Tourism New Zealand partners with ‘Trees That Count’ to build ‘Forest of Hope’

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Tourism New Zealand has joined hands with ‘Trees That Count’ in order to build a Forest of Hope. The tourism authority has decided to urge people to share their disappointment from 2020 so that they can help to turn it into hope by planting a native tree. The initiative will allow travellers to give back to gift a tree to a friend, or to better the environment by purchasing a tree for a minimal sum. When travellers are allowed to travel again, they will be able to visit the tree that they helped grow, either in Northland or Queenstown.

Trees That Count is New Zealand’s community marketplace to connect tree funders and planters. It is a conservation charity that started in November 2016 with the vision to help plant 200 million native trees across the country, done through a community marketplace that connects tree funders to tree planters. Since they started, they have planted over 32,432,000 trees. Over 50 years, these native trees have the potential to remove a lot of the carbon dioxide that would otherwise be sitting in the atmosphere, estimated between 5 to over 7 million tonnes of it.

Tourism New Zealand’s participation in the movement will contribute to an initiative that will make a lasting difference to New Zealand and benefit the climate of the world. Commenting on the partnership with Tourism New Zealand,CEO, Adele Fitzpatrick, Trees That Count said in a statement that the partnership with Tourism NZ will allow the organisation to extend optimism for the environment to audiences outside of New Zealand, with the message that native trees are part of culture, wellbeing and future prosperity.  She mentioned that native trees are one of the most powerful tools available that can help fight climate change while protecting the unique biodiversity, as well as help in reinforcing existing international visions of Aotearoa as a country of breath-taking natural beauty, outdoor adventure, and unique experiences keyed to nature.

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