Wakatipu Reforestation Trust

14/06/2026

One last nursery session this Wednesday before we hibernate for a few weeks. 🐻

26/05/2026

A reminder we're on winter hours at the nursery folks.
We'll be there from 10.30 - 2 pm tomorrow.
Hot soup on offer for lunch
Drop in when suits for as long as you like.

10/05/2026

09/05/2026

How long does it take 80 people to plant nearly 1200 native plants?
Apparently… not very long at all! 🌱
In just a couple of hours this site was completely transformed, with volunteers rolling up their sleeves and making short work of the last of our Autumn planting.

Until recently, this area was overrun with pest trees and had become home to a large rabbit population. Thanks to QLDC, the pest trees and rabbits have been removed, and the area fenced to give these young native plants the best possible start.

A big shout out to Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa for keeping the crowd fuelled with a fantastic morning tea — very much appreciated by our hardworking planters! ☕💚

Thanks to Whakatipu Rowing Club for bringing in the extra volunteer power for the day 💪 - and hosting us at your wonderful new clubhouse for a most picturesque BBQ!

And finally, thank you to everyone who has joined us at planting days this Autumn. Every plant in the ground is another step toward restoring healthy native habitats for the future. 🌿

(A note for our nursery volunteers: We will be moving to new winter hours this Wednesday from 10.30 - 2pm).

Trees That Count
Friends of Lake Hayes
Queenstown Lakes District Council

06/05/2026

QLDC staff have been making great use of their annual volunteer hours in recent weeks and have helped us plant up a trailside section at Jardine Park. This is going to be a lovely part of the trail in years to come with southern rata tucked in through this area. Southern Rata can live for 500 years, so that is some long term impact right there!
Thanks all for all the helping hands and great company 🫶🌳
Queenstown Lakes District Council

04/05/2026

If anyone is free this morning, our Tuckers Beach friends are running a planting event this morning and could do with some extra hands. There'll be an auger on site so plenty to do without digging holes as well.

We desperately need your help!

Flash planting mob - Tuesday 5th May.

Starting 9am 282 Tucker beach road, just park at the top on the grass verge - follow your nose down to the Queenstown Trail and the signs will guide you the rest of the way. It’s a 10-15min walk to site.

Basically - we have a whole lotta tussocks to get in the ground and very little funding. Bring a spade, gardening gloves and a can do attitude. Stay as little or as long as you like.

Flick Aimee a text 021495007 if you can come!

Happy planting!

03/05/2026

Thanks to the 60+ volunteers who showed up on Saturday morning to help us put over 1200 plants in the ground at Whitechapel Reserve. It was fantastic to see so many old planting friends and new faces out enjoying the Autumn morning.
We are grateful as always to Aabhi and the team at the Hilton providing us with a delicious morning tea to keep us all going. 🫶
Thanks also to SJ Allen who sorting us a portaloo for the event. 👏

Whitechapel Reserve now has a tally of over 27,000 plants. With volunteers having collected seed, grown, planted and maintained these plants it is an amazing example of the power community changing our environment for the better. 💚

We'll be at Lake Hayes rowing club next Saturday morning at 9am for our last Autumn planting day.

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa
Trees That Count
SJ Allen Holdings Ltd

01/05/2026

09/11/2025

Neill and Barb's story is the foundation of the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust. Here it is beautifully written up by Georgia Merton for Patagonia NZ. As inspiring as ever 🫶🌱

https://www.patagonia.co.nz/blogs/stories/one-hundred-thousand-trees-and-counting?srsltid=AfmBOopAxTKNEXF2C33DX8qXGQcSuQk3RSzZOhfNutLjG2dR0HmeLYTP
Patagonia
Photo credit: Dee Gerlach

“Just get on with it,” Neill Simpson tells me across the kitchen table, eyes fixed on mine and well worn hands folded in front of him. “If you wait for people to cross every t and dot every i, you’ll lose your enthusiasm. Occasionally you get a slap on the knuckles, but that's about all.” ...