Our History

» Our History

Our History

Ko Taropehu te maunga - Taropehu is our mountain.

Ko Oruamo te awa - Hellyer’s Creek is our river.

Ko Te Hau Kapua te takiwā - We work out of this area.

Ko Pākaurua te rohe - Birkdale/Beach Haven is our base.

Ko Te Rōpu Kaipātiki tamore mātou - Kaipātiki Project is our foundation.

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa - We stand strong and acknowledge those who have come before, those currently here and those coming in the future.

This pepeha was kindly gifted to Kaipātiki Project by Matua Pat Ruka.

The story begins in 1998 with Jenny Christianson, the passion driving the project to ‘weed the bush’ on the banks of the Kaipātiki Stream on Auckland’s North. She soon had a band of merry men and women who volunteered their time and energy. During this time we had many homes - from Jenny’s house, to where we are now tucked into the lower reaches of the Kāipatiki Stream in Birkdale, surrounded by the Eskdale Reserve Network and friendly neighbourhoods.

Our Progress over Time

Growing sustainable future for people and nature

We began in 1998, when a small group of volunteers came together to protect a local forest fragment. Their passion soon inspired neighbours to join in restoring nearby bush reserves.

Today, we’re growing a sustainable future by empowering communities, connecting people with nature, and supporting low-impact living.

With our dedicated volunteers, we run a thriving native plant nursery, growing over 40,000 plants annually for local restoration. We also lead forest, stream, and estuary regeneration days, promote zero waste, and support local food initiatives.

We signed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Declaration: a commitment to the advancement of the SDGs in Aotearoa. The Declaration recognises the urgent need to foster collaboration and support pathways towards the SDGs in Aotearoa, with Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpinning our actions. The SDGs are designed to be "A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all people and the world by 2030".