What the world needs now is trees, sweet trees (and love, sweet love - you weren’t wrong there, Dionne), and our mates over at Trees That Count are making a massive difference here in Aotearoa by helping us all add to the number of natives being planted.

Not just awe-inspiring to look at, our majestic natives help to counter the effects of climate change, increase the biodiversity of our forests, and create beautiful habitats for our native birds and insects at the same time. Plus, who doesn’t love a leisurely stroll through our native bush? It’s all the good stuff.

In October this year we joined forces with the Trees That Count team, partnering up to plant one native tree on behalf of every new Flick customer who joined us before November 30. (NB: Good news, we’ve now shifted that date out to December 31 so that we can plant even more trees. Just call us the Lorax).

We knew that we and our Flicksters, together, had the power to make a big impact on the number of trees being planted here in NZ. And, as part of an industry that generates carbon emissions, we have a responsibility to act as a kaitiaki and do the best we can by our environment - and this is one step in the right direction.

So far, our Flicksters’ tree total tallies a healthy 1,240 trees (we’re aiming for over 3,000 by the end of it). And, according to the team at Trees That Count, the trees are going to be planted next winter (why winter? Well, that’s because the trees are dormant, and will have time to get used to their new home before the stresses of summer come along) at one of 6 locations throughout Aotearoa.

First up, in this blog, we’re introducing you to our southernmost planting point at Central Southland College, a rural high school with a roll of around 580 students, situated 30km north of Invercargill.

The site for the new native trees is part of the greater school area, and also includes part of the Winton Walking track. Formerly planted in pines, the school side of the track was replanted with 800 natives two years ago, and they now plan to plant along the boundary creek with native riparian species. The eventual goal? A beautiful space for all, with a walking track loop, signs to identify tree species, and beehives. Tu meke!

We’ll check out more of the areas where Flicksters’ trees have been planted over the coming months, including up beyond the Bombay Hills right down to the golden shores of the Tasman region. But it’s proof that team work makes the dream work, and we reckon this dream is one we can all be very proud of.