Kiwi Olympians have joined forces with Brookby School pupils to plant native trees in Whitford for Olympic Day to support the Papakura Stream Restoration Project.
Along with a group from Conservation Volunteers NZ, 1375 trees were recently planted along the Papakura Stream’s banks to improve water quality, biodiversity, and ecological resilience in the area.
The initiative was part of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Day ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, which highlights themes of ‘Move’, ‘Learn’, and ‘Discover’ and aims to inspire young people to be active, explore new ideas, and connect with nature.
The tree planting was the brainchild of the New Zealand Olympians’ Commission.
Commission chair, Chantal Brunner, says such events help connect Olympians with communities and bring to life the themes of ‘Let’s Move’.
“Our goal is to inspire young people and share our stories. Sport is a powerful force for good, not just on the field, but in our schools, our neighbourhoods and our environment.
“Adding a sustainability element to our Olympic Day celebrations is a way to give back to the places where we move, train, and grow.”
Two-time Olympian, Olympic Ambassador, and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Dylan Schmidt opened the morning by sharing the highs and lows of chasing his Olympic dream.
“It’s been awesome to come back to where I spent a lot of time growing up, connect with the kids, and get stuck into some tree planting to make a tangible difference in the area.”
Three-time Olympian and Rio 2016 silver medallist Molly Meech, who’s completing her Masters of Sustainable Development Goals – Environmental Sustainability, says it’s heart-warming to see the kids eager to be out planting trees and helping in their local environment.
“Sailing is a sport so connected to the environment and nature so to be out here and part of this awesome initiative has been really special.
“The kids in our group did a great job. We had to request more trees to plant so that’s always a good sign!”
Conservation Volunteers NZ’s Siobhan O’Grady says while restoring the health of the Papakura Stream is an “extremely long-term project”, such events help spread the message of conservation in the community.
“It’s great to have local schoolkids involved in a project that’s happening right here in their backyard.
“Once our nursery gets up and running, we’re hopeful of planting 50,000 trees a year to continue to improve the ecosystem of the Papakura Stream.”
- This is part one of a two-part series on this ecological project in Whitford.
