Native Plant Nurseries
kōhanga rerenga
Native Plant Nurseries
Why we focus on plants….
Native or endemic plants in a thriving ecosystem are only found here in Aotearoa - we treasure the unique diversity in our rohe.
Plants provide food and habitat for birds, insects and reptiles, they increase climate resilience by shading the soil and water sources and increasing fungi mycelium, this helps the soil retain water during droughts and high rainfall events as well as preventing soil loss through erosion and runoff. Plants sequester carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away in their branches and roots. Trees reduce the temperature in urban environments through shading and transpiration.
Our nurseries
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grow plants for our restoration plantings
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are collaborative so we network with iwi nurseries to increase group knowledge and mātauranga māori
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use local seed sources for quality plants adapted to our area
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grow rare plants to increase the diversity in the whenua
Takararo Community Nursery
Alongside the Devonport Community Gardens at the Mount Cambria Reserve, our team is growing many native species. This small space generates massive energy for propagating plants that will regenerate our natural areas and connect us to the natural world for our well-being. Under a shade house, we sow a wide variety of tree, shrub, and grass/sedge seeds we have eco-sourced within the Tamaki Makaurau district. We are prioritising species that will add biodiversity and thrive in the coastal fringe, wetland, and streamside ecosystems.
Come along to learn more about growing native trees and join in with nursery tasks like eco-sourcing seed, propagating plants and potting up seedlings. We value everyone’s contribution and learning about Te Taiao, the environmental ecosystems that once covered Tamaki Makaurau. Events and connections with other nurseries are part of our kaupapa to increase knowledge within our group.
As our Ngau-te-ringaringa nursery develops this nursery will be transitioned to growing rare plants in collaboration with the Tupuna Maunga Authority and the Auckland Botanical Gardens.
Waitematā Native Plant Nursery
Down by the Waitematā Golf Course, we have a watering system and holding area to grow our trees ready for sites where bigger trees are needed and for future plantings at the Golf Course/Alison Park. Get in touch if you need well grown native plants to create a ‘halo’ around our reserves or just want to increase native trees in the whenua on your property. We plant trees in winter to give them the best chance to thrive without extra watering or care, so need several areas to hold plants until the time is right to plant them.
Ngau-te-ringaringa Community Nursery
In Dacre Park off Lake road, we are developing a space dedicated to raising thousands of native plants. Our Takararo nursery work will transition to the new space once we have watering and other requirements in place. As we open up this space many skills and resources are needed. We upcycle and reuse resources as we think about the space we occupy and how we can tread lightly in our activities to develop the requirements needed to produce many thousands of plants annually.
Consider volunteering here for a few hours to help grow our plants and give them a great start.
Looking for specific plants or greater diversity at your place?
If you have any exotic trees on your property that are pest species, may be dying and need replacing or you want to replace them with natives please get in touch with us. Native trees have many values and as well as sustaining our local bird populations and being a living seed bank they will also sustain lizards and insects that may not have enough host species to thrive.
Contact us or sign up to our newsletter for regular volunteer times and to find out about other events.
A note about our names; Takararo used to be a maunga below Takarunga, but was quarried away and used to fill in the bay that is now the golf course.
Ngau-te-ringaringa refers to the bay commonly called Ngātaringa Bay, but older references and oral histories in Auckland use the longer name that refers to a bitten hand - chiefly blood spilt whilst out fishing in the bay.