Members of our Summit team recently joined locals to take part in the annual planting day at the dune lake Little Gem.
Summit organises this event annually, including preparing the planting site and purchasing the eco-sourced seedlings. This year we planted 1000 seedlings (mostly Kanuka plus Karaka, Houpara, Manuka, Harakeke, Tī kōuka and Kohekohe) plus 396 Pohutukawa.
Little Gem is a dune lake. There are over 400 dune lakes in Northland but they’re rare around the world and highly threatened by coastal development. Destroying these dune lakes has consequences for the associated unique flora and fauna.
Summit’s Little Gem property also offers recreation values. A recreational track provides a link between Lake Ngatu, Te Hiku Forest, and Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē / Ninety Mile Beach. People use the open space to exercise, relax and reconnect with nature. Local schools also use the site for outdoor education programmes.
Our Kaitaia Summit team were thrilled to take part in this day, well supported by Paparore School children, teachers and whanau, as well as staff and representatives from the Department of Conservation, Bushland Trust, Ngāi Takoto, and Fish & Game.