PLANT A TREE
FOR CANTERBURY
The Christchurch Foundation's Green Philanthropy Fund was created to accelerate environmental progress in our region, ensuring that our ecosystems thrive. By donating to the Plant a Tree for Canterbury campaign, you can support carbon sequestration and increase biodiversity in the region.
Three incredible things happen when you donate to this fund:
1. For every $10 donated, we will plant a native seedling in the region.
2. Additionally, part of that $10 donation goes to building the Green Philanthropy Fund. This is an endowment fund dedicated to supporting projects that protect our whenua (land), awa (water), and rerenga rauropi (biodiversity), addressing the urgent need for environmental stewardship in Ōtautahi Christchurch and beyond.
3. As the tree grows, the Green Philanthropy Fund will continue to benefit from the carbon credits produced, so your contribution to nature will continue to grow and give back for generations to come.
CASE
STUDY
Purau Woodland is a harbour headland steeped in history and showing strong signs of wanting to return to its former glory as a native forest.
Purau Woodland is a harbour headland steeped in history and showing strong signs of wanting to return to its former glory as a native forest.
A narrow channel separates the Purau headland from Ripapa Island. The island is of very high significance to mana whenua with Tōpuni status in the Ngāi Tahu settlement. A fortified pa was built on Ripapa Island in the early nineteenth century, one of only two pa fortified against musket attacks in the 1820s and 30s. Later the island was used by European settlers as a quarantine station and then a substantial walled fort dating from 1886 was built during the Russian scare.
Historically, the Purau headland was a podocarp forest, with mataī, tōtara and kahikatea prominent.
This site was purchased by the landowner with the intention of restoring Purau Woodland to its original glory - a native forest.
Presently Purau Woodland is covered in pasture, which offers little if any biodiversity at present, but the varied morphology of the headland, with different aspects, outcrops and wet areas provides grounds for native species to establish naturally. The presence of native species on the outer fringes of the headland, such as māhoe, kānuka, ngaio, prostrate kōwhai, and mākaka provide evidence of restoration potential.
On a neighbouring property, there is an established native forest that has been growing for 20 years and Purau Woodland itself has older native trees scattered around the land that looks lonely in the landscape.
The vision for this forest is not only geared toward ecological restoration but also to benefit the local community by connecting the future forest to a walkway that currently stops at its doorstep.
Purau Woodland will be planted in stages, starting with the less exposed, wetter areas that are close to the neighbouring native forest.
When fully planted, this site has the potential to sequester around 10,000 tonnes of CO2, host thousands of species of bird and wildlife and help protect our ocean from degradation through erosion protection.
This case study was generously provided by My Native Forest.