August 22, 2016
Million trees to start korowai
The woman heading Ngati Whatua Orakei’s forest reafforestation programme says a mayoral candidate’s promise to plant a million trees will just be a start.
As part of his environment platform, Phil Goff has promised to spend a million dollars a year supporting iwi, community groups and others who want to build up tree cover around Auckland.
Richelle Kahui-McConnell says any support is welcome but the job may be larger than Mr Goff realises, going on what Ngati Whatua has planted at Takaparawhau-Bastion Point over the past decade and a half.
"200,000 at Takaparawhau have only just begun to cloak her and there are large regions of Takaparawhau that haven't had the cloak returned so a million trees is probably what it would take to cloak Bastion Point Takaparawhau. I'm not belittling a million trees but that is only the start," she says.
Richelle Kahui-McConnell says it’s good to hear a candidate with an environment policy problem because the Auckland Council’s environmental services section is facing upheaval and uncertainty.
RICHELLE KAHUI McCONNELL INTERVIEW
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