Small actions. Big Impact. Take action with Trees that Count

Shannon: Right, well, I'm thrilled to be joined by Gemma from Trees That Count. Always good to have a positive story. Sometimes it gets a bit negative on particularly my part. So thank you so much for joining us, Gemma. And for those who may not know, can you tell us a little bit about Trees That Count and how it came about?

Gemma: Kia ora Shannon. Thank you so much for having me today. It's a lovely way to finish the week. Yes, so Trees That Count is a relatively new charity, so I will forgive those of you who don't know who we are. We came about because of a charity called the Project Crimson Trust, which was set up in 1990 to help protect the Pōhutukawa and Rātā around Aotearoa New Zealand because they were actually at threat of extinction at that time. It's hard to believe now when you look around in summer and see all the coastlines adorned with beautiful red flowers. But at that time, it was a real serious threat, and the Project Crimson Trust set out what they intended to do and they achieved it.

Fast forward to 2015-2016, they thought, do we still have a place and a purpose? Should we still exist? By that stage, the climate crisis was really quickly evolving, and we all understood that it was serious. And so they began a program called Trees That Count, enabling New Zealanders—individuals and businesses—to fund or gift native trees which will be planted around the country in various restoration projects. Our core purpose is to connect funding for native tree planting between those who want to be able to plant native trees and those who can actually do it.

Shannon: Yeah, excellent. Now, I had planned to get a lovely backdrop of some beautiful Pōhutukawa from down the road where I live, obviously from the summertime, but it's one of those days, so that did not happen. But yeah, they're just so beautiful over the summer period. Now, of course, Frog Recruitment has partnered with Trees That Count for a few years now, and we've used it in quite a few different ways throughout our business. Currently, for all our candidates who are placed, whether that's in temp roles or permanent roles, we help them celebrate by planting a tree through Trees That Count on their behalf, as well as through our association with Carbon Invoice to offset our carbon impact.

For those employers who might not know, how exactly does the process work, and how do you help facilitate that?

Gemma: Yeah, it's a good question. Trees That Count is connected to a wide-reaching planting network. We work with community groups and private planters around Aotearoa who have pledged land, labor, time, and maintenance plans, and have such vision for their different projects. They apply for trees through Trees That Count, and we assess their applications, looking at their projects, what they're trying to achieve, which can range from planting riparian zones for cleaner waterways to enhancing biodiversity, protecting native species, and even planting fire breaks in areas with significant fire risk.

We assess all of these projects, send people out, and have technical advisors around the country who look at the projects. We approve them, and then the funding from individuals and businesses goes towards amplifying these existing projects. They are already doing the hard mahi; we're just making it bigger and better.

Shannon: Fantastic. Now, of course, this week is World Environment Week. For businesses who have heard about you and are wanting to make an impact and get involved, what are some of the things that they could do, and how can they get in touch with you to make this happen?

Gemma: There's a few ways. The most straightforward and easy way is just to visit our website, treesthatcount.co.nz. What we know about individuals and businesses is that we're all short on time and resources and have our respective budgets. The beauty of Trees That Count is that you can go to the website, choose the amount you can donate, and within five minutes or less, go through the process and choose where you'd like your trees to go. You set up an account, sign into your dashboard, and see where your trees have gone. You can learn about the projects you’re supporting, which offers great storytelling opportunities once you have donated or gifted native trees.

Another option is to gift a native tree on behalf of someone, which businesses often choose to do for candidates, colleagues, staff, or clients. Your gift recipients receive a beautifully designed gift certificate and information about where their tree has been planted. If businesses have specific needs or want to set up their donation differently, they can always reach out to us through the contact form on our website or email one of the team members to discuss how to make it work for them.

Shannon: Fantastic. And I must say, having been a recipient of a gift as well, it's really cool when you first get the gift, but even better might be a couple of months down the track or a few weeks later when you get to see that your tree has been planted and where it’s going to make a difference. So, yeah, really cool initiative and glad to be involved and support you guys.

Gemma: That's amazing. And it's so cool to see now, having been in existence for a few years, and with Frog Recruitment donating for a few years, you see that number start to really jump up. You're accumulating a number of trees that are going to have such an impact for now and for future generations. It's a gift for those candidates and for us all, which sounds very kind of fluffy, but it’s true.

Shannon: Excellent. Didn't sound marketing at all. Thank you so much for coming on board, and hopefully, we've been able to spread the word a little bit more about a really cool cause to get involved with, and it's easy to do.