Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Green thumbs win gold: Unexpected awards recognise Project Tongariro’s conservation work

Milly Fullick
Milly Fullick
Multimedia Journalist, Waikato·Taupo & Turangi Herald·
18 Dec, 2022 11:28 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Kids Greening Taupō lead educator Rachel Thompson teaches tamariki at a Project Tongariro event.

Kids Greening Taupō lead educator Rachel Thompson teaches tamariki at a Project Tongariro event.

The Project Tongariro team are reflecting on a job well done after receiving the Community Group award at the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Awards in Queenstown.

The award recognised the efforts of the local not-for-profit organisation in restoring and rejuvenating the Tongariro National Park area and beyond.

As the longest-running conservation group in the Central North Island, many in the Taupō and Tūrangi community are familiar with Project Tongariro’s numerous endeavours.

These include Greening Taupō, replanting works on Mount Ruapehu and the restoration of Rotopounamu and Mount Pīhanga in Tongariro National Park.

Originally formed as the Tongariro Natural History Society, the group was founded in memory of five conservation workers who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter accident near Tūroa ski field in 1982.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

From those tragic circumstances, the society was formed in 1984 to educate and involve the community in regenerating the natural world around them.

Driven largely by volunteers, Project Tongariro uses close links with communities, iwi and the Department of Conservation to increase native biodiversity and trap pests. To date, more than 330,000 trees have been planted and 60,000 pest animals eradicated through their work.

The group also educates and inspires the next generation through the Kids Greening Taupō initiative, which allows children to get hands-on conservation experience.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It was this kind of innovative work that set Project Tongariro apart, said identity and ‘Bug Man’ Ruud Kleinpaste.

“Their output is tremendous and stretches far and wide - they really make a difference.

“Indeed, the KGT website is well known as a top site for inspiring information for teachers, principals and ‘nature nerd’ colleagues such as myself.”

Paul Green gets stuck in with Kids Greening Taupō environmental education co-ordinator Heidi Pritchard at a Matariki planting event.
Paul Green gets stuck in with Kids Greening Taupō environmental education co-ordinator Heidi Pritchard at a Matariki planting event.

As well as a nod to the wider Project Tongariro team, there was recognition for Paul Green QSM, who received the accolade for Lifetime Achievement.

Green was a previous director of Project Tongariro, and has served the organisation for many years.

Project Tongariro’s current director, Kiri Te Wano, said that although the award was unexpected, there was much to celebrate in Green’s contribution to the group.

“Through his strategic leadership and endless dedication, Paul provides opportunities for conservation specialists and volunteers, [and] actively supports public participation and education.

“He walks the talk and leads by example; he is out there planting trees and releasing plants with the volunteers, and connecting key agencies to achieve conservation outcomes at scale – and encouraging others to do so, too”.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Resident urges council to keep historic harbourmaster's cottage

13 Sep 12:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Mayoral candidate fears for election integrity after opponent drops out

12 Sep 06:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Teen robber given 80% sentencing discounts, back reoffending five months later

12 Sep 07:00 AM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Resident urges council to keep historic harbourmaster's cottage
Rotorua Daily Post

Resident urges council to keep historic harbourmaster's cottage

The property sits beside Whakatāne's The Heads, where an eight-storey build was blocked.

13 Sep 12:00 AM
Mayoral candidate fears for election integrity after opponent drops out
Rotorua Daily Post

Mayoral candidate fears for election integrity after opponent drops out

12 Sep 06:00 PM
Teen robber given 80% sentencing discounts, back reoffending five months later
Rotorua Daily Post

Teen robber given 80% sentencing discounts, back reoffending five months later

12 Sep 07:00 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP