Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust - Connecting Community & Conservation

September 2025

Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust seeks to connect the community to the land through native habitat restoration in the Upper Clutha area. Over 18 years of operation, our volunteers have generously donated their time and energy, nurturing seedlings in our nursery to grow into strong healthy plants that they then plant in the ground. They planted about 3,500 in 2024 alone, and have restored much native habitat to our public areas. The impact of their dedication and work makes our public tracks and reserves delightfully diverse to recreate in; there’s nothing like seeing an obviously cherished public space.

We love that our volunteers keep saying “YES!!”
They insist that it’s the welcoming feel, the laughter, the random conversations, the connections, the friends, the pride in admiring their work from the deck while enjoying tea or delicious locally donated Venus coffee. They keep coming back, to do hands-on work that is meaningful, rewarding, and good for the body and soul.

In our pics:

• (Pictured above) Volunteers, including much loved and handsome dog Strummer, maintain a planted site along the shores of Lake Wanaka

• Lucca is triumphant holds a long lost spade aloft from the bracken when infill planting

• Barbara is keenly focussed on pricking out seedlings with a 6 inch nail

• The results of volunteer work – from seed tray to pot, then planting, watering and weeding the planted sites.

“Every day at the nursery or planting sites is different. There is a richness of experiences and learnings coupled with good convivial banter and laughter!! It truly is lots of fun, and very rewarding work.”

"The nursery is a happy place to be and the sessions are good for my mental health and well-being."