Local tamariki digging in to make a difference
Council provides support by offering areas in local reserves for planting, transporting plants, preparing the sites with mulch and pre-dug holes, helping out on the day and ongoing maintenance of the plants.
So far council has supported planting days with Ōtonga Primary School and Westbrook Primary School, and will be working with Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Technology in the coming weeks.
“Trees for survival is an education programme that works with students to develop an enduring respect for the environment”, says local Trees for Survival Representative Regan Conner.
“The students gain knowledge and understanding of the importance of native plants on our ecology.”
Trees for Survival is a charitable trust which works with schools and local communities across New Zealand to grow and plant native trees along waterways and on erosion prone hillsides.
The organisation works with 156 kura (schools) across Aotearoa with seven of those schools in Rotorua. The programme teaches students how to grow native plants and how to plant them to restore natural habitats. Trees for Survival supply potting mix and seeds to schools and the students grow and nurture the plants for a year and then, working with private and public landowners, plant them in a location nearby so they can continue to watch them grow.
Council supports a number of community initiatives that focus on revegetation around the district. Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Instagram pages for more updates about local planting days to get involved with.