Live Green – Gift Green

Live Green – Gift Green with Tree Gifts New Zealand.

Back in 2005, due to a set of sad circumstances, I found myself wanting to send a sympathy gift to a friend across New Zealand. I pondered for a few days about what I could send, should I send flowers? Would they already have a house full of them?

I wondered why it was that my thoughts immediately turned to flowers. Perhaps it was the way I had been conditioned when growing up, they always seemed the “thing to send” for a range of occasions. To be honest, they were easy, after all not much thought went into ringing the florist and making an order. But on this occasion, I started questioning whether they were really the right choice.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that flowers aren’t beautiful when they arrive. But 10 days later they are often wilted and dropping petals, dying on the counter top. Is that really the message I wanted to convey given the circumstances?

So I turned to the internet looking for an alternative. I wasn’t entirely sure just what I was looking for, but one thing I knew for sure, I wanted something that had a bit more meaning behind it, longevity would also be great. What did I come up with? Well… nothing. After 3 hours of relentless searching, I had nothing but flowers offered. Now I’m sure there must have been products available that fit my needs, but on that day, I could not find anything that seemed suitable.

Now there’s an idea!

This led to discussions with a close friend. She talked about planting trees along with her children’s placentas in her garden to mark the occasion of their birth. Now there’s an idea I thought! A tree was a green, sustainable gift that could grow in memory of the occasion; a gift that would give back to the environment in which it lives and with the right care could live for generations.

​After a few more coffees we decided that a tree or plant gift was indeed a great idea and ticked all of the boxes I was looking for. There sparked a business idea. Wouldn’t it be great if you could order a green, living tree or plant gift online and have it sent anywhere in the country? What a fabulous way New Zealander’s could “green their gifting”, by sending gifts that would be remembered, and treasured for years to come. That day, Tree Gifts NZ was born.
​

Native trees in a gift box

Our range started simply with native trees in gift boxes but soon grew to include both smaller living gifts such as succulents for apartment dwellers through to large 1m tall trees. From natives to bring birds to the garden, to fruit trees providing a form of nourishment to families through to flowering varieties which bloom each year in memory of the occasion gifted.

Continuing to evolve

A few years on and Tree Gifts continues to evolve, Bonsai and Terrarium Gifts have been added along with living gift hamper crates which include a few tasty treats or pampering products from top NZ suppliers, and of course a growing gift. What I like to refer to as “gift hampers with a modern green twist.”
​
Tree Gifts customers come from all walks of life and purchase for a range of occasions from birthdays and weddings to sympathy and everything in- between. As members of the Sustainable Business Network and Buy NZ Made, we are also on a mission to help NZ businesses bring their green policies out of the boardroom and into all aspects of their business and to help them in doing so, provide growing gifts and ideas for product launches, conferences and events.

With the issues surrounding climate change being widely discussed within families and the want to make a positive change for future generations, it is heart-warming to see New Zealanders embracing eco-friendly and sustainable gifting, not just settling for “sending flowers”.
​
If you would like more information about Tree Gifts NZ we would love to hear from you. You can visit us online or drop us an email on the address below.

Lynnette Tonkin
Company Director, Tree Gifts NZ