Trees for Survival NZ

Trees for Survival NZ is a charitable trust which works with schools and local communities to grow and plant native trees along waterways and on erosion prone hillsides. This environmental education programme gives our students an opportunity to make a practical difference to their local environment while learning about conservation, revegetation, erosion protection, wetland restoration and protecting stream quality. On this page you will be able to access photos documenting the growth of our seedlings each year and the highly anticipated annual planting out.

2023 Planting Day

On Thursday 27th July 2023 a larger than usual group of 63 Year 5-8s and 10 adults donned their warmest gear, raincoats and beanies and drove off to our host landholders property. Jenny Goodwright had previously ensured that the steep site, overlooking a stunning valley and rolling countryside, was sprayed and all ready for planting. Sally Clegg (Trees for Survival NZ coordinator and national manager) met us on site where we had our annual briefing followed by a digging demonstration - great for our newest planters. This year we planted 880 plants, all ready to take root and stabilise this windblown site. Overtime, this planting will create a corridor that will become a haven for local birdlife. Here are a selection of photos from this year's planting day:

2022 Planting Day

On Thursday 9th June 2022 a group of 42 very keen Year 5-8 tamariki and 10 adults headed off to this year's planting site where we met up with our host landholders, Scott and Janna Shuker, and Sally Clegg (Trees for Survival NZ coordinator and regional manager). This year we were planting around the banks of a newly created pond which, in time, will become an ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife.  We had an outstanding stock of planting material this year - 927 plants that had been nurtured by us over the last six months in our planting bay.  Approximately half of our students this year were first-time planters which is fantastic. They did a wonderful job, getting stuck in to do the mahi and ending up suitably muddy :) Here are a few photos :

2021 Planting Day

Thursday 17th June 2021 saw 38 Year 5-8 children and 10 adults doing the mahi alongside Sally Clegg (Trees for Survival NZ) and our host landholders to plant a variety of native plants on a sloping bank leading to a pond. The 767 plants had previously been grown from locally gathered seed in 2020, sown by TFSNZ and then delivered to us in August 2020 as seedlings, ready for potting up by our Nature Warriors into grow bags. We then cared for these in our planting bay, ensuring that they had enough water, especially through the dry summer months, and giving them a "haircut" when needed. The end result was very strong, well-established plants with excellent root systems. Over time, we look forward to seeing these plants flourish in their new habitat and make a sustainable difference to the health of the whenua. 

It was a rather wet day, and we got more than a little damp and muddy ... but it was all part of the adventure! The smiles on the faces say it all.