AGM 2025: A Year of Reflection, Renewal & Regeneration

At our 2025 AGM, we gathered with our incredible volunteers, funders, partners, supporters and friends to celebrate a year of growth, connection and collective impact.

Zero Waste Starts at Home: From Waste Audit to Waste-Free Morning Tea

At Kaipātiki Project, we believe that sustainability begins at home — and for us, that home is our EcoHub. This year, with the support of Kaipātiki Local Board, we launched Zero Waste Kaipātiki, a project focused on reducing waste and inspiring practical change in our community.

Kaipātiki Project Goes Nationwide with Meridian’s Community Decarbonisation Fund

We’re still buzzing with pride! Kaipātiki Project has been featured in Meridian Energy’s Community Decarbonisation Fund campaign, which has rolled out across TV, social media, billboards and even the front page of the NZ Herald — starring our very own Neil!

Soil Spirit: Art Meets Earth at Engine Bay Gardens

Something magical is growing at Engine Bay Gardens, and it’s not just in the soil. We’ve had the privilege of working with local artist Robbi Carvalho, whose mural Soil Spirit now graces the portacom as part of the Green Guardian Project.

A Flight to Freedom: Kererū Returns to the Wild

On 7 July, we had the privilege of witnessing a beautiful moment at Kaipātiki Project — the release of a rehabilitated kererū back into the wild. This kererū was a window strike victim, found injured and taken to an emergency vet in Albany.

A Magical Evening in Eskdale Reserve - Guided Titiwai Walk for Matariki

On a crisp, clear evening under a starry sky, over 40 excited participants—many of them tamariki as young as five—gathered in Eskdale Reserve for a special Guided Titiwai (Glowworm) Walk in celebration of Matariki.

Growing a Greener Future with Rangatahi

At Kaipātiki Project, we often talk about planting seeds — not just in the soil, but in hearts and minds. Recently, we’ve had the privilege of seeing those seeds take root in the most inspiring way.

Mud, Magic and Mauri: Stream Care in Action

When you think of flood protection, wetlands probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But in the heart of Kaipātiki, nature is showing us a better way. Wetlands — those lush, spongy, sometimes muddy corners of the landscape are one of our best defences against flooding.

Volunteer Week 2025: Weaving Communities and Caring for Nature

Whiria te Tangata – Weave the People Together

Celebrating our volunteers during National Volunteer Week

At Kaipātiki Project, volunteering isn’t just about helping out — it’s about building something meaningful, together.

Tamariki Take to Te Ara Awataha for a Morning of Discovery

It was a promising, overcast day with not a drop of rain in sight as we arrived at Te Ara Awataha to set up for a special school engagement day hosted by Kāinga Ora, with support from Eke Panuku.

Biosecurity in Action - 3,000 Native Plants Safely Delivered to Motutapu

In a remarkable display of dedication and collaboration, Te Tauroa native plant nursery, managed by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Kaipātiki Project have successfully completed a high-stakes biosecurity plant transfer mission, delivering 3,000 native plants of 13 different species to Motutapu.

BFM ® Global partners with Kaipātiki Project to regenerate local reserves

Collaborative Environmental Leadership

In a move towards environmental stewardship, BFM® Global has partnered with Kaipātiki Project, environmental champions who have been regenerating the local reserves for over 26 years.

Kūmara Harvest Brings Community Together at Ngahuripoke Garden in Northcote

On the afternoon of Wednesday 9th April 2025, Kaipātiki Project team members Judith Rosamund, Teaching Garden Coordinator and Karla Macdonald, Community Activator had the joy of facilitating a small but meaningful kūmara harvest at the Kāinga Ora Ngahuripoke Community Garden in Northcote.

Kaipātiki Project at AUT Volunteering Expo 2025

On Tuesday 1st April 2025, Kaipātiki Project took part in the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), Te Wānanga Aronui O Tāmaki Makau Rau Volunteering Expo held at the City Campus.

