Heather Wills cares for two gardens – one around her house, and the other on public land at Tanners Point, north of Katikati.

Together with husband Bernie and a group of local volunteers, Heather has spent 12 years working to establish Tanners Point peninsula as a pest-free sanctuary for native birds.

Heather Wills of Katikati is a finalist in the 2015 Gardena Gardener of the Year competition. Photo: Supplied.

Now, Heather's years of hard work have been recognised after she was name as one of four finalists in the 2015 Gardena Gardener of the Year competition.

NZ Gardener, in association with Gardena, is encouraging people to vote for their favourite gardener.

'It's an honour to be among the finalists,” says Heather. 'The others are all very deserving people doing some wonderful things.”

Gardening at Tanners Point for Heather isn't like maintaining a normal garden. Much of her focus has been on clearing weeds and planting thousands of native trees, shrubs and grasses, but also on controlling rats, ferrets and stoats.

'Rats have been part of our focus from the start,” she explains.

'When we first moved to Tanners Point we stared rat control and within three months we noticed an increase in tui numbers because the five-finger berries they feed on weren't being eaten by rats.

'I'm a bit concerned that rat numbers are on the increase again and I'm encouraging locals to do what they can to keep them under control as well.”

Heather and Bernie have raised native plants, adding them to hundreds supplied by local councils and each year, with the help of volunteers, they have been planted around the reserve, providing more habitat and food for birds.

A boardwalk around the northern shores of the peninsula has been another project for Heather, and she was instrumental in local council and landowners fencing out stock from the harbour edge.

'I couldn't have done it without everybody else contributing,” Heather says. 'But when I see the baby fantails lining up for a feed of insects, it's all worthwhile.”

The other contestants are from Little River, Hawke's Bay, Christchurch and Alexandra.

You can vote for your favourite Gardena Gardener of Year finalist and enter the draw to win $250 worth of Gardena tools, by clicking here. http://engage.ubiquity.co.nz/surveys/M3hpjN35i06t_QjSubDraQ