With our support, a new native plant nursery has taken root at Christchurch’s Climate Action Campus – growing seedlings that will be planted in the surrounding community.
More than 1,000 seedlings are already being nurtured at the nursery which has been created by Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ), a not-for-profit organisation that Lane Neave has supported for almost four years.
CVNZ Regional Manager Hamish Fairbairn says that with the help of local schools and other community groups, their goal is to eventually grow 5,000 seedlings each year, sprouted from seeds sourced from the local East Christchurch area. Once acclimatised, the seedlings will initially be gifted to local residents for their gardens – helping to green the area with native plants.
The long-term vision is to plant seedlings along the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor in partnership with landowner Christchurch City Council. The plants will join the 80,000 native trees, grasses and shrubs that CVNZ volunteers have already planted in the river corridor.
“By starting to grow our own seedlings, we’re creating a new way to connect with the community,” Hamish says.
“It’s also a nice circular loop – sourcing plants from the city’s red zone, growing them into seedlings and then planting them back along the river corridor.”
The new nursery features a tunnel house where seeds are germinated and grown into seedlings. They’re then moved into one of the many irrigated shade houses until they’re established enough to mature outside.
The Climate Change Campus is the first of its kind in New Zealand. It has been developed on the site of the former Avonside Girls High School which closed following Christchurch’s devastating earthquakes. Located adjacent to the Red Zone, the campus is designed to educate and empower students and locals to take meaningful action on climate change.
Lane Neave’s partnership with CVNZ includes providing funding, regularly participating in volunteer planting days in Christchurch and Auckland, and providing them with pro bono legal advice.
