Source: Hutt City Council
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry has delivered on his pledge to plant a native tree or plant for every resident in the city.
Today Mayor Barry planted the 114,000th tree – a Kōwhai in Riddiford Gardens – to mark the significant milestone for Mouri Tupu Planting for the Future.
“I’m really proud we’ve achieved this city-wide goal before the end of this triennium. None of it would have been possible without the community, who embraced the project and put in the work,” Barry said.
He said schools and kindergartens stood out in particular.
“Seeing our youngest residents take part in planting has been a real highlight.”
Mouri Tupu has been so successful that it will exceed its target through a mix of council projects, community partnerships, and public giveaways.
This will see around 46,000 plants in parks and reserves, nearly 29,000 delivered through major projects like Te Ngaengae Pool + Fitness, Motutawa Avalon Skate Park and Tupua Horo Nuku, a further 31,500 distributed to 14 community groups, and 6,000 gifted to more than 1,100 households during weekend giveaways.
Over 30 schools and kindergartens received around 6,000 plants through the Enviroschools programme, and approximately 1,100 new citizens received plants at recent ceremonies.
Mouri is the life force or energy present in everything, while Tupu refers to the early stages of the plant life cycle.
Barry hoped the campaign would inspire people to continue planting more trees and plants and serve as a reminder of the importance of looking after the environment.
“Trees are our environment’s lungs, and by doing more planting we can mitigate our city emissions and enhance our places and spaces.
“By planting these trees and other plants, we will leave a greener legacy for our tamariki and mokopuna and will help teach the value of protecting and enhancing our environment.”
He acknowledged the efforts of council staff, community groups, mana whenua partners, schools, volunteers and every local who picked up a spade.
