Motutapu (Sacred Island) is one of the oldest islands in the Hauraki Gulf and is joined by a causeway to Rangitoto Island, a well-known landmark in the Auckland landscape. As a recreational reserve, administered by the Department of Conservation, it also includes a working pastoral farm – by far, the biggest of its type in the Auckland region.GroupSnapshot

The island is approximately 1500 hectares, of which only 75 hectares (less than 5%) are covered by volunteer planted native forest. Sysmex are proud to announce, that our volunteers contributed to a group planting day where another 902 native trees were planted.

Organised by the Motutapu Restoration Trust, Sysmex staff and their families joined a volunteer tree planting day at Motutapu Island on Sunday, 3 May. The volunteer days are organised by the Trust with the aim to restore a fully fruiting forest, capable of sustaining a range of native, endangered and threatened species and thereby restoring the natural and cultural landscape of the island.

The morning may have dawned a little grey and cool, but later in the day we had fantastic conditions for planting. It was hard, but enormously satisfying work and there was a lot of laughter as volunteers dug planting holes and scrambled up and down the steep hill with spades and planting boxes.

Sysmex Marketing Communication Manager, Rose Harding says, “The day was a fantastic opportunity for all of us to visit such a beautiful island and do our part to support the great work of the Motutapu Restoration Trust.”

She continued, “Even our little Sysmex volunteers got involved and had some fun. It was nice to think that in fifty years’ time, the kids can come back to the island and sit under the group of trees that they planted today.”

As part of Sysmex’s ongoing commitment to the environment and CSR policy, volunteering on Motutapu Island has become a team favourite and sure to be a recurring event in the coming years.

If you are interested in volunteering or helping out the Motutapu Restoration Trust, please visit their website for further details.