Categories: General
      Date: Aug  9, 2011
     Title: 1,450 Planted in Latest Honda TreeFund Initiatives

84 volunteers have planted over 1,450 native trees and plants in the latest Honda TreeFund initiatives in Hawke’s Bay, Karamea Estuary and Petone Beach.
The plantings were made possible following financial contributions from the Honda TreeFund, which funds the planting of 13 native trees for every new car sold by the company. The trees are planted locally in the customers’ purchase region by the local council, Honda staff and their customers. Nationally more than 460,000 trees have been funded. The British Oxygen Company also financially contributed to the initiative.

Hawke’s Bay

Around 50 adults and children rolled up their sleeves on a beautiful winter’s day to plant 450 native trees and shrubs as part of a project to help support Pakowhai Country Park’s local biodiversity.

“The park is a special place for Hawke’s Bay people to enjoy a rural environment and benefits greatly from support such as that provided through the Honda New Zealand TreeFundprogramme”, explains the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Operations Environmental Manager, Steve Cave. 

This latest planting brings the total number of trees funded locally by Honda TreeFund to 18,856, an investment of over $90,000 in the Hawke’s Bay region.

Karamea Estuary

A group of 9 student volunteers from America and Canada, worked diligently for the day alongside members of the Karamea Estuary Enhancement Project (KEEP) to plant trees and weed existing plantings along the Karamea Estuary Walkway.

The group, which is part of the International Student Volunteer organisation, will spend a month in New Zealand with two weeks doing voluntary work and two weeks of travel and adventure before returning to the United States and Canada to resume their studies.

Petone Beach

Sun, sand and surf greeted twenty-five volunteers from Honda Cars Wellington, Hutt Honda Service Centre, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Hutt City Council and Friends of Petone Beach as they performed essential planting work to protect the picturesque coast line at Petone Beach.

Working on the dunes adjacent to Petone wharf, the volunteers planted over 1,000 plants in support of the Friends of Petone Beach’s ongoing initiative to restore the dune ecosystem. The planting programme strives to reduce the impact of rising sea levels, minimise storm surge damage and restore the areas’ native biodiversity.

During the session, Honda Cars Wellington presented a cheque to the Greater Wellington Regional Council for $26,750, to fund the Petone Beach planting. The presentation was part of Honda New Zealand’s TreeFund initiative.