Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council are joining the nationwide effort of planting native trees to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III this weekend.

A kauri tree will be planted this Saturday, May 6 at 10am on the Village Green at the Historic Village to commemorate the occasion.

'Commissioners Shadrach Rolleston and Bill Wasley will host the planting.

'On Saturday evening the Wharf Street lanterns will be coloured purple to mark the coronation.”

Three native trees will be planted in Council reserves across the Western Bay marking the coronation of a new monarch for New Zealand and a new chapter in history.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is also joining the national effort to plant native trees co-ordinated by the Department of Internal Affairs in celebration of the upcoming coronation of His Majesty Charles III, King of New Zealand.

They will be celebrating the coronation by planting native trees at three separate locations.

'Everyone is welcome to come and watch the plantings take place on Saturday May 6,” says a Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson.

The WBOPDC plantings are scheduled at the following times:

• 9.30am at Jubilee Park in Te Puke (near 12 Jocelyn Street) - Tītoki tree
• 11.30am at Gerald Crapp Reserve in Ōmokoroa (access from Gellibrand Place) - Pūriri tree
• 1.30pm in Diggelmann Park, Katikati – Kauri tree

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer says, 'the coronation of King Charles III is an historic occasion, and I am pleased that our District has the chance to be part of the celebrations”.

'The King has long been an advocate of sustainability and conservation, and so planting native trees to mark the start of his reign is very fitting.

'I wanted each part of our District to be involved, so there will be a tree planted in each of our three wards. Each native tree was chosen as being a species that will thrive in its new home.”

Over 45 plantings have been planned by councils across Aotearoa over the weekend.

Following the coronation, the Governor-General will plant the final coronation tree at Government House in Wellington.

The Department of Internal Affairs are recording GPS locations for all tree plantings with plans to create a webpage allowing everyone to find the King's trees for years to come.