Transit New Zealand
Wellington Regional Office

MEDIA RELEASE

6 August 2007

Planting Contract Awarded for Transmission Gully Project

Transit New Zealand has awarded a $605,000 contract to Excell Corporation to plant about 62,000 New Zealand-indigenous trees along the proposed Transmission Gully route.

The work, mainly concentrated in five areas along the 27km-route, will be carried out over the next three years as part of the conditions of the Designation agreed by Transit when it applied to have the proposed route included in the district plans of local councils in the area.

This contract is in addition to the five Professional Services contracts awarded by Transit
for the Stage 1 investigation and preliminary design phase of the Transmission Gully project that it is undertaking on behalf of the Government.

Transit Wellington Regional Manager, Graham Taylor said that apart from meeting agreed Designation conditions, the planting is also being carried out to provide erosion and sediment control, stream shade and ecological enhancement, and will be undertaken in conjunction with fencing off and retiring the areas from grazing.

“Excell, which has completed similar work along the route in the past and were familiar with the challenges of the terrain, will also be responsible for the ongoing care of the plants to prevent weed infestation and damage by possums, rabbits and hares,” he said.

Mr Taylor said Transit placed tremendous importance on environmental initiatives and worked closely with the Department of Conservation and local regional and local councils to determine the species to be planted in the area.

To date, Transit had planted about 92,000 Wellington-indigenous plants in the Transmission Gully planting programme and the latest contract awarded will complete this work.

“We are pleased to report that the trees and shrubs planted previously are now well-established and beginning to show above the surrounding gorse,” he said.

ENDS