Growing Capacity, Deepening Trust: Free The Tree's Journey to Leading Waiheke's Ecological Maintenance Programme

The Challenge: Meeting Waiheke's Evolving Ecological Needs with Scalable Local Expertise

Following Free The Tree’s successful delivery of targeted projects like the Rhamnus Containment Programme and Rangihoua Maunga’s urgent ecological restoration, Auckland Council clearly required a partner with growing capacity and proven reliability for broader, ongoing ecological maintenance across Waiheke Island. The challenge was multifaceted:

• Diverse Island-Wide Care: Council needed consistent, high-quality management for over 40 diverse reserves (nearly 3,000 hectares) to be maintained at a "Good Neighbour" standard, including handling unpredictable "Requests For Service" (RFSs) alongside scheduled work.

• Sensitive Site Threats: Specific, urgent threats emerged in highly sensitive ecological and cultural sites, such as Climbing Asparagus on Rangihoua Maunga.

• The Local Partner Imperative: Council's overarching challenge was to find and nurture a local partner capable of consistently delivering quality, demonstrating value, building community trust, operating sustainably, and growing capacity to meet evolving needs.

• Free The Tree's Opportunity: For us, this period, commencing around July 2022, was the challenge to scale operations, manage concurrent complex public contracts with private work, and prove our capability as a mature, experienced team.

Our Approach: Systemised Operations, Local Integration, and Unwavering Commitment

To meet and exceed these evolving demands, Free The Tree strategically enhanced its operational capacity, underpinned by core values of local expertise, collaboration, and innovation:

• Building Scalable Systems for Complex Management: Our sophisticated data management (Airtable, CalTopo) and programming systems were pivotal in efficiently handling multiple concurrent contracts. This included initial scoping and site assessments—using CalTopo GPX track logs to map infestations, record detailed pest plant data, note sensitive areas, identify hazards, estimate resources, and develop tailored work plans, often with Council managers and ecologists—through to resource allocation, progress tracking, and transparent reporting.

• Proactive, Adaptive, Meticulous Programme Management: Our structured planning and review cycles (quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily), flexibility in adapting to changing needs (weather, RFSs), and rigorous budget and timeframe management were key.

• Delivering Comprehensive Ecological Expertise, Locally Applied:

  • Versatile Pest Plant Control: We employed a full range of methodologies (manual, electric tools, cut & paste, targeted foliar spray) with expert knowledge of Waiheke's unique Chemical Dispensation, ensuring no off-target damage.

  • Proactive Pest Animal Management: When Council services for rodents and mustelids weren't directly tasked, we coordinated with community groups (Te Korowai o Waiheke, Ratbusters) to service traps and bait stations, ensuring "no drop in outcomes" and demonstrating commitment to holistic ecological health. Our team was also trained for RFS responses to harmful insects like wasps.

• Deep Local Integration & Collaborative Strength:

  • Leveraging Community Knowledge: We consulted with established community conservation groups, using their site-specific knowledge to focus our professional efforts on tasks volunteers couldn't do (like extensive foliar spraying), creating workflow and budget efficiencies.

  • Responsive RFS Management: We efficiently handled all RFSs within specified timeframes, maintaining clear communication with the RFS provider (Treescape) and Council's contract manager.

• Unwavering Commitment to Safety & Professionalism: SSSPs, Hazard Risk registers, and monitoring team health (e.g., agrichemical exposure) demonstrated this commitment.

• Strategic Prioritization and Execution: We managed Council-set priorities (e.g., initial focus on Rangihoua, Te Whau Esplanade Reserve; addressing RFS backlogs) while ensuring all contractual obligations were met or exceeded.

Key Outcomes & Impact: Proven Capacity, Deepened Trust, and a Sustainable Local Partnership

Free The Tree’s dedicated approach during this intensive period managing multiple, concurrent Council contracts yielded significant results, solidifying our role as Waiheke Island’s key ecological partner:

• Sustained High Performance & Council Confidence: Successful delivery of the initial Short-Term ‘On Request’ Capacity Cover contract (July-Nov 2022) led directly to an eight-month extension (Nov 2022-June 2023). This was then renewed as the FY24 Temporary Rua Eco Maintenance contract, demonstrating Auckland Council’s increasing trust in our proven capacity.

• Excellence in Specialized Adjunct Contracts: Successful execution of the FY23 NETR-funded Climbing Asparagus control on Rangihoua (extended into FY24) was particularly noteworthy. Following a December 2022 site visit, the Council contract manager, Waiheke Biosecurity Advisor, and the Advisor's manager expressed "complete satisfaction with the results we achieved, which... surpassed their expectations."

• Tangible Ecological Improvements Across Waiheke: We effectively managed ecological health across 40+ diverse reserves, upholding "Good Neighbour" standards, controlling large mature invasive infestations, and protecting key heritage sites with high archaeological and cultural values.

• Efficient, Transparent, Value-Driven Service: Our robust systems and proactive management ensured delivery on all contract manager priorities, despite varying funding levels and site complexities.

• Strengthened Community & Stakeholder Collaboration: Working with community groups enhanced ecological outcomes and fostered positive relationships, with Free The Tree often providing technical advice and support.

• The Ultimate Validation – Securing the Future: Consistent high performance, developed capacity, deep local understanding, and unwavering reliability across these demanding concurrent contracts were instrumental in Free The Tree winning the intensive tender for Waiheke Island’s 2.4-year Ecological Maintenance Contract. We currently service this major contract to high praise from Council managers and our local community.

• Championing the "Local Contractor" Advantage: This journey underscores the profound strategic benefits for Auckland Council (and other government or iwi entities) in engaging committed local contractors. Our Waiheke-based team minimized carbon footprints in extensive island-wide operations, leveraged intimate local knowledge for unparalleled efficiency, and built deep community trust—delivering exceptional value and sustainable outcomes off-island providers would struggle to replicate.

• Instrumental Growth: This growth period was instrumental, proving Free The Tree’s capability to be a cornerstone of Waiheke Island's ongoing ecological management framework.