Growing our future

The University is working with Wellington City Council and Conservation Volunteers New Zealand to help restore native forests around the Wellington region.

Student planting native tree

Get involved

Registrations are now open for our 2024 Growing our Future planting days on 26 and 27 July.

Register now
New Zealand native fern

Growing our future

Planting more native trees is an important action we can all take to tackle climate change. We’re excited about our environmental partnership with Wellington City Council. Our aim is to create a new carbon sink in the city's Outer Green Belt in Ohariu Valley and become a net zero-carbon organisation by 2030.

Find out more

About the Ohariu Valley

Ohariu Valley planting site

Outer green belt

The Wellington Outer Green Belt is an ongoing project to create a series of reserves to run uninterrupted from Porirua in the north to the southern coastline.
Student research

Research

The Growing Our Future project is a living lab that will provide researchers and students with cumulative data collated from monitored plots.
Wellington Harbour by Charles Heaphy

History

Ohariu has a history steeped in change. Learn about the communities of the past to broaden your perspective on the future.
Bartlett's rātā

Carbon sequestration

The Growing Our Future reforestation project is a significant part of the University's strategy to become carbon neutral by 2030. Trees and other plants convert carbon dioxide gas to carbohydrates via photosynthesis, sequestering or removing it from the atmosphere for the lifetime of the plant.

Learn more