News release

Ricoh sees green at Motuihe Island's 'Ricoh Valley'
April 17, 2012

Ricoh New Zealand’s ‘Big Green Day Out’ at Motuihe Island in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour next Sunday will see staff, family and customers add to the more than 14,500 trees the company has planted since 2004.

Ricoh New Zealand managing director Mike Pollok says the ninth ‘Big Green Day Out’ on 29 April is a much-anticipated annual highlight for the company’s Auckland staff, customers and their families, with hard toil amid stunning scenery rewarded with a barbecue lunch and relaxation.

"The Motuihe Island Restoration Project is a huge success story, and Ricoh is proud to have been an ongoing contributor. The growth of seedlings we have planted over the years will be a really motivating factor as we pick up spades again this year," says Mike Pollok.

"Many children take part each year, and in their lifetimes the island will be transformed into the kind of haven for native birds and insects it would have been prior to the changes after human habitation."

In the latest step towards achieving a return to being a natural environment, Motuihe recently became home to 60 northern tuatara, which were released by the Department of Conservation in an area with specially prepared burrows.

Last year, Ricoh’s planting was curtailed by a series of storms, and the company instead assisted DOC’s project to restore dunes at Duder Regional Park for the endangered New Zealand dotterel.

"Our team is looking forward to getting back to Motuihe and seeing the changes since their last visit," says Mike Pollok.

Authorities eradicated Motuihe's pests by 2005, and the extensive tree planting programme Ricoh takes part in will provide a perfect habitat for rare native birds – such as little spotted kiwi, saddlebacks and kakariki – which have been released on Motuihe.

Mike Pollok says volunteering to help the Project fits with Ricoh's commitment to corporate responsibility, which often has a strong environmental focus.

"Ricoh's activities on Motuihe are reported each year in the Sustainability Report, which is an important way for us to demonstrate tangible actions which make a difference."

About 2,500 native shrubs, from a nursery on the island, will be planted on Sunday. 'Ricoh Valley' vegetation now includes plants which would naturally feature in a coastal forest: flax, taupata, karamu, akeake, karo, ngaio, karaka, puriri, haupara, manuka, tawapou, and mahoe.

Ends

For more information, please contact:
Nikki Wright
Managing Director
Wright Communications
09 366 2450
021 662 372
nikki@wrightcommunications.co.nz

About Ricoh
Founded in 1936 and now with about 109,000 employees and offices in more than 150 countries, Ricoh is a global leader in digital office solutions.

Ricoh New Zealand Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., Japan. The company’s New Zealand head office is located in Auckland, with six branch offices and a national network of 14 dealers providing sales, service and support in all areas of the country.

Ricoh has been dedicated to sustainable business practices for the past decade is proud to set the standard for the digital office solutions industry when it comes to sustainability.

Ricoh New Zealand was the first in the local industry to be certified under ISO 14001, and the first in its sector to have its products accredited with the Environmental Choice tick. They were also the first to achieve carboNZeroCertTM certification in November 2008, retaining their position as the sustainability leader for the industry.

Ricoh now requires its dealers to be carboNZero certified.