Trees That Count (TTC) is teaming up with Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) and Whangārei District Council to acknowledge the Coronation of King Charles III.

Trees That Count CEO, Robyn Haugh, says her team is pleased to allocate 7,000 native trees and assist KMR and the local community during a planting day on 15 July to plant out the margins of the Mangawhero Stream near the Hikurangi Sports ground, north of Te Kamo. In time, these native trees could help to improve water quality, create precious habitats and control erosion.

“Trees That Count have been working in a strategic partnership with KMR for the past two years. To date we have provided more than 90,000 native trees to KMR landowners and community groups to plant in the Kaipara Moana catchment,” says Robyn.

“It’s inspiring to collaborate on planting days. They provide a poignant moment for the community and all parties involved.”

KMR Pou Tātaki Justine Daw agrees, and says her team is looking forward to working with TTC and WDC.

“This is a fantastic partnership opportunity to work together and celebrate conservation in action,” says Justine.

“As Trees That Count have highlighted, a tree planted today brings benefits to future generations – for our rangitahi and tamariki. Planting the right tree in the right place today is a symbolic recognition of a stronger environmental future for all here in Aotearoa.

“The He Rā Rākau Tītapu King Charles III Coronation Plantings across New Zealand align perfectly to the whole ethos of KMR – to keep our valuable soils on the land. The projects we invest in help to restore wetlands, fence off rivers and streams, plant trees and regenerate forest on erosion-prone land. They also help grow biodiversity and support valued species to thrive.

“Nationally, KMR is the largest recipient of Trees That Count trees, and we are aiming at the top spot this year! We love being able to make those trees available to landowners to help with their restoration journey,” says Justine.

Phil Halse, Whangārei District Councillor and Co-Chair of the KMR Working Group, says he is impressed with the work to date and the results that KMR has achieved.

“The New Zealand Government’s gift of 100,000 native trees to mark the King’s Coronation will create a living legacy, build resilience to climate change, and aligns with King Charles’s lifelong interest in environmental conservation,” says Phil.

“As we saw last year during Cyclone Gabrielle, trees help slow floodwaters, protecting people, homes and other infrastructure from the worst impacts.”

Trees That Count Regional Advisor Paul Quinlan says KMR are to be congratulated for running such a successful and professional programme.

“Achieving real impact at scale is an ambitious challenge. However, the combined effect of all these plantings is significant,” says Paul.

“Planting is such an inherently positive activity. It’s really about trying to change the future for the better. Along the way, you make all of these connections with people and organisations which builds communities as well. Trees That Count are proud to be partnering with KMR to make a positive difference to our environment.”

Justine says around a quarter of the Kaipara Moana catchment is within the Whangārei District, stretching from the Waiariki, Waiotū and Whakapara sub-catchments in the North and East, to the lower Mangakāhia sub-catchment in the West, to the Tauraroa and Mangonui sub-catchments in the South.

Justine encourages landowners and groups in the Whangārei District to join the more than 620 farmers, hapū, whānau, marae, catchment groups and community groups already taking action with KMR support.  To find out more about how to start a KMR project, send an email to hono@kmr.org.nz

On 9 October 2020, the Ministry for the Environment, Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Te Uri o Hau, Northland Regional Council and Auckland Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly establish KMR, a decade-long programme.

The projects KMR invests in bring wider benefits including thriving rural communities and enhanced connection to local waterways, greater protection for valued species, and resilience to extreme weather.

By the end of winter 2024 – just two and a half years since the first tree was planted through the programme – KMR will have supported the planting of more than two million trees and other plants.