The Tree People’s constitution is based on community, business, and environmental sustainability. We unequivocally conduct business in ways that are beneficial for the trees, the people, and the planet. This distinguishes and differentiates us from similar companies and guides all our actions.
The Tree People’s commitment to sustainability is inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These goals help drive our commitment to directly support local businesses, environmental initiatives, and also provide a sustainable future through protecting the health, safety, and well-being of our employees, and our communities.
Employment and Training Opportunities
UN Sustainable Development Goal: #4 – Quality education #5 – Gender equality #11 – Sustainable cities and communities
Mission
Training for the future, for personal and organisational growth, and for the benefit of the wider community.
The Tree People commit to providing:
- Individualised learning programmes and targeted upskilling
- Nurturing leadership potential and opening up new career possibilities
- One hour paid learning time each week to work towards shared goals
In doing so, employees’ sense of security, team functionality, employee engagement, and health and safety awareness is increased, whilst reliance on contractors is decreased through better utilisation of existing in-house talent.
Sustainable initiatives: Sustainable workforce
At The Tree People, we pride ourselves on having a sustainable workforce that is well-trained, knowledgeable, and happy. We understand that investing in our staff is essential for the success of our business and for the satisfaction of our clients.
To achieve this, we offer a comprehensive training program that includes fully paid days for offsite and on-site training, paid apprenticeships, and encouragement for staff to achieve Level 6 qualifications, driving licenses, and Traffic Management tickets. We also provide regular aerial rescue refreshers and in-house upskilling to ensure that our team has a depth of knowledge in the workplace, including sharing the skills and expertise of experienced arborists.
Furthermore, we offer a unique program called “Power Hour”, a paid hour of study every Monday night. This program provides hot food and our office for our staff while they study, creating an environment that encourages learning and growth.
We also understand the importance of work-life balance and offer flexible work arrangements. Many of our staff work four days a week, allowing them to enjoy more time with their families or pursue other interests.
As a family-friendly business, we also offer parental flexibility to staff who are solo parents, ensuring that they can balance their work and home responsibilities.
We believe that investing in our staff in these ways not only creates a positive workplace culture but also ensures that we provide the highest quality of service to our clients. Our staff are wellpaid, with good away rates and a living wage, creating a happy and sustainable workforce.
Finally, we value the importance of social connection and offer regular social trips, including fishing, spearfishing, and surf trips. We also provide a Friday BBQ with hot food after work, and on wet days, we offer breakfast during health and safety meetings.
Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity
UN Sustainable Development Goal: #5 – Gender equality #8 – Quality education #10 -Reduced inequalities #16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions
Mission
To provide a fully inclusive work environment that ensures equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees. One that is free from discrimination in all forms and fosters a culture of fairness and equality, empowering all to participate fully in decisions that affect them.
Living Wage
UN Sustainable Development Goal: #3 – Good health and well-being #8 – Decent work and economic growth #16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions
The Tree People is proud to pay the Living Wage, as a minimum, to employees to ensure that they and their families can pay for the basic necessities of life and participate as active citizens in the community.
100% of The Tree People’s employees get paid a living wage
Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
UN Sustainable Development Goal: #3 – Good health and well-being #11 – Sustainable cities and communities
Mission:
100% of employees are full time.
Support of the Local Christchurch Economy
UN Sustainable Development Goal: #11 – Sustainable cities and communities
Mission:
By supporting small to medium sized businesses, social and not-for-profit enterprises, we’re helping to fund a better tomorrow by looking after our community. We know that our purchases are going back into our community, helping create a local financial circular economy.
Sustainable initiatives: Sustainable community
At The Tree People, we strongly believe in supporting community groups and giving back to the communities we serve. We are pleased to offer several initiatives that can help achieve this goal, including providing tonnes of mulch to various community groups.
We recognise that mulch is an important resource for gardening and landscaping, and we are committed to donating this valuable resource to community organisations such as the Whakaraupo Carving Centre. In addition, we also provide logs and trees, which can be repurposed for various projects such as wood carving.
In addition to providing mulch and logs, we also offer free consultation services and have opened up our infrastructure for community use. This means that we loan out chippers, chainsaws, trucks, and crane trucks to community groups who need them, and we also provide our time and expertise to help with planting projects and other initiatives.
Furthermore, we have partnered with the Christchurch Horticultural Society to run biochar workshops at our yard. These workshops are designed to educate the community about the benefits of biochar and how to make and use it effectively.
Our yard is also used for industry training, and we are proud to partner with ITO to upskill apprentices throughout the industry. This ensures that the industry is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to continue providing high-quality services to the community.
Finally, we host and run an annual tree climbing competition and offer general industry support. This event is a fun and family-friendly way to bring the community together, and we are happy to provide our support and resources to make it a success every year.
We believe that by offering these initiatives, services and our expertise, we can make a positive lasting impact in the community and support the groups that need it most.