In Wānaka, conservation isn’t just about protecting the landscape. It’s about connecting people to it, growing a community that cares for it, and planting opportunities for locals and visitors alike to get involved
Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust is a local environmental charity doing just that, inspiring community-led native habitat restoration through propagation, education, and hands-on participation. From their native plant nursery in the heart of Wānaka, Te Kākano grows around 15,000 eco-sourced plants each year for public land restoration projects throughout the Upper Clutha. But more than just setting and forgetting, Te Kākano takes a long-term, full-circle approach to their work from start to end, overseeing seed collection, propagation, planting, monitoring, and maintenance.
Last year, the organisation was a recipient of a Love Wānaka Impact Grant, which has enabled the team to continue their essential mahi in the region. Love Wānaka’s funding supported Te Kākano’s core operations and helped sustain the day-to-day work that makes their impact possible: running the nursery, supporting volunteers, engaging schools and youth groups, and planning for the year ahead.
“It’s funding like this that helps us do our best work,” says Loran Verpillot, Trust Manager of Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust. “Being able to support our team and run our nursery effectively is what allows us to keep showing up for our land and our community.”
Take a look at the numbers below to see just how these funds have helped Te Kākano grow.
Between July 2024 and February 2025, Te Kākano’s community-led restoration work flourished. Over 1,304 volunteer hours were logged at nursery sessions (over 4,000 hours in total for 2024), hours that were spent propagating, potting, weeding, and caring for tens of thousands of native seedlings.
Many of those same volunteers also headed out into the field, tending to eight different planting sites and planting 311 additional natives, replacing plants that hadn’t survived and ‘in-fill’ planting to help strengthen existing restoration areas. Meanwhile, in total for 2024, Te Kākano was responsible for getting 5,638 plants in the ground.
One particularly impactful development this year was the introduction of “in the field” nursery sessions, where volunteers worked directly at planting sites rather than in the nursery. These field-based sessions focused on maintenance tasks like weeding, checking plant health, and replacing any lost plants. The goal was to improve long-term site outcomes and deepen volunteer engagement with the restoration process. As a result, these sessions saw more plants established than in previous years and overwhelmingly positive feedback from volunteers.
“These sessions not only allowed us to better maintain our sites, they also gave volunteers a stronger sense of connection to the bigger picture,” says Loran. “They’ve been so successful that we plan to make them a regular part of our programme.”
Te Kākano also introduced evening nursery sessions over the warmer months, hoping to attract new volunteers. While the summer heat proved a challenge, the sessions welcomed 30 new faces, including several visitors who joined in while passing through the region.
Te Kākano is deeply committed to fostering environmental awareness amongst both locals and visitors, young and old. Whether it’s long-time locals or one-time helpers, everyone who volunteers leaves with a deeper understanding of the land.
“The sessions are well run and make me feel useful,” said one volunteer. “It’s a happy place to be, and is also good for my mental health and well-being.”
Looking at the year ahead, Te Kākano is once again leading native restoration projects to plant 4,000 eco-sourced native plants in 2025, thanks to their dedicated community of volunteers. They’ll also continue propagating and caring for the 15,000 plants in their community nursery, ensuring a steady supply of locally sourced species for restoration sites across the Upper Clutha.
But the planting itself is just one part of the picture. Education and empowerment remain at the heart of Te Kākano’s kaupapa / values. With this in mind, their team is rolling out a series of free public workshops, covering topics such as harakeke / flax weaving, seed propagation, cutting propagation, and botanical walks. As always, their goal is to share knowledge and encourage people to take action in their own backyards.
Their long-running environmental education programme will continue to engage local schools and youth groups, helping nurture the next generation of kaitiaki / guardians of the land. And in 2025, they’re beginning a cultural competency journey, working with kaumātua Darren Rewi to deepen their understanding of Te Ao Māori and ensure their mahi aligns meaningfully with the whenua / land they’re working to restore.
Whether it’s through hands-on learning, ecological restoration, or community connection, Te Kākano’s goals for the year ahead reflect their deep-rooted belief that real change happens when people and place are brought together with care and intention.
At its heart, Te Kākano’s mahi is rooted in the idea that restoration is a shared responsibility that unites communities and leaves our region better than we found it. Whether it’s preschoolers planting their first seedlings, long-time locals turning up week after week, or visitors lending a hand while passing through, everyone has a role to play in caring for the land.
“Our vision is to connect communities with the land,” says Loran. “To do that, we need to work with as many organisations as possible. Thanks to the work we do with Love Wānaka, we’re able to reach and engage with more people and organisations.”
This collective spirit is also a big part of Love Wānaka’s mission. Thanks to our generous community, Love Wānaka is able to support like-minded environmental organisations, like Te Kākano, to foster a community where conservation is not just a cause, but a culture.
Want to see Te Kākano in action or join their efforts yourself? Te Kākano extends a warm invitation to visit their nursery and get involved wherever you can. Volunteer sessions run every week, including nursery, maintenance, and community planting sessions – and new hands are always welcome. Keep an eye on Love Wānaka’s volunteer calendar to see what’s on, when.
If you can’t join a volunteer session or get your hands dirty at a community workshop, consider supporting their work by donating to Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust. Alternatively, you can support environmental efforts more broadly by making a donation to Love Wānaka, or signing on as a Love Wānaka Impact Partner, where 100% of your donation goes to environmental action in our local region. Because here in Wānaka, we don’t just protect our environment. We grow with it.
