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Rā Tūwhera ki Ōtari - Ōtari Open Day: September 19

Kākā, kōwhai and Open Day, all happening this Saturday. Tony Stoddard WildBirdsNZAs we do each Spring, we invite everyone along to discover the people, plants, and projects around Ōtari and our conservation community.

From 10am to 2pm. (Rain day Sunday September 20.)

There’s a special treat this year: BBQ Centenary Sausages, read on!

Open Day highlights:
 The Trust’s Native Plant Sale – all plants raised in the Trust’s Ōtari nursery
 Behind-the-scenes tours, with Ōtari staff
 For kids - the ‘Discovery Den’ (a cosy canvas camp on the kauri lawn) where young explorers can check out natural treasures through microscopes and magnifiers, sketch, read, and learn about the ngahere.
 Try the ‘Walk Down Memory Lane’ treasure hunt’
Ōtari Plant Sale, be there early! Test your dexterity at ngā taonga tākaro – traditional Māori games.
 Raranga/weaving
 Rongoā workshop
 Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust table, name the native birds and plants!
 Community conservation – chat with the folk from Capital Kiwi, Wellington BotSoc, Kia Mouriora Te Kaiwharawhara, Lions Ōtari Plant Conservation Lab, Trelissick Park Group, Animal Services, Conservation Volunteers NZ, and our very own RAMBO.

Of course the Trust will be hosting tea and coffee with cakes and slices, and cooking up a BBQ storm. All for just a koha.

And what’s this about special sausages? Local butcher, Cameron Harrison, is mincing up a special ‘Centenary’ mix of sausages. There may even be some native Ōtari herbs included. Tasty. We’ll also have vegetarian options.

Posted: 12 September 2026

Ōtari-raised rare plants on show

Staff gardener Lucy Williams with rātā Moehau seedlingsCome check out some of New Zealand’s rarest plants. At Ōtari Open Day, September 19, there will be ‘Behind the Scenes’ tours showcasing the many rare plants raised in Ōtari’s Nursery, guided by the talented staff who raise them. Provenance of rare native plants, as in sourcing cuttings and seeds from wild populations, along with working with mana whenua, are key elements of the native plant care at Ōtari. Rātā Moehau (Metrosideros bartlettii) is a case in point. Only 13 of these white flowering rātā trees are known to remain in the wild, in the Far North. They are taonga of Ngāti Kuri, who have gifted cuttings to the care of Ōtari. Cook Strait mahoe, Melicytus orarius, is another example. Taputeranga motu (in Island Bay) is a stronghold for this rare mahoe, which is pollinated by geckos and difficult to germinate. You’ll find several healthy seedlings raised in the Ōtari nursery. Corybas iridescensAlso in the nursery is Pterostylis tristis, one of two native ‘Greenhood’ orchids that have multiple flowers off the stem. It grows in tussock grasslands, intermontane basins and along river flats and is currently rated ‘At Risk – Declining’. Another orchid is Corybas iridescens, found throughout New Zealand but considered difficult to propagate. Remember, you can meet these and other special plants on a behind the scenes tour, at Open Day. See you there, 10am to 2pm.

Posted: 7 September 2026

Our volunters are (were) in the finals!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Kaicycle Inc, Newtown urban farming and composting initiative, the worthy winner of the Heritage and Enviornment category - also the overall Wellington winner! We shared the finals stage with a fantastic assortment of organisations all doing wonderful volunteer things for the good of Wellington city, its heritage and enviornment.

Take a bow, all of our many Trust volunteers. Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Trust has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards for Wellington City.

The awards recognise the valuable contribution of volunteers to community groups and organisations across the Wellington Region, across five categories – Art & Culture, Education & Child Youth Development, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage & Environment and Sport & Leisure, and our Rising Star award celebrates new and emerging groups. The Trust has been nominated in the Heritage and Environment category.

It’s a fitting tribute for the more than 200 volunteers who, each year, spend an estimated equivalent of seven full time employees working across Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. Volunteer efforts include forest weeding, gardens weeding and maintenance, track maintenance, predator control, weekend hosting, nursery propagation, and hosting guided tours. Some of our volunteers have been working with us for more than quarter of a century!

It’s also timely recognition in this, the centenary year for the Ōtari Native Botanic Garden.

Posted: 14 July 2026