We are ecovitalists. We are Kauri Park.
“A seed is a forest inside out.”
- Matshona Dhliwayo
At Kauri Park everything starts with the seed. Right down to the logo, the symbol of their identity. It symbolises who they are and what they believe. The logo was inspired by the kauri seed and the way it spirals to the ground, up to 100m from its parent, with the help of a small wing. The logo reflects this marvellous act of nature and shows their belief in progress, of always being in motion (the wing). The wing ends in a full stop which represents certainty, a groundedness and a commitment as well as the circularity of nature and our world.
When you wear their logo, you are a proud ecovitalist.
Wait, what on earth is an ecovitalist?
We are environmentalists but while others scream, shout and tie themselves to trees, we just keep on growing them.
Why? Because the clock is ticking.
Every single one of us is in a race against time for the regeneration of our home, this planet we call Earth.
If we don’t look after it - and fast - we will have no home left.
Did you know the word ‘eco’ comes from the Greek word oikos and it means ‘house, home, habitation’?
Now we use it to talk about humanity’s relationship with the environment.
That’s why
ecology means ‘the study of home’ and
economy means ‘managing the home’ (as in, the household finances).
Who would have thought those two ideas were connected? There you go, you can impress all your mates with that one.
Eco = house / home
Vital = life (belonging to life, manifesting life)
So an ecovitalist is someone who helps our home (our beautiful Planet Earth) be buzzing with life.
You’re an ecovitalist.
Which means you’ve got a seriously important job. Pretty sweet gig right?
That’s also why you’ll see that on the side of our truck we say ‘Delivering the ecology economy’.
Because looking after plants means we’re looking after our home, this planet, which makes sure that this world keeps on turning.
Together we’re looking after the planet so the planet can look after people.
Ok, got it.
But what exactly does an ecovitalist do?
At Kauri Park we say that we only have one client - Mother Nature.
She writes our briefs.
Her projects are our priorities.
And no-one understands nature like we do.
Mother Nature sent us.
That means that every day we’re working for Mother Nature, making sure that the vital ingredients of life - the quality of our land, air and water - have everything they need to be at their best.
All life relies on high-functioning ecosystems.
To grow healthy ecosystems we focus on improving all three fundamental elements: water + soil + air.
Certain plants, insects, animals and humans are happiest in certain ecosystems. Some are tropical, some are forests or mountains, some are lakes and rivers. Some are the towns and cities where we live.
All life relies on high-functioning ecosystems.
To grow healthy ecosystems we focus on improving all three fundamental elements: water + soil + air.
Certain plants, insects, animals and humans are happiest in certain ecosystems. Some are tropical, some are forests or mountains, some are lakes and rivers. Some are the towns and cities where we live.
We design for ecosystems.
We make sure that there’s a system of plants, water, soil and wildlife that will work together in harmony.
That way, each ecosystem, each little ‘home’, will buzz with life - for years to come.
Why do we need healthy ecosystems?
Without ecology there is no economy.
Without the economy there is no ecology.
We are ecovitalists.
We design ecosystems.
We deliver the ecology economy.
Every single day we get our hands dirty looking after our home. That’s what we do every day. But there’s more.
We have something even bigger in mind. At Kauri Park, we’re determined to use our expertise to help New Zealand be at its best.
Everyone has a big dream. This is ours.
It’s our vision to see that every stream, river, estuary and piece of marginal land in the country is planted.
Why?
Did you know that 212,000 kilometres of New Zealand’s waterways have degraded (e.g. contaminated) and need to be restored?
Does it sound like a lot? It is. In fact it’s half the distance between Earth and the moon.
Luckily, we like a challenge.
We call this Mission 212. When we plant 212,000 km of waterways we will be restoring our soil to health, cleaning the water for our wildlife and our communities and capturing carbon dioxide from the air.
Our native plants, insects, animals and local communities can thrive together.
New Zealand will be teeming with vital life.
When the planet is happy and well, we can all be happy and well.
This is the reason we all come to work every day.
Sure makes Mondays more meaningful.
We’re all ecovitalists.
We’re on a mission.
Let’s get our hands dirty.
Are you an ecovitalist?
These are the qualities that make our people great ecovitalists:
Hands-on learning - we believe that nothing teaches like doing. Expertise comes from doing the mahi, from getting stuck in and feeling your way to the best result.
Intuition - we trust our guts, you can’t Google a lot of what we just know to be true. Having your hands in nature for decades is invaluable.
Tenacity, strength, resilience - we’re determined, we dig in, we’re never afraid to get our hands dirty. We don’t give in or give up.
Resourcefulness and self-sufficiency- we look after our resources and find ways to use everything we have wisely and respectfully. We don’t waste anything, ever. We look after our home like it’s our own.
Humility - we keep our heads down and do what we do best. We’re grounded. We don’t get ahead of ourselves, or look down on anyone because we know we’re not perfect.
We do the best with what we have and share our wisdom and expertise generously.
