Patagonia Queenstown Events
A few weeks ago, we hosted our friends from the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust at Patagonia Tāhuna Queenstown for a screening of Pure Advantage’s Think Like a Forest. This powerful short film brings the vision of Recloaking Papatūānuku to life—a bold, science-led initiative to restore, regenerate, enhance, and manage over two million hectares of native forests and wetlands across Aotearoa in the next 30 years.
The film doesn’t sugar-coat it: our native forests are under accelerating threats, and the Emissions Trading Scheme isn’t doing us any favours. But there is hope, and it starts in our communities. After the credits rolled, an engaging panel discussion with conservation Prof. David Norton, ecologist Christina McCabe, botanist Ben Teele, and QLDC staff Yvette Ridley and Kirsty Pope invited the audience to think deeply about the challenges and solutions available locally. QLDC also shared how their Blue-Green Network Plan aims to better connect waterways, green spaces, and community networks to guide future development.
Our landscapes are facing more extreme weather events, but we can all help drive community-led native reforestation. Restoring diverse ecosystems not only sequesters carbon over the long term but also helps buffer against high rainfall, winds, and wildfires. So what can you do? It’s simple: get informed, join a volunteer event, and put your hands in the ground this spring.
A big thank you to everyone who joined us! If you missed the event, stay tuned and check out upcoming activities at patagonia.co.nz/queenstown. Highlights for spring include our Community Run Club, every Tuesday at 6 pm, and the Summer Fly Fishing Series, featuring Yvon Chouinard’s new book launch Pheasant Tail Simplicity, and NZ angler Ollie Basset sharing tricks for backcountry fly fishing.
