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Louie Trasporto was called on to put the one-millionth plant in the ground for Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway. It was a manoao (silver pine), a native tree that thrives in wet, shady areas.
One million native plants in the ground – only 800,000 more to go.
A landscaping milestone has been reached for Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway project with the planting of a manoao (silver pine).
This winter provided the third season of planting along the 11.5 kilometre, $620-million road, being built after State Highway 3 through the Manawatū Gorge was permanently closed in 2017 due to slips.
The landscaping team aims to plant more than 1.8 million plants across the duration of the project, with the road scheduled to open in mid-2025.
Louie Trasporto, who had planted close to 120,000 plants, had the honour of putting the one-millionth in the ground on Friday.
Waka Kotahi
Drone footage from Waka Kotahi shows the progression of the highway’s construction from January 2021 to March 2023.
Employed by Evergreen Landcare, he was selected because he was one of the longest serving planters on the project, having been with the team since construction began in early 2021.
“It’s a great honour and a privilege to be part of this grand architecture,” he said.
“For everyone who’s involved in this project, reaching this milestone is a great achievement for it’s not only a legacy we’re going to leave here today, but also a seed for future generations to come.”
Planting generally takes place during the wetter winter months, as this provides the best possible conditions for the plants.
But, as Trasporto could attest, it wasn’t the easiest working environment for him and his colleagues.
“It’s a gruelling job but it has a sense of accomplishment once you see the plants grow, and a sense of fulfilment also to see if they flourish by the end of the project.”
Warwick Smith/STUFF
Walking the Te Ahu a Turanga – Manawatū Tararua Highway, people get a close-up look at the construction in January.
Waka Kotahi Te Ahu a Turanga project spokesperson Grant Kauri said reaching the milestone was testament to the extremely hard work of the landscaping team.
“They’re out on site in the wind, mud and rain but despite this adversity, they’ve still managed to put thousands of plants in the ground each week.
“They do a very difficult job requiring grit and persistence, but it’s enabling us to meet our intention of minimising the inevitable environmental impact of the construction process.”
Most of the planting to date had occurred at locations away from the highway, however much of the focus in this third season was on planting near the road.
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