Community Makes Its Mark at Te Ara Awataha

Make Your Mark Nature Event

Warm weather and a bright blue sky greeted over 40 participants at Kaipātiki Project’s “Make Your Mark Nature Event”, first of many events to launch EcoFest 2025, a month-long celebration of sustainability across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Guided Walk at Eskdale Reserve Explores Flood Resilience and Local Biodiversity

On the evening of Friday 28th February 2025, a group of 15 enthusiastic individuals gathered at the Kaipātiki Project Eco Hub that backs onto Eskdale Reserve for a guided walk with our Regeneration Team Leader and expert Derek Craig.

Ngahuripoke Potato Harvest – Community Gardeners Dig In!

Under the scorching summer sun of mid February, a small but enthusiastic team gathered at Ngahuripoke Community Garden in Northcote with one simple yet meaningful mission, to harvest potatoes!

A Day of Discovery with Birkdale Primary School Tamariki

On Wednesday 9th April 2025, the Kaipātiki Project EcoHub was buzzing with energy and excitement as 58 tamariki aged 5 to 7 years, their teachers and adult helpers made their way down the road from Birkdale Primary School.

Farewell to Janet Cole: Celebrating a Legacy of Environmental Leadership at Kaipātiki Project

November 2024:

Kaipātiki Project gathers to bid farewell to Janet Cole, who has served as Kaihautū | Chief Executive for over eight transformative years.

Embracing Conservation Volunteerism: Our Whakaaro at Kaipātiki Project

We’re thrilled to share our whakaaro on conservation volunteerism and give you a glimpse into how volunteers make a difference at Kaipātiki Project. We were recently asked to reflect on our approach, and we are excited to showcase our volunteers' incredible impact on environmental regeneration and community engagement.

Whiringa-ā-Rangi 2023 Newsletter Highlights

He kai kei aku ringa - There is food at the end of my hands.  Whiringa-ā-Rangi is a time to enjoy the new warmth as Kōanga begins to turn into Raumati. It’s a great time of year to get out and enjoy your local reserves!

Eco-sourced seeds contributing to plant species with conservation importance in Tāmaki Makaurau

When Derek Craig, Restoration Nursery Manager at Kaipātiki Project sat down to read Auckland Council’s newly published report titled “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland 2023” then mapped those species against Kaipātiki Project nursery’s species spreadsheet he was chuffed to realise that of the 96 species of vascular plants…

Welcoming local native butterflies and moths to our gardens

Kaipātiki Project is beginning a habitat creation journey to enhance the environment for local native butterflies & moths. We are following Moths & Butterflies of NZ Trust guidelines to plant native caterpillar food plants and nectar species for adult insects.

The Kūmara Awards 2021 have been awarded to celebrate incredible placemaking happening across Aotearoa. It is a community-driven showcase of the outstanding placemaking projects happening in our communities. Kōre te kūmara e kōrero ana mo tōna ake reka.

September Newsletter 2021

Welcome to our Mahuru newsletter. The name Mahuru is a shortened version of ‘Te ahunga o uruao’ which means the new generation of whitebait.  Another name for September is Hepetema.

August Newsletter 2021

Welcome to our Here-turi-kōkā or Aponga or Here o Piripi (July–August) newsletter. We hope that you and the loved ones are safe and well. Our nursery sites are currently closed, and our workshops and events postponed.

My favourite field tool

I have just past 1,000 observations on my iNaturalist phone app. I use this tool to record things I see in the natural world and share them.

June Newsletter 2021

Welcome to our Hongonui or Hōngongoi or Hūrae - July Newsletter.  The month of Hōngongoi is a great time for getting ready and prepared for the rest of the year.

June Newsletter 2021

Welcome to our Pipiri - June Newsletter.  Another name for June is Hune.  Pipiri also means 'cling together' due to the cold and the frost. Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui. Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e! Matariki re-appears, Whānui starts its flight.

Maya Kalbarczyk from University of Auckland (Geography Research Project), used Kaipātiki Project as a case study to research a sense of place. Maya's findings, published in Nov 2020, completely resonate with our values, our principles and why we love what we do!

May 2021 Newsletter: Planting seasons is here!

Tēnā koutou,

EcoFest North 2021 is behind us as we welcome the planting season and continue restoring our ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed.  Everyone can be part of protecting, restoring and enhancing NZ's biodiversity.

