To mark the upcoming coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday planted a native totara tree in Parliament’s grounds .
The ceremony was an early start to a campaign to plant 100,000 native trees around New Zealand to which the government has donated 1 million New Zealand dollars ($613,000).
Hipkins said his office liaised with the British palace over the best way to mark the coronation.
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“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 that recognizes his passions and his interests,” Hipkins said.
New Zealand is a former British colony and King Charles remains its king and head of state under its constitutional arrangements, albeit his role is largely ceremonial.
King Charles’s 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.”
Story was adapted from AP.
