The Government has today announced a funding boost of $6.6 million to get Kiwis planting more native trees around the country.
The $1 billion Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will provide the $6.6 million over three years towards Project Crimson Trust's Trees That Count campaign - which was launched in 2016.
"The Trust's goal is to motivate New Zealanders to plant as many native trees as possible," Forestry Minister Shane Jones said.
This funding will allow Trees That Count to significantly scale up its efforts to mobilise more people to get out there and plant native trees to mitigate climate change, improve the environment and increase biodiversity.
"We want everyone – children, mums and dads, grandparents, teenagers, iwi and private businesses – to be part of the nationwide native tree planting movement as part of the One Billion Trees programme," Mr Jones said.
The NZ First MP said the funding will also be used to encourage businesses to fund trees which can be gifted and then planted by everyday Kiwis.
Landowners will also be able to pledge land to contribute to the tree planting effort.
Training is being developed with NorthTec, a local iwi and their plant nursery to get the project going, Mr Jones said.
Six regional advisors will be employed to train and connect land owners, tree funders and planting groups.
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