Motutapu
In addition to its global projects and development projects in the Philippines, Dole is also focused on conservation in areas closer to home.
Dole’s support and investment in Motutapu Island for example, reflects the company’s commitment to conservation and sustainability in New Zealand.
Tucked away behind Auckland landmark, Rangitoto Island, Motutapu is one of the country’s largest volunteer ecological restoration projects.
The island’s 100 hectares of forest, planted by volunteers over the last twenty years, is home to growing populations of some of the country’s rarest species.
The Motutapu Restoration Trust was established in 1994 as a way for the community and private sector to contribute to the restoration of Motutapu’s natural and cultural landscape.
Helping to create sustainable native bird populations
Support from Dole has assisted the Motutapu Restoration Trust in further developing habitats to achieve its long-term goal of creating sustainable populations of takahe, Coromandel brown kiwi, tieke (saddlebacks) and other threatened species.
These threatened native birds are breeding safely on Motutapu because DOC removed introduced pests – including stoats, rats and possums - from Motutapu and Rangitoto.
This involvement by Dole, while not directly related to global waste, is a commendable demonstration of how corporations can still have a positive environmental impact by sponsoring such initiatives.
Dole’s involvement means the Trust can spend funds on the issues of greatest importance for the restoration of the island – such as when the nursery irrigation system breaks down.