Kaipātiki Project is a Sustainability Award Joint Winner

We are thrilled and honoured to receive the SUSTAINABILITY AWARD as a Joint Winner, along with Zealandia-Karori Sanctuary Trust, at the 2021 NZ Charity Reporting Awards.

Engine Bay Plant Nursery volunteers win the Upper Harbour Local Board Environment Award

Engine Bay Native Plant Nursery has been around for 10 years and it still operates out of a shed with very limited facilities. Yet, this does not deter the regular volunteers to turn up weekly all year-round in all conditions, rain or shine.

Connecting communities to their environment and to each other

We're humbled to be acknowledged in the Adult and Community Education Aotearoa's newsletter. The article stresses the importance of building relationships and engaging with diverse groups in the community though sustainability workshops and volunteering activities in the nursery, teaching garden or local reserves.

Auckland Libraries supporting EcoFest North

Auckland Libraries jumped on board in support of EcoFest North, a month long series of eco-events. It is not only fitting, but necessary to support face-to-face events and workshops with so many available resources that libraries have on offer.

Kaipātiki Project recognised at Mayoral Conservation Awards 2020

In a company of amazing volunteers, community groups, Auckland Local Boards’ representatives, former Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, Kaipātiki Project joined the celebrations of Mayoral Conservation Awards on 28 November 2020.

Movember meets Mulch to raise awareness for men's health

Kaipātiki Project has teamed up with Nick Molcsan, a young Project Manager with a vision, for an unusual mission connecting Movember with Mulch!

Barfoot & Thompson supports us

We are delighted to welcome on board our newest sponsor, Barfoot & Thompson. Auckland’s largest real estate agency works across all the regions that we do, and are very supportive of our mission.

Your West Support Fund helping Engine Bay Nursery

A great story published by The Trusts about Kaipātiki Project and how Your West Support Fund helps us continue carry our work. "Auckland-wide environmental group Kaipātiki Project is just one of many community organisations to benefit from the Your West Support Fund.

Single sex trees or Dioecious in New Zealand

New Zealand is full of many unique plants & animals.  One aspect of our native plant life that attracts attention is the fact that many plants are of a single-sex or dioecious (two houses).

Te Mana o te Taiao featuring Kaipātiki Project

On behalf of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Department of Conservation led the development of Te Mana o te Taiao - Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020.  View full document here. We are humbled and proud that some of our work features in the strategy document (page 30).

Garden your way to happiness

The happiness people experience when we’re gardening is similar to that of biking or walking, a new study has found.

Life in Eskdale Stream

Kaipātiki Project, in partnership with Freshwater Ecologist, Brett Stansfield from Environmental Impact Assessments Ltd and four local schools, is into our third year of Stream Care Community Science monitoring. The programme comprises children monitoring four stream sites located in four catchments of Kaipātiki.

Conservation groups series on RNZ - Listen to our interview

Over the summer Radio New Zealand team have been around the country looking at all kinds of community conservation initiatives. When in Auckland, Lynn Freeman spoke to us about the Kaipātiki Project that for 21 years has inspired people to restore New Zealand's native plants, birds, bugs and fish.

Check our YouTube channel

In 2019 we started developing our YouTube channel by adding more videos about our nursery, plants and our projects.

Te Ara Awataha restoration project

Te Ara Awataha, Northcote’s new greenway, is a 1. 5km network of existing and new reserves that will run through the Northcote neighbourhood, connecting the town centre, schools and homes.

Mayoral Conservation Awards 2019

On 19 September 2019, our Restoration Activator Neil Henderson and two students (Jack Lee and Tia McNichol), who are part of the Hobsonville Point Pesky Pests team, attended Mayoral Conservation Awards ceremony. Pesky Pests had been nominated for the Collaboration Award and were up against four other groups.

New look. Same passion for nature

Born from the passion to ‘weed the bush’, Kaipātiki Project is coming of age and now celebrating its 21st birthday, the occasion that has welcomed a new look.

Conservation week stories

This year we were celebrating Conservation Week, and as a part of the celebration, we asked people to share their conservation activities with us. Thank you for sharing your stories. Each story is interesting, unique and inspirational.