GROUPS & ACTIVITIES Eco-Action Nursery
For decades, kereru¯ have been mostly absent from Christchurch. The Eco-Action Nursery Trust is a student-based organisation where school students, parents, teachers and community volunteers help locally to grow and raise New Zealand native trees in nurseries around Christchurch. These are then planted in the Christchurch red zone. This acts as a carbon sink, and provides a “native corridor” of food and shelter for native birds, encouraging their return into the heart of our city. As of this year, we have 22 schools/institutions based around Christchurch which have joined this cause. With the launch of the College Diploma this year, many more College students are giving their time to the school’s local nursery. We are also fortunate to have students from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School join in to help with the action. As a school, we have given nearly 2000 hours of service to the nursery. There is
always good banter around every table and the jobs are always done well. My thanks to all the students at College and Rangi Ruru for their tremendous help over this year. This year, we have successfully managed to plant 18,000 natives in the Christchurch red zone, at our usual locations of the QEII Nature Trail and 28 Chimera Crescent. Trees from previous years have been growing very well at these locations. The previously planted blocks have enjoyed fantastic growth this season as well. The weather and Covid-19 cooperated this season, with all four public plantings well supported. Early each planting day, a few dedicated College students have arrived to help prepare the site for when plantings start at 10am. From 10am–12pm, the natives have been planted and we have been packed to leave within the two hours. Good, wet ground conditions should result in good survivability. However, Canterbury weather is
fickle, with drought an ever-present probability – even after the wettest year. Hopefully, most of the 18,000 natives our Eco-Action community has planted this year will survive these conditions over the summer and in 20 years’ time the areas will be a beautiful forest. As we transition from this year to the next, I would like to thank everyone who gave their time to this cause. Whether you have just joined us, or have been with us for some time, your contribution is important, and we thank you. As William Law and I leave College, we welcome our 2023 Eco-Action leaders – Ben Donaldson (Head of Environment), Greg Robertson, Angus Gifford and Otto Elworthy. I am excited to see what they will do for Eco-Action and the College Environment Committee next year. Thomas Currie Eco-Action Environment Leader
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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