Wintec students dig in for World War 1 Memorial
Wintec horticulture and landscape students are taking part in a World War I Memorial forest project in the Coromandel which will see thousands of trees planted to recognise fallen New Zealand soldiers.
The initiative was launched on Friday 5 June as part of Arbour Day by the Minister of Conservation, Maggie Barry, at the Gallipoli Memorial Forest on public conservation land above Cathedral Cove.
The project will eventually see 18,166 trees planted at 10 sites around the Coromandel Peninsula – one tree for each New Zealand service personnel killed in the Great War.
Wintec was invited by Thames District Council, in conjunction with Department of Conservation, to assist with the project, which will roll out over the next three years until the 100-year anniversary of the end of WW1 in 2018.
The students visited the Cathedral Cove section of the project on 4 June to lay out the first 100 of 2779 trees and dig the holes for the official proceedings. The students then met with Department of Conservation officials and visited other project sites in the area where they will work on designs, planting and walkway construction.
The students will return later in the season to plant the remaining trees and from then on will be involved in building walking tracks, stairways, boardwalks and viewing platforms, as well as regular maintenance, weed and pest control.
Wintec landscape design tutor Jan Latham said the project provides the students with valuable hands-on experience.
“It exposes our students to a unique and special area of landscape design and construction that they would otherwise not come into contact with. Having a real project and 'outdoor classroom' is a magic opportunity.”
Read more about the project here.
