The Te Kakano Trust, which translates as ‘‘the seed'', was set up in Wanaka last year by Nick Mills, Matthew Davidson, Gerald Davies, Jo Guest, Ted Simpson and Megan Williams.
Trust chairman Mr Mills, from vineyard Rippon Winery, said Te Kakano had recently received funding from philanthropic trust the Sargood Bequest, to establish the native plant nursery.
The ‘‘community-based'' nursery would enable more native regeneration and reforestation projects to be undertaken across the Upper Clutha district. It was hoped volunteers would also get involved, he said.
The funding provides for a nursery manager and the trust aims to grow more than 5000 native seedlings.
The nursery would allow for more community-based projects, such as reforestation efforts on Ruby Island, Mou Waho Island, and the covenanted QEII Trust area of private land in Manuka woodland on the Lake Wanaka Waterfall Track.
‘‘We're really excited about setting the nursery up and to see a part of our values about hands-on community land care being established to help create a sense of ownership in the region,'' he said.
Building the nursery would start soon on a site given to the trust by John and Jill Blennerhasset, who had also established the QEII native manuka forest, Mr Mills said.
