Teaming up to help the environment

Students from Climate Action Campus are teaming up with Christchurch City Council park rangers to plant native trees and shrubs on a parcel of former red zone land on Friday.

The Climate Action Campus takes students from nine different schools who are involved in creating gardens, orchards and greenhouses on a 1.8 hectare piece of former red zone land.

Around 15 students are taking part in Friday's planting session on the corner of Woodham Road and Avonside Drive. It’s one of a number of volunteer planting days happening over the coming months.

Community volunteers play a vital role in planting and maintaining green spaces throughout the city and Banks Peninsula, says Council Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge.  

“There’s a massive amount of planting happening or in the pipeline in Christchurch at the moment. It’s unprecedented and we couldn’t do it without the dedication and commitment of our amazing volunteers. They’re simply invaluable.”

Some of the larger projects in the pipeline are the Eastman Wetland landscape plan which will return a vast area of 100,000 native plants to the city’s south-west, and areas of the 11km Green Spine that will form the core of the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor regeneration area.

“Alongside these big planting programmes which we are planning for, there’s a huge range of ongoing partnership projects in our public parks and reserves.

“We’re really grateful for the time gifted by volunteer groups and individuals, not only to planting but also watering, mulching and weeding – the ongoing mahi that’s a crucial part of keeping trees and shrubs growing and flourishing.”

If you are interested in attending a community volunteer planting or maintenance event this winter we have a range on offer including:

• Sunday 10 July, Styx Mill Conservation Reserve with Trees for Canterbury
• Wednesday 13 July, West Broken Run Reserve, Wigram as part of Kidsfest
• Saturday 20 August, Southshore Spit with Trees for Canterbury