Comvita plantings add to tree count
Comvita is marking Bee Awareness Month by celebrating the addition of 2,300,000 trees to the Government’s national tree count in 12 months.
The ma¯ nuka honey exporter currently occupies second place on the official Trees that Count Leaderboard having planted 6,400,000 ma¯ nuka seedlings in regional parts of New Zealand since 2016.
The Comvita Ma¯ nuka Plantation Programme contributes to biodiversity, given ma¯ nuka is a nursery plant, and the wellbeing of bee colonies. Jobs are also created in rural areas where ma¯ nuka planting takes place.
Over the past year, Comvita planted more than 2000ha of farmland in ma¯ nuka across six regions.
Once the plantations are established, Comvita will place their hives on the properties to collect a honey crop. Comvita’s accompanying Ma¯ nuka Breeding Programme has been successful in producing high-quality ma¯ nuka cultivars to suit differing environments.
“We’re now undertaking companion planting, growing a range of other native plant species alongside ma¯ nuka to further assist with beehive health and biodiversity,” says Comvita plantations manager Joshua Easton. “This September we believe it’s worth celebrating the positive impact of our plantation programme as part of Bee Aware Month.
In 2018, the Government established the One Billion Trees Programme, charged with planting one billion trees by 2028 to create employment in regional areas, optimise land use, protect the environment and mitigate climate change while supporting New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy. So far 110 million trees have been planted.
With funding from the Tindall Foundation, the conservation charity is counting native trees planted by community groups, government agencies, schools and businesses. Trees that Count also monitors and measures the positive impact native plantings are having.
Comvita general manager safety and sustainability Heather Johnston says planting native trees is a powerful action New Zealanders can take to counter climate change, and protect the country’s landscapes and waterways for future generations.
“We’re proud of our positive contribution to New Zealand’s future through our restorative plantings.”
Sustainability is at its best when doing good benefits the environment and the community, while also aligning with the commercial needs of a business.”