Project Overview
The Tautoru Mautai kaupapa on Banks Peninsula is a significant land restoration and carbon offset initiative led by Orion NZ in partnership with Wairewa Rūnanga. The project aims to recloak the whenua (land) with native plant species, contributing to the restoration of native ecosystems and helping offset Orion’s residual operational carbon emissions through to 2050. Riverside Horticulture is proud to supply the native seedlings that are crucial to the success of this initiative.
Project Scope and Challenges
Riverside Horticulture’s role in this project involves eco-sourcing, propagating, and delivering kanuka seedlings. The kanuka act as a cover crop, allowing hardwoods and podocarps to establish over time. Eco-sourcing is a critical component of the project, with seeds collected from naturally occurring trees on or near the planting sites. Each seed batch is meticulously tracked using GPS locations and photographs of the mother plants.
One of the challenges was minimizing the plastic footprint of the project while ensuring efficient planting and rapid establishment of the plants. Riverside Horticulture addressed this by growing the kanuka in EnviroPots, which significantly reduces plastic use. The EnviroPots were also custom-printed with the partnership logos, further enhancing the project’s identity.
Riverside Horticulture's Approach
Riverside Horticulture employed a comprehensive approach to meet the project's goals, from eco-sourcing seeds to innovative planting techniques. The use of EnviroPots was pivotal in reducing environmental impact, and the logistics of delivering seedlings to remote locations were optimized by utilizing Riverside's Helipods. This allowed for efficient distribution of the plants across challenging terrains, ensuring planters could work more effectively.
Client Testimonial
(No testimonial provided yet)
Outcome
The partnership between Orion NZ, Wairewa Rūnanga, and Riverside Horticulture has led to successful plantings on Banks Peninsula, with thousands of kanuka seedlings already established and more to come. The project demonstrates Riverside Horticulture’s commitment to environmental sustainability and innovation in large-scale restoration efforts. The continued collaboration through to 2027 will further enhance the region’s natural landscape and contribute to significant carbon offset goals.
Do you have a project coming up to offset emissions? Get in touch with our capable, transparent team today. Fergus is the one to talk to about contract-growing natives. Email him at [email protected].
