Sustainability Business growth

Any day you get up and put your gumboots on is a good day

10 Nov 2025

“Any day you get up and put your gumboots on is a good day.”

That’s how one of our volunteers describes their experience with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ). And we couldn’t agree more. In a world of back-to-back meetings and digital overload, there’s something deeply restorative about stepping outside, planting a tree, picking up litter, maintaining plants or checking a trapline. It’s not just good for the planet it’s good for people, too.

“At CVNZ, we believe in the power of community-led conservation. We’re calling on Christchurch businesses to join us in creating a greener, more resilient future one seedling, one trap, one volunteer day at a time”- says CVNZ’s Christchurch Regional Manager Hamish Fairbairn.

When your team comes out with us, they’re not just giving back they’re gaining something, too. Time outdoors. Connection with colleagues. A sense of purpose. And the satisfaction of contributing to legacy projects that will shape Ōtautahi’s natural heritage for generations. After attending a recent volunteer day with her colleagues from Lane Neave, Caroline Lucas said: “We all had such a terrific time. Thanks so much to your team for making it such smooth sailing.”

At CVNZ, we offer tailored, hands-on experiences that align with your company’s values and sustainability goals. Whether it’s a one-off team day or a long-term partnership, your business can help restore ecosystems, support biodiversity, and empower local communities.

Red Zone to Green Heart

Our collective impact in the community is real and growing. In the east of Ōtautahi, a very powerful transformation is underway. The Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC) once a residential neighbourhood devastated by the 2011 earthquakes is being reimagined as a thriving urban forest with wetland eco systems. This 602-hectare stretch of land, rich in cultural and ecological significance, is becoming a green spine for the city.

Since 2021, CVNZ has worked alongside Christchurch City Council, Rotary, businesses and local volunteers to plant and maintain 80,000 native trees - tōtara, kahikatea, mataī all grown from ecosourced seed. These plantings stabilise the land, provide habitat for native wildlife, and help the city adapt to climate change.

And soon, we’ll be growing even more. In 2025, we built a Community Native Plant Nursery at the Climate Action Campus in East Christchurch. This nursery will be a hub for education, collaboration, and climate action growing tens of thousands of native seedlings for the ŌARC and other restoration sites across the city.

We’ll be working with schools, community groups, and businesses to propagate and care for these plants. It’s a hands-on, high-impact way for your team to contribute to the future of our city and to see the results of your efforts grow, season after season.

Guardians of the Harbour

Meanwhile, across the Port Hills in Whakaraupō / Lyttelton Harbour, another legacy project is underway.

Every year introduced predators like rats, stoats and possums kill millions of native birds and invertebrates across Aotearoa. In Whakaraupō, we’re fighting back. The Whaka-Ora Pest Project (WOPP), launched in 2023, is CVNZ’s flagship predator control initiative. It builds on the Whaka-Ora Healthy Harbour vision to restore the ecological health of the harbour in partnership with mana whenua and local communities.

Since its inception, WOPP has installed hundreds of traps and trained a dedicated team of local volunteers, affectionately known as “WOPPers”, to monitor them. Regular weeding bees and planting days also help restore native habitats and give our taonga species a fighting chance.

Greg Offer, a WOPP volunteer and Beca staff member, says the project is "Awesome. People want to get in behind this because of the great leadership.”

Businesses can help fund these traplines, sponsor habitat restoration, or send staff to join our volunteer crews. It’s a tangible way to protect the harbour’s unique biodiversity and show leadership in action.

Conservation for Everyone

At the heart of all our work is a belief in community. We work with over 30 local community groups. Whether it’s planting trees, picking up litter, or rescuing native seedlings from weedy sites, our volunteers are out there every week making a difference.

As one of our volunteers put it: “I am passionate about volunteering to restore our wild places and believe it helps to recalibrate us both mentally and physically. A morning of volunteering helps to fill my bucket, and I appreciate meeting wonderful people, including other volunteers and project partners.”

A Call to Action: Be Part of the Legacy

At CVNZ, we’re not just planting trees or setting traps, we’re building a movement. A movement of people who care about the future of Ōtautahi. A movement of businesses who want to leave a legacy.

We invite you to join us.

Whether you’re a small team looking for a meaningful day out or a large organisation ready to invest in long-term impact, we’d love to work with you. Because when your staff step outside, roll up their sleeves, and put their gumboots on they’re not just helping the environment. They’re reconnecting with each other. They’re building pride and purpose. And they’re helping to shape a city where nature and people thrive together.

Let’s grow a legacy together.