Community members, iwi representatives, members of the RSA, schoolchildren and Council staff will all come together this week to plant trees as part of Matariki Tu Rākau. Falling under the Government’s One Billion Trees programme, the Matariki Tu Rākau initiative was announced on Anzac Day, 25 April 2018 as an opportunity for communities to plant trees to recognise the service of men and women of the New Zealand Defence Forces, past and present.
Whakatāne District Council Manager Places and Open Spaces, Mike Houghton, says the programme is one of a series of initiatives around the country to mark the 100-year anniversary of the end of the First World War. “Matariki falls near the middle of the planting season for most of the country, and the rising of the constellation of Matariki marks a traditional time of rebirth, thanksgiving and remembrance celebrated as the Māori New Year.”
Whakatāne District Council has secured funding to plant 121 trees across the District. Approximately 100 of those will be smaller native species, planted on the Port Ōhope Recreation Reserve, with each other location receiving three larger specimens. The plantings will take place in:
- Murupara (near the newly developed Rangitāiki River Walkway)
- Waimana Domain
- Tāneatua Skate Park
- Edgecumbe (near the squash club)
- Matatā Domain
- Te Teko
- Port Ōhope Recreation Reserve on Ōhope Spit
Mr Houghton says that each tree-planting site will ultimately be decorated with a commemorative plaque in recognition of Matariki 2018. “The trees will all be native varieties and species will include rimu, matai, miro, titoki, tōtara, puriri, kahikatea, pohutukawa and kanuka.”
Mr Houghton concluded that Matariki Tu Rākau plantings will create living salutes to complement our time-honoured war memorials. “They will be public places where whanau, communities, and visitors can reflect on the work and sacrifices of our service personnel.”