Happy November everyone! A blink of the eye and a few more weeds pulled and it will be the end of the year already. Hard to believe, that's for sure. We have had a good month here at FuturEcology. The highlight is seeing how well all our sites are doing with regular rain. Plants are already starting to tower over their guards and Carex are almost touching, in places.

2024 saw us commence our biggest restoration project yet. It involved restoring a gravel extraction pit near the Appleby River in Tasman into a bio-diverse recreational area for the public to enjoy.

It is hard to believe it is October already. Spring is in full swing, the blossoms are blossoming, and daylight savings has given us that extra hour of productive time in the garden. 

Talking of productivity, NZ has had the bold vision since 2018 to have planted 1 billion trees by 2028. 

Happy  Spring to you all. With the daffodils in full bloom, the lambs running around and the days getting noticeably longer, we are pretty chipper here at FuturEcology.    

What a month of cold frosty mornings we have been having. Lovely days to follow though and spectacular sunrises and sunsets to enjoy as a result. This month we are celebrating a few things. Our small but mighty team have organised the logistics and planting of close to 80,000 trees this year. We are so proud of the results and how smoothly it has gone.

Matariki month and a month of new beginnings and celebrations, particularly at FuturEcology. We celebrate 10 years of being in business as FuturEcology and what an amazing 10 years it has been. The business has grown from just Robert, out “Saving the Planet”, to 9 staff, a great group of sub-contractors, fantastic clients, the EmGuards and an App.  

Who can believe we are now officially in winter as of the 1st of June. We were experiencing temperatures over 18 degrees over Kings birthday weekend, although we have a good sound frost this morning. 

In Nelson, we are experiencing a winter drought and when talking to customers around the country, it sounds like much the same is happening elsewhere. This is having a major impact on planting.

Change is certainly a constant state of being for us here at FuturEcology, but I like to work on the principles from the book by Dr Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese. It was published back in 1998 and looks at the 4 keys ways we can react to change.

That feeling of change is well and truly in the air at the moment, especially with daylight saving ending last week. We had our first fire, which always marks the change of season for us. I am loving the magnificent autumn colour as well.

The days are very slowly getting a little chillier and a little shorter, always good news for those of us in the restoration industry prepping for the planting season. The heavy rain at the beginning of the week was a very welcome sight, despite the blocked gutters. 

Welcome back for 2024! And what a good one it is shaping up to be.

We hope you all had a restive break over the festive season and enjoyed time with family and friends.

We have hit the ground running and are excited that this year we will celebrate FuturEcology’s 10th birthday. It is hard to believe we have been operating for a decade! We are so grateful to all our wonderful customers who we have worked with over the last ten years.

Meri Kirihimete/ Merry Christmas

And that’s it, another year has zoomed by so fast that I have barely got the decorations down from last year and am putting them up again. I’m sure everyone is feeling very much the same.

As we rush into these last few hectic days trying to get those last jobs tidied up and everything ready for the Christmas close down, it is so important to reflect and celebrate on what has been achieved this year.

Pocket Restoration Aotearoa is an exciting new web-based app, developed by FuturEcology.

The innovative platform aims to simplify environmental restoration, providing learning opportunities, planning solutions and inspiration for individuals wanting to upskill their environmental knowledge, whether they are a novice or seasoned practitioner. You don't need 10,000 hectares to make a difference, 10 square metres can be enough, and we are here to help.

I really do think that this time of year is my favourite time of year, apart from the start of the craziness leading up to that important holiday period in December!

Well, what an interesting week it has been, both for New Zealand and Australian politics.

It has also been heartbreaking hearing about the evolving situation in Gaza. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the attacks.

With all of the goings on in world, we are doing what we can to stay positive in our corner and continuing with our mission to save the planet, one tree at a time.

Spring has sprung!

The longer days and sunshine have been a real treat. An indication of what is to come.

Spring lambs and daffodils - my favourite time of year!

A lot seems to have happened since the last newsletter. Feels like more than a month’s worth of activities somehow.

Read Emma’s speech from the debut event for Pocket Restoration Aotearoa.

Mānawatia a Matariki

Here at FuturEcology, we have had a very good month, working on projects all over the Top of the South, enjoying working in the sunshine and expanding networks. We have also taken on some exciting new projects for the coming year which we look forward to sharing with you.

Happy winter solstice and here is your reminder to plant your garlic.

The June solstice on Thursday the 22nd of June is 5 hours and 4 minutes shorter in terms of daylight hours than the summer solstice in New Zealand.