas such as branding, documentation, and health and safety.[18][19]

Governance

AKV is governed by a board of trustees:[20]

  • Paul Southworth – Chair
  • Jon Thom – Trustee
  • Simon McMillan – Trustee
  • Bob Brown – Trustee
  • Sarah Alice Moffitt – Secretary and Trustee

See also

References

  1. ^ "Aroha Kaikorai Valley". Predator Free Dunedin. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Harwood, Brenda (2 October 2025). "Cleaning up the valley". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Predators — possums, rats, mice, hedgehogs, stoats, and ferrets". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Air Quality in Kaikorai Valley". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  5. ^ "AirGradient Monitor Community Feature". AirGradient. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, John (10 August 2023). "Trapping project now able to begin". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Charity Launches Business+ Programme To Help Protect Kaikorai Stream". Community Scoop. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b Lewis, John (7 December 2023). "Native wildlife protection work aided by donation". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b Harwood, Brenda (15 June 2023). "Charity gives Kaikorai Valley some love". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  10. ^ AKV. "Charity launches Business+ programme to help protect Kaikorai Stream". Community Scoop. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  11. ^ AKV. "AKV Business+ programme". Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  12. ^ "How Aroha Kaikorai Valley came to be". AKV. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  13. ^ "The AKV Mission". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Water Quality in Kaikorai Stream". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Plants". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Keep Dunedin Beautiful Award". akv.nz. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  17. ^ Harwood, Brenda (4 September 2025). "Community heroes celebrated". The Star. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  18. ^ "About Aroha Cambridge". Aroha Cambridge. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Launch Party an Epic Success". Aroha Cambridge. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  20. ^ "The Aroha Kaikorai Valley Team". Aroha Kaikorai Valley. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
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