Tree · Land · Bee

Tree planting, land care and beekeeping. Whanganui through to Wellington.

Carl Breakwell · 15 years beekeeping · 6 years tree planting and spraying · Site Wise Green & Growsafe accredited.

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What we do

Services

Tree Planting

Native and exotic plantings, from a single tree to multi-hectare blocks.

Release Spraying

Targeted spraying around young trees so they actually survive their first two summers.

Weed Spraying

Gorse, blackberry, broom, old man's beard. The usual lower North Island suspects.

Scrub Cutting

Hand and chainsaw clearing for regrowth, planting prep, or sightlines.

Tree Management

Health checks, pruning, shaping, and removals. Full clean-up included.

Landscaping

Planting beds, native grasses, mulch, edging, stone. Residential and commercial.

Ecosystem Restoration

Riparian, wetland, gully, and weed-to-native conversion. Long-form work.

Pest Plant Control

Cutting, lopping, and stem-treating woody and climbing pest plants. Without spraying everything in sight.

Beekeeping

Hive placement, honey-flow management, and pollination support. Fifteen years experience.

Bee & Wasp Removal

Live bee swarm catching, hive relocation, and wasp nest eradication.

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Recent work

On the ground

The whole site from above

Paths through the planting

Drone view of the planting block

Crew break

Sprayer rig loaded

A frame of bees and brood

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About

Working with nature, not against it.

Fifteen years of beekeeping behind me, and a long stretch as a sole trader before I incorporated Api Nectar Limited in 2020. The work started in beekeeping, and through the cross-over between trees and bees stepped into tree management. A lot of it comes back to helping the bees and the ecosystems that grow around them. It's a real passion of mine to work with nature, and to bring back areas that would otherwise be left to weeds and invasive plants.

Carl Breakwell

Common questions

Things people ask

What areas do you cover?

Based in Foxton (Horowhenua), and we work across the Manawatū, Whanganui, Horowhenua, Rangitīkei, Kāpiti, and Wellington regions. Happy to travel for the right job, just give us a call.

Do you do residential or rural work?

Both. Anything from a single tree at a house, to a corner garden bed, to multi-hectare planting blocks on rural land. Same craft, different scale.

When is the best time of year to plant natives?

Late autumn through to early spring (May to September) is the sweet spot. The ground's cool, the rain's regular, and the plants get a full season to root before the summer dry. We plant year-round if needed but that's the easiest window.

Do you supply the plants or do I?

Either. We work with eco-sourced native nurseries across the lower North Island and can quote per plant. If you've already sourced your own, no problem, we'll just plant them.

What does release spraying actually do?

It clears the grass and weeds growing around each young tree in its first two summers, so the tree gets light, water, and root room without losing the vegetation around it. Done at the right time of year, it can roughly double survival rates on a planted block.

Can you remove a wasp nest or catch a bee swarm?

Yes, both. Bee swarms get collected alive and re-homed into a hive (bees are too valuable to kill). Wasp nests get treated at the source, usually after dark when the colony is all home. Same-week response in season, often same-day.

How do you handle pest plants like old man's beard or woolly nightshade?

Depends on the plant and the location. Some come out cleaner with cut-and-paste stump treatment using loppers or a mini chainsaw. Others need a targeted spray. Near waterways or close to native plants you want to keep, mechanical work is usually better than blanket spraying.

Are you certified for spraying and on-site safety?

Yes, on both. Site Wise Green for 2026/27 with a score of 84% (Member ID 27482), independently audited by Site Safe New Zealand, covers the on-site health and safety side. Growsafe Standard Certified through the NZ Agrichemical Education Trust covers safe and responsible agrichemical use in line with NZS 8409:2021. Both are common procurement requirements for council and commercial jobs.

Do you have a DECA for the bee work?

Yes. Carl holds a current DECA (Disease Elimination Conformity Agreement) for American Foulbrood, which means we're approved to inspect apiaries and manage AFB in line with the AFB National Pest Management Plan. Required for placing hives on someone else's land in NZ, and important if you're putting bees onto a property that already has hives nearby.

How quickly do you respond to enquiries?

Within two working days for emails through the form. Faster for a phone call or text, usually the quickest way to get hold of us.

Do you do small jobs?

Yes. Some of our favourite work is a single tree removal, a corner garden bed, or a backyard hive. No job too small.

Got a job in mind?

Tell us what you've got and we'll come back with a quote within a couple of working days.

Send an enquiry 022 018 1592