With the planting season coming into full swing the Thames-Coromandel District Council is gearing up to get more trees in the ground for the World War One Memorial Forest.

Four sites across the Coromandel are being prepared now and the goal is to have 18,166 native trees planted at 10 different sites – one tree for each New Zealander killed in the Great War.

Conservation and Culture & Heritage Minister Maggie Barry at the official launch of the World War One Memorial Forest in June. Photo: File

Each site represents a particular battle or campaign or an aspect of the war, such as Gallipoli, Passchendaele or "Supreme Sacrifice".

'The groves of native trees will mature into quiet places of contemplation where people can walk and ponder New Zealand history,” says council. 'The forests will also enhance the Coromandel's environmental values.”

On Arbour Day the project was officially launched by Conservation Minister Maggie Barry, with 100 trees planted at the Cathedral Cove site, which represents the Gallipoli campaign.

That site will eventually have 2,779 trees - one for each soldier killed in New Zealand's first major battle of the war.

'Our Council is working with Wintec horticulture students to get 1,400 trees planted there this year.

'Two signature trees were planted at Anzac Day ceremonies at the new Mercury Bay cemetery, at Tairua's RSA cemetery and in Whangamata, but the Gallipoli site is the only one where mass planting has taken place.”

The council says three other sites will see hundreds more trees planted this winter.

In Whangamata, the local RSA, Lions and schoolchildren are planning to plant trees at the reserve opposite Moana House near the northern entrance to town on July 22, subject to the weather.

This particular site represents the Battle of Le Quesnoy and a total of 122 trees will be planted by November 4 – the anniversary of the 1918 battle.

While 50 trees will be planted in conjunction with Coromandel Area School and the Enviroschools programme at the Hauraki Rd wastewater treatment site in in Coromandel Town on July 30.

This site will represent "Supreme Sacrifice" and this season a total of 1,000 trees of mixed species including totara, matai and kahikatea will be planted.

In early August, 249 trees are to be planted at Rhodes Park to commemorate the war dead of Thames, though the date is not yet confirmed.

The Hikuai Trust is planning to plant 200 trees on Tangitarori Lane in Pauanui, the site commemorating the Sinai-Palestine campaign on September 5. Another 440 trees are to be planted there this season.

GET INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT:

The council is asking people to help the project by donating $100 to the cost of a tree or by joining in on the plantings, or both. You can also choose to donate $150 and plant the tree yourself.

There are three ways to donate:

• You can dedicate the tree to a specific NZ soldier who was killed in the war. That tree gets planted in the Memorial Forest site dedicated to that particular battle or campaign.
• You can dedicate a tree to the "unknown soldier";
• In these two cases you receive a memorial certificate that includes the GPS co-ordinates of the tree you've donated.
• Or, you can gift a tree on behalf of your family without necessarily having a specific soldier in mind who was killed in the war. You'll receive a memorial certificate but no GPS location.

'Our Council is working on the Memorial Forest project with schools, iwi, RSAs, service clubs, Wintec, community groups and agencies including the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council.”

To get involved contact Economic Development Programme Manager Ben Dunbar-Smith on 07-868-0200 or email: [email protected]

For more information on the New Zealand World War One Memorial Forest and all its sites across our District visit: www.tcdc.govt.nz/ww1memorialforest