June 20, 2017
Trees offered for Matariki planting
Matariki is upon us, and that's a good time to plant trees.
Trees That Count, a new roopu set up with funding from the Tindall Foundation to address climate change, is giving away trees to celebrate matariki.
It has seven packs of 300 native seedling to give to seven community groups, schools or non-profit organisation nationwide, representing each of the seven stars of Matariki.
Project director Tanya Hart says her group wants to see one tree planted this year for every New Zealander as the first step in a plan to reforest Aotearoa.
"It's about creating a movement of kiwis, of whanau, of iwi, of schools uniting to help to restore and enhance our landscapes and our waterways and our air. By the year 2030 we would like to reach 200 million trees and it's not about us putting trees in the ground, it's about us doing everything we can to encourage and enable others to do that," she says.
Ms Hart says there is huge interest in the contest, which can be entered on the group's website.
www.treesthatcount.co.nz/matariki
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