Community & Biodiversity Event at Cockayne Reserve

In April 2025, The Green Lab teamed up with the Brighton Observatory of Environment & Economics Trust and Christchurch City Council Regional Park Rangers to co-host Discovering the Cockayne Reserve,  a City Nature Challenge event celebrating our local biodiversity.

Nestled in the lower Ōtākaro/Avon catchment, Cockayne Reserve is a precious Site of Ecological Significance and one of the last remaining pockets of riparian wetland in the area and now reduced to less than 20% of its original extent. This event offered the perfect chance to reconnect with this rare ecosystem and understand its importance for species and climate resilience.

Hands-on learning in the wetland

Community members joined us to explore and identify wetland plants, insects, and birds, guided by experts and supported by interactive citizen-science tools. We also offered Raupō watercolour workshops, using natural dyes made from plants grown in the Nature Dye Garden at The White Room and from Rāwhiti Domain, offering a creative way to connect art, ecology, and place.