Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones is again dipping into the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) kitty to help with the Government's goal of planting one billion trees.
This morning, Jones announced the fund would provide $2.2 million towards planting almost 250,000 native trees in Punakaiki, on the West Coast, and at Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury.
Roughly half of the $2.2m would be spent on planting 35.8ha of native forest – almost 180,000 trees – at Punakaiki.
The rest was earmarked for almost 70,000 trees at the Te Waihora/Lakes Ellesmere shoreline. This would create 34ha of new kahikatea forest by the lake.
"Planting these native trees has multiple benefits," Jones said.