Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust

14/06/2026

This is so great to hear!!

😍We LOVE hearing that the learning has carried on in class after we left! We gave a butterfly chrysalis to a junior class at Hilltop School and taught them about how/why to tag the butterfly when it emerged. We were super excited to hear that their butterfly emerged successfully and was tagged and released, but also that the experience had led to literacy and art work in class. We don't always get to see the follow up work that happens, but love hearing about it.🦋 Thanks Taupo Community Gardens for the chrysalis and Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust for the tags. This type of hands on collaborative citizen science project creates such awesome learning opportunities for tamariki across many curriculum areas.💚

13/06/2026

National Volunteer Week starts today – and we are celebrating our volunteers and volunteering.

This year’s theme, Your Year to Volunteer – Tōu tau ki te tūao, has been chosen to mark International Year of the Volunteer 2026. The Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust achieves its goal (to ensure that Aotearoa New Zealand's ecosystems support thriving moth and butterfly populations) through the work of our volunteers.

There are many instances how our volunteers help. It's a wonderful way of learning about New Zealand's biodiversity and our flora and fauna. So thank you everyone, for the part you play. We could not have done what we have done (or will do in the future) without you.

07/06/2026

It's great to see the work of this young lepidopterist featured in the Otago Daily Times. Luca has had some of his photos featured in our calendars in the past.

Well done Luca!

07/06/2026

This is great to hear! Andy lives in the UK but he has done so much for NZ butterflies and moths. A great supporter of our organisation and work. Thank you, Andy and congratulations

🌿🏆 Huge congratulations to Andy Barker on receiving Butterfly Conservation's Special Recognition Award.

Chosen from nominees across the United Kingdom, this award honours individuals who have demonstrated long service, extraordinary dedication to a species or landscape, or have significantly advanced understanding within their field.

Andy was recognised for an extraordinary 36 years of volunteer service, including his transformative leadership as a regional coordinator and his foundational work at Magdalen Hill Down Nature Reserve since 1989. Under his guidance, the local butterfly monitoring network expanded by more than 400%, growing from 34 to over 200 monitoring sites and contributing around 10% of all UK butterfly monitoring data by 2025. Alongside this scientific contribution, he has led practical conservation projects, authored management plans, mentored future conservation leaders, and inspired countless volunteers along the way.

For those fortunate enough to know Andy, these achievements come as no surprise.

We have been privileged to work alongside Andy on Forest Ringlet research in recent years and have seen first-hand the depth of knowledge, generosity, patience, and enthusiasm he brings to everything he does. His influence extends far beyond any single species or project. He has a rare ability to encourage others to look more closely, ask better questions, and share in the wonder of discovery.

Recognition such as this reminds us that conservation is built not only on grand moments, but on thousands of hours accumulated over a lifetime. The patient recording of species, the mentoring of others, the willingness to share knowledge, and the enduring curiosity that drives understanding.

A richly deserved honour and a fitting acknowledgement of a lifetime spent championing nature and inspiring those around you.

Congratulations, Andy. 🦋💚🐛

Andy said: "Given the many outstanding volunteers who have been previous recipients of this award, I feel deeply honoured to be recognised for my contribution. Thanks to the collective efforts of many volunteers we can be rightly proud of our achievements. Teamwork is undoubtedly the key to success."

05/06/2026

Turn your sound on!

Spreading the word about the perils from pest wasps in New Zealand....

04/06/2026

Today is World Environment Day and we thank our financial members who are helping us make a difference.

If you'd like to help us we would love to have you in the team! It costs you less than a cup of coffee a month to help our butterflies and moths. Join up at the link below.

https://www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/members/join/

04/06/2026

It's WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - what are you doing for conservation today?

, today's e-news from the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust has two small suggestions which will make a HUGE difference. You can access the e-news here:

https://mailchi.mp/nzbutterflies/e-news-10349512

Happy World Environment Day!

We keep our members and non-members up to date with a free, weekly, electronic news. Our butterflies are flying despite the weather.

02/06/2026

Wasps!

Last year you may recall we undertook a survey on pest wasps.

(Remember there are thousands of wasp species in NZ, and MOST play an important part in our ecosystem. The pests are Vespula and Polistes species... called "social wasps" because they live in nests, but their behaviour sure is anti-social!)

We learned a lot from that survey and our trustees agree that some action now needs to happen. So, we've written to NZ government to ask them what action they will take.

Flick through the summary shown here. Pest wasps aren't just decimating our monarch population... they're a growing threat to 🌿 biodiversity, 🚶 recreation, 🐝 conservation, 🦋 pollination, 🐴 animal welfare and🚶public safety across Aotearoa.

You can help by emailing your own MP:

[email protected].

Let’s get some action started while the wasps are sleeping! The full report is here:

https://www.nzbutterflies.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Wasps-Survey-Final-Report.pdf

31/05/2026

Congratulations Charlotte and Rob Connoley - continuing the tradition started so many years ago. We love your seeds! Keep up the great work.

Kings Seeds Ownership News 🌱 From Charlotte Connoley.

It is with great excitement that I share some very special news. Kings Seeds has officially passed from Gerard and Barbara Martin to our family, the Connoleys.

My husband Rob and I feel incredibly honoured to become the next custodians of Kings Seeds as we continue its journey toward an exciting 50-year milestone.
For generations, Kings Seeds has been woven into the fabric of home gardening here in New Zealand, helping gardeners grow everything from their first handful of lettuce seedlings to flourishing backyard food gardens. To now become part of that story is something we feel deeply grateful for.

One of the values that has remained important throughout all three generations of Kings Seeds ownership is that the business has stayed proudly New Zealand-owned and operated. We believe there is real value in keeping local knowledge, decision-making, and investment here in New Zealand.

As the world continues to change, supporting New Zealand businesses that contribute to our food-growing culture, gardening communities, and environmental resilience feels more important than ever. For us, it’s about staying connected to the needs of New Zealand gardeners while continuing to invest back into the people, communities, and future of growing here at home.

Looking ahead, our commitment is to continue building on the wonderful legacy created by Ross and Glenys King, followed by Gerard and Barbara Martin, while continuing to support and inspire gardeners across the country for generations to come.

From our family to yours, thank you for being part of the Kings Seeds community. Your support means the world to our incredible team here at Kings Seeds and to us. We are so excited for this next chapter and cannot wait to grow alongside you. ~ Charlotte

🌱 Sow ~ Nurture ~ Nourish 🌱



📸 Pictured Gerard & Barbara Martin, Charlotte Connoley and Ross King