Mayor Tory Whanau today launched Wellington City Council’s 2025 restoration planting season, an initiative that aims to plant up to 120,000 native trees and shrubs annually in Wellington’s reserves and coastal dunes.

“By restoring the once-dense, indigenous forests that cloaked our city, we’re bringing back to life a treasured taonga for generations to come,” says Mayor Whanau as she joined Council staff at Ohariu Valley Reserve.

Mayor Whanau said the significant effort was part of a 50-year project to reconnect the Wellington Western and Porirua Western Forests, which were diminished by fire, logging, farming, the expanding rail network, and housing development. By creating a seamless ecological corridor stretching from the fringes of Wellington’s south coast towards Porirua, native birds, insects and plants will have a continuous habitat to thrive once more.

With around 2.5 million plants and trees already established along the town belt and coastal reserves, the Council is well on its way to planting three million by 2030.

“As kaitiaki, we have a responsibility to protect our environment and this initiative is a bold step against climate change. It will also safeguard our biodiversity by creating sanctuaries for our native species, prevent soil erosion, expand our city’s green spaces, foster community spirit, and ultimately enrich the quality of life for all Wellingtonians,” says Mayor Whanau.

Beyond rebuilding native habitats, Mayor Whanau said restoration planting fosters a community effort to value and care for nature.

“This community-driven approach ensures that restoration efforts are sustained and impactful, delivering a city where people and nature thrive.”

Over 100 community groups and landowners support the yearly effort, which follows months of ground preparation and careful plant selection tailored to Wellington’s rugged terrain and winds.

“We plant diverse native species to create habitats that support birds and other wildlife,” explains Daniela Biaggio, WCC’s Urban Ecology Manager.

The Council’s plant list covers a range of Wellington environments, and the plants used for restoration planting are propagated at the Council’s Berhampore Nursery from local seed. These plants are also specifically chosen for their palatability to certain pest species, such as rabbits, goats and hares.

This year’s plantings will include:

• Toetoe (Austroderia fulvida): a tussock grass ideal for erosion control and habitat restoration
• Kanuka (Kunzea robusta): a hardy and resilient plant that thrives on Wellington’s northern slopes, which tend to dry out in the wind
• Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium): improves soil quality
• Karamū (Coprosma robusta): dense foliage offers excellent wildlife habitat and abundant fruit for birds and mokomoko (lizards)
• Koromiko tāranga (Hebe parviflora): can handle all sorts of conditions, especially windy spots, and its flowers are a real treat for pollinators
• Māpou (Myrsine australis): provides excellent wildlife cover, effectively stabilises soil, and enhances forest structure
• Mingimingi (Coprosma propinqua): offers excellent habitat for small birds and insects and effectively stabilises soil.

Apart from Wellington’s windy conditions, sparse soils, and pest animals like rabbits and even escaped livestock, Daniela says the biggest challenge to restoration planting is maintenance.

“While many are keen to plant, not as many are excited to invest in the maintenance, weeding, and monitoring,” she explains. “We have been lucky to partner with Conservation Volunteers NZ, which helps us to do a lot of this maintenance.”

To gauge if its restoration efforts are working, the Council tracks how well the new plants are growing, and the variety and number of native birds, lizards and invertebrates throughout Wellington. It is also digging into the role of soil in helping our native forests flourish.

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