Working in partnership with Selmes Garden Trust

As a family-owned company Whitehaven is truly committed to doing the right thing by the planet for future generations.
As a demonstration of Whitehaven’s commitment to native regeneration and ecological stewardship the company has purchased a 760ha property in the Wairau Valley with plans to regenerate the property’s native forest and protect its unique waterways.
A long-term focus will make this site a major multigenerational project.
Whitehaven has eco-sourced seeds from neighbouring properties to The Springs.
Eco-sourcing is the process of collecting seeds from areas close to where they will be planted - meaning that plants will be suited to local conditions and more likely to survive. By using eco-sourced native plants Whitehaven is also helping to maintain the unique local characteristics of The Springs location.
Initially Whitehaven established its own nursery at its winery on Pauls Road, but as plans for The Springs grew so did the company’s need for a larger nursery with the capacity to propagate up to 20,000 natives per year.
Whitehaven’s Sustainability Manager Josh Barclay approached the Selmes Garden Trust in Marlborough to see if they would be interested in taking on the project.
“Selmes Garden Trust is a registered charitable trust set up in Marlborough to provide work and work experience to people with disabilities. We felt we could support the community by providing employment opportunities for these individuals, as well as upscaling our propagation plans. It was a win-win and fortunately Selmes Garden Trust were immediately onboard with the concept.” Josh Barclay, Sustainability Manager. Selmes have recently announced the closure of its native garden centre retail operations, but have shifted to a native plant production model, like The Springs project, to continue delivering on its mission.
The Selmes team propagate the seeds and cultivate seedlings to be planted back in the same area they were sourced from.
The first batch of at least 10,000 natives were planted back at the Springs during 2024 and a further planting is now underway.
Once established the native forest at The Springs will have the potential to sequester enough carbon annually to offset significantly more than Whitehaven’s carbon footprint. However, the project is about “so much more” than a box ticking exercise, Josh says. “Carbon offsetting aside, the primary motivation for this project was to give something back, to create something that will have a lasting impact for the environment and the people in our community.”