A Forest in The Heart of Wellington
Mount Victoria, Wellington

The planting of a “Forest in the Heart of Wellington” will celebrate the Rotary Club of Wellington’s Centenary in 2021. Wellington was the first Rotary Club to be founded in New Zealand in June 1921. It is now one of more than 250 Rotary Clubs throughout New Zealand, and the largest, with 140 members.

This project will involve volunteers from schools, communities and corporations in the planting of 65,000 native trees in the central Wellington Town Belt, bringing the total number of trees planted by Wellington Rotary to 100,000.  Planting has been carried out annually since 1967 when the then Rotary president, businessman Roy McKenzie persuaded Wellington City Council to beautify Lambton Quay with plants which are now fully grown trees.  Since then Rotary has planted 35,000 plants, including 12,000 during the past five years on Mt Victoria through a project with Wellington City Council.

The new forest will be centred on a prominent part of the town belt near Government House which is currently dominated by gorse and blackberry. Plantings will accelerate the restoration of native bush to the town belt of Mt Victoria and Newtown, where fires had largely removed bush before European settlers arrived in 1840 and pines now dominate. This project will create a substantial new habitat for native birds which are increasingly venturing beyond the protective fence of Zealandia.

In order to achieve the substantial increase in annual plantings required to meet the goal of 100,000 trees, the Rotary Club of Wellington have partnered with CVNZ  who will act as the project manager, ensuring that the project’s momentum is maintained, goals are achieved, and that volunteers are managed in a safe and productive manor.