Tourism New Zealand understands how 2020 had been rough that we all can’t wait to begin 2021, which is why they want to start the year right with a new “do-good, feel-good” campaign.

In collaboration with nonprofit organization Trees That Count, they have come up with a campaign called “Forest of Hope”.

The campaign aims to plant seedlings to build a new forest on both of New Zealand’s islands, in parts of Northland and Queenstown.

Sarah Handley, general manager for Americas and Europe on the tourism board, said that the forest reflects the Te Reo Māori values of manaaki and tiaki.

“Manaaki speaks to the importance of having empathy and tiaki inspires us to care for people and place,” she explained in a statement.

“While our borders remain closed to international visitors, we wanted to extend a little manaaki and encourage a sense of tiaki to those who are in need of some optimism for the new year,” she added.

“With trees as a natural symbol of life and growth, the ‘Forest of Hope’ is a way for people to say goodbye to this year’s disappointments and plant a seed of hope to look forward to better times ahead in 2021.”

Everyone across the globe can share their disappointment from this year through an online platform at no charge.

One can also go to a gift registry where they can pay for a native tree to be planted in the new forest, together with a personal message.

The trees to be planted will range from cathedral-like groves of massive kauri and tōtara in the north of the country to the vivid scarlet coastal pōhutukawa.

“This initiative is really about turning this year’s disappointments into hope, and we all know there have been countless disappointments,” said Handley.

“It’s going to be amazing to see just how large of a forest we can create together.”