Plenty of winter planting
More than 20,000 plants have been ordered by Greening Taupo¯ for planting this winter.
Last week Project Tongariro Mahi Aroha took the opportunity to show off their work to Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.
The Minister was impressed with the planting and restoration work along Waira¯ kei Corridor and says a real difference is being made by Greening Taupo¯ , Kids Greening Taupo¯ and Predator Free Taupo¯ .
“They are ordering so many plants this year, one for every person in Taupo¯ .”
The three organisations work under the umbrella organisation of Project Tongariro Mahi Aroha. The objective is to improve the Taupo¯ environment for people and wildlife, and enable young people to get involved in reallife projects. This involves planting and pest control on a mass scale, increasing biodiversity to offering leadership opportunities to young people.
The Minister said she recognised that what was happening was more than people getting out and planting and she firmly believes that community conservation projects lead to stronger and more resilient communities.
“Project Tongariro is taking things to a whole new level. Getting rangatahi and mokopuna involved is a basis for human well-being.”
She had great respect for the partnerships formed with the Conservation Department, iwi, businesses, funding providers, and local and regional councils.
“I am impressed with the Project Tongariro model.
“The organisation has evolved in ways that secure it the funding it needs while empowering local people to care for the places they care about.”
She says there are several regional umbrella conservation groups around New Zealand, including the Western Bay of Plenty and Fiordland.
Kids Greening Taupo¯ ’s Thea de Petris said the minister was impressed with their effectiveness as a community group.
“Our branding and our range of connections are all supporting us.”
Project Tongariro coordinator Kiri Te Wano said the effectiveness of Project Tongariro was there was no duplication for running the groups, and this freed everyone up for running things on the ground.
“All the high level strategic planning is done through Project Tongariro, all the reporting to charities and health and safety requirements are covered.”
Project Tongariro’s Paul Green said they have had terrific support from major funder the Bay of Plenty Community Trust Inc.
“They understand our structure, Terry Eggleton and the BayTrust have been really supportive.”
He said that Greening Taupo¯ , Kids Greening Taupo¯ and Predator Free Taupo¯ were a way of connecting with the urban population.
“I hope these people will support us and want to get involved in the wider context of what Project Tongariro does.”
Kids Greening Taupo¯ ’s Sian Moffitt says the minister gets all round the country and sees many different people.
“It’s awesome to be celebrated by a minister. She’s really knowledgeable.
“She even knows about the peripatus, the velvet worms.”
■ Join Kids Greening Taupo¯ and Greening Taupo¯ on Sunday for a community planting day at Aratiatia Track at 11am. More info on Facebook @KidsGreeningTaupo.