To commemorate the upcoming coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins planted a native totara tree on Parliament’s grounds on Wednesday.
The ceremony marked the early start of a campaign to plant 100,000 native trees around New Zealand. The campaign has received a government donation of 1 million New Zealand dollars ($613,000).
Hipkins personally coordinated with the British palace to determine the best way to celebrate the coronation.
“King Charles being an avid environmentalist and a keen gardener, we thought it was appropriate that we recognize his coronation in a way that leaves a lasting legacy . Legacy that recognizes his passions and his interests,” Hipkins said.
New Zealand is a former British colony and under its constitutional arrangements, Charles remains New Zealand’s king and head of state. However, his role is largely ceremonial.
King Charles coronation May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London will mark the official start of the planting campaign. Hipkins said he hoped to get as many New Zealanders as possible planting trees for the effort’s launch.
“A couple of us won’t be here for that, we’re going to be at the coronation. So we wanted to get started,” he said. “The people’s place, Parliament, is the appropriate place for us to really begin these celebrations.”
Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon and other dignitaries joined Hipkins in the tree-planting ceremony.
Totara trees have huge trunks and can grow up to 30 meters (100 feet).