Each month I post social media content about how many trees/plants Lightwire has planted, but this month I wanted to actually show some clear examples of our work. There isn’t a lot of wow factor here (although the area shown is very young), it is a hard slog with many thousands of plants required to make a real difference in a small area, but we have made a start.
Lightwire previously planted with Greenfleet, which is a great organisation. However, when working with Greenfleet, Lightwire was one of many contributors and because of the scale they had, it was easy to feel that our contribution was bigger than it really was on planting days. Partnering with Ata Rangi we get a much better feel for the scale of change we are bringing about, and my desire to see that become bigger and more meaningful is a great driver.
Our current project is shown in the images below, it is a 1ha area that is being planted by Ata Rangi with approximately 2000 plants/trees put in the ground in that small area. All the plants we are using are natives and include toe toe, tea-tree, and flax. The plants here are growing well, so the need for replanting will be minimal.
Working actively with key stakeholders to build sustainable farms, Ata Rangi constantly assesses farmland and best use practice for parcels of land. This small area will soon be completed but they have identified (in conjunction with the Council) our next area to plant, it is a nearby spot with erosion/runoff risk. Planting will begin in September.
Our customers and partners enable us to fund this initiative, so I wanted to share the results. As we continue to add parcels of land where planting has been completed I will continue to provide updates.
Brendan Ritchie
