New fruit trees for Laughton Street

Ask little Lily O'Sullivan why she enjoys planting trees between her kindergarten and the adjoining reserve and her answer is typical of a four-year-old - she likes to get her hands dirty!

But there was more to the experience than that, of course, and Lily is also looking forward to the fruit the trees will bear in the next few years.

Children from Central Kids Kindergarten Laughton helped our staff plant 12 fruit trees in Laughton Street Reserve last month including orange, mandarin, lemon, guava and feijoa trees.

Parks operations manager Andrew Moor said the idea to plant trees in the reserve came from the kindergarten, which will act as kaitiaki or guardian of the trees.

"This is about creating a sustainable environment for our children and future generations," he said. "The trees will take a few years to bear fruit but in the meantime, Central Kids Laughton children get to learn about the trees, how to care for them and what it means for the environment."

Central Kids Laughton is an Enviroschools kindergarten - part of a group that aims to foster a generation of people who instinctively think and act sustainably.

Head teacher Jan Smith said it was great to have children working with council staff to build a positive green environment nearby.

"All participating kindergartens have their own culture and ours is about providing food for our community," she said. The tree planting was the first stage of two, with another wave of trees scheduled to be planted next year.

1 November 2017