This year, the planting will also involve some of the littler members of our community. Our on-site creche University Kids will be bringing along some of their tamariki to learn how to plant trees, so they can go on and develop a garden in their own backyard.
“We regularly take our tamariki on outings such as beach trips and forest walks, and we are always looking for opportunities that support their connection with nature and Kaitiakitanga. Being involved in this project will be an amazing hands-on learning experience for them, and a special way to contribute to the environment,” says Leanna Miratana, head of complex, University Kids—Fairlie Terrace.
Growing our Future is a collaborative project run by the University with the Wellington City Council, from which the University has leased 26 hectares of land for 33 years. During this time, the University community is replanting this land in native forest, with researchers monitoring the forest as it develops.
The University community has so far planted over 23,000 trees at the site, which is plugging a gap in the Outer Green Belt to ensure that birds and other native animals have safe spaces to nest and live. The project is important to the University, as a way of contributing to our goal of net zero carbon by 2030.
The site has been planted with 15 species, including kānuka and mānuka, and is being monitored by researchers and Master’s students from the University’s Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology—it is a living laboratory on the University’s doorstep that is ideal for teaching and learning. Results will assist the development of optimal management strategies for similar forest regeneration projects across the lower North and upper South Island.