Free Tree Day 2025
- Lian Soh
- May 17
- 1 min read
Do you live in the Tauranga region? Tauranga City Council's Free Tree Day is back for 2025!
The goal of Free Tree Day is to increase canopy coverage across Tauranga, creating a cooler, greener and healthier city.
Taking care of a tree in our backyards are a gateway to learning science from right where we live, as well as building student agency and key competencies.
Native trees produce seeds and nectar that our taonga species are uniquely adapted to, helping maintain the biodiversity that makes ecosystems tick. They bring science to life in our own backyards—real-world food webs, life cycles, and seasonal changes, no lab coat required. Watching a tūī gorge itself on kōwhai in the summer, or fungi slowly breaking down a fallen branch, becomes an invitation to ask questions, notice patterns, and explore how everything’s connected. For our rangatahi, it’s a reminder that ways of knowing are not just locked away in labs—it’s living and breathing just outside the window.
This year, more than 2000 free "ready to plant" trees will be available for free pickup. There are native trees such as Pōhutukuawa, Tōtara and Kōwhai as well as a variety of fruit trees - no trailer required!
Date: Saturday 7 June
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: Mercury Baypark, 81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui
Acknowledgements: This article was written by Lian Soh (Bay of Plenty NZASE Regional Representative) for Bay Science.
Please contact info@bayscience.nz in the event of any errors/suggestions or if you would like to contribute a spotlight article.
