World Environment Day: celebrating some of our hardest working locals

They might not make much noise, but native trees are constantly at work supporting the health of our environment, from our lakes and rivers to our climate and biodiversity.

And with Arbor Day also marked in Aotearoa New Zealand this week, it’s a fitting time to celebrate the role trees play in protecting what makes our district special.

Like much of Aotearoa, our district has seen significant loss of native vegetation over time, particularly in lowland areas. But there’s positive momentum building. Planting efforts are growing, with community groups, iwi, landowners and volunteers working together to restore landscapes and strengthen ecosystems for the future. Projects like Project Tohu, alongside many others, are helping bring native vegetation back to where it once thrived.

World Environment Day is about taking action to protect and restore our natural world, and planting native trees is one of the most practical ways we can do that here in our district.

When it rains, trees help slow things down. Water is absorbed into the ground instead of rushing downhill into streams and lakes. Their roots help hold soil in place, reducing erosion and keeping sediment out of waterways.

At the same time, the soil and vegetation around trees act as a natural filter, helping to clean water before it reaches our lakes and rivers. This plays an important role in protecting some of our district’s most valued natural environments.

Native trees also play a key role in helping us respond to a changing climate. By providing shade and releasing moisture, they help cool the landscape while creating habitat and food for native species.

At the same time, they quietly store carbon, helping to reduce greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

Together, these benefits support healthier, more resilient landscapes, better equipped to cope with what the future holds.

Want to see how it all works? Learn how native trees protect our lakes, landscapes, and climate in our fact sheet.