Auckland Biodiversity

Do you know who the iwi and mana whenua of your area are?

Tāmaki Makaurua| Auckland regognises 19 iwi and hapū with deep connections to this region. Our conservation portal 'Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau | Conservation Auckland' is a great shared resource to learn about each of their histories, values and environmental mahi.

⬇ Link in the comments below.

Photo credit - Waikato-Tainui.

Planting season is well and truly underway! 🌳

No matter where you are in Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland, you'll be able to find a planting day near you.
Takatu LandCare is putting on a great wetland planting day with fine weather and a BBQ this Friday. Come along to help enhance biodiversity, and restore a wetland🌞🌱

What to come along? Register you and your whānau in the comments below👇

🌱 Counting down 6 days until Go Native June 2026: Native Plant Giveaway! 🌱

Auckland's network of community nurseries quietly grows thousands of native plants every year for restoration projects and conservation efforts. This June, Auckland Council is partnering with nine nurseries to give away 5,000+ free native seedlings.

Why plant native? a flowering kōwhai becomes a café for tūī and bellbirds 🐝 H**e provides nectar for native bees🦎 Coprosma berries feed geckos and native birds

Your local community nursery is ready to help you choose the perfect plant for your backyard, balcony, or shared garden.

📍Use our online map to find your nearest participating nursery, grab your free seedling (while stocks last), and meet the volunteers restoring nature across Tāmaki Makaurau. Note that opening times and dates vary.

🔗https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/pages/plant-more-natives-map/

🌿 There's never been a better time to plant something that gives back for generations.

Funded by the Natural Environment Targeted Rate 💚

Class of 2026 Dotterel fledglings have fledged! 🎓🐦

Each year, the Dotterel Minders come together to reflect on the breeding season and this one certainly kept us on our toes. From some very creative nesting choices (think rooftops and coconut fibre matting!) to exciting population gains across the country, it’s been a season full of surprises and success.

Dotterel nest along our coastlines, laying their eggs directly on the ground, hidden among sand dunes, rocks, or nestled into low, cushion-like plants. While beautifully camouflaged, these nests are incredibly exposed, making them highly vulnerable to predators and disturbance.

Interested to know more about the 2026 season? the Snippets of the day was captured, check out the link in the comments to have a read👇

Photo Credit: Virginia Nicol

With only 11 breeding females left in the wild, every meal matters for the tara iti (fairy tern). That's why Auckland Council has led a successful effort to restore the natural connection between Te Arai Stream and two critical dune lakes inland; Lakes Slipper and Spectacle.

🐠 These lakes are vital feeding grounds for native fish like inanga (whitebait), which the fairy tern relies on to survive. But for years, a culvert beneath Te Arai Point Road blocked fish from swimming upstream to reach them.

⚠️ The problem? Erosion beneath the pipe had created a sharp vertical drop where the pipe outlet sat above the stream bed. Native fish swimming upstream would hit this barrier and couldn't jump up into the pipe. Unlike salmon, inanga can't leap obstacles - even a small height difference becomes an impassable wall.

Auckland Council replaced the culvert with a new fish-friendly box culvert, purpose-built to allow native species to move freely between the stream and lakes.

🌿 It's a quiet project in a remote spot - but it could mean the difference between extinction and survival for one of New Zealand's most precious taonga.

🤝 This work, funded through Auckland Council's Natural Environment Targeted Rate, is part of a broader ecological restoration effort led by local iwi Te Uri o Hau.

Recap on the National Pekapeka hui 2026🦇

What an awesome three day event, bringing together over 200 batty people from across the country! It was a great opportunity for people to connect, share ideas, and learn from each other.

There was a real buzz across the hui, with valuable insights and experiences shared in both formal sessions and informal cups of tea. It was clear that the collective knowledge and passion for pekapeka conservation continues to grow.

A great way to share this wealth of knowledge over three days is by capturing it!
Bryter Science Limited have caught the "hottest takes" from the event and made it into a cool document.

Curious about what was said at the event? Check out more from the link in the comments👇

Image credit: EcoQuest Centre for Indigeneity, Ecology and Creativity

Ātiu Creek is one of only two regional parks on the Kaipara Harbour - combining farming, predator and w**d control, and native restoration, while providing vital public access to the harbour.

The 845-hectare working farm was gifted to Auckland by Swiss philanthropists Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat in 2006 and opened as a regional park in 2008.

Today, Auckland Council is converting steep, erosion-prone farmland at Ātiu Creek Regional Park into native forest. This work forms part of Auckland Council’s 200-hectare Urban Ngahere programme, which focuses on reducing council’s carbon, as well as preventing runoff into the Kaipara Harbour, and boosting biodiversity.

An on-site nursery grows around 25,000 native plants a year with the help of volunteers, and the work is carried out in close partnership with local iwi Te Uri o Hau.

It's a practical, long-term approach to climate action rooted in place.

Image bottom right: Piere and Jackie Chatelanat at Ātiu Creek Regional Park 2005.

Happy Mother's Day💕

Today we celebrate all the love and care mothers give! To all the mums out there (feathered or not) we want to thank you for all that you do and hope you enjoy your day🌹

Photo credit: Virginia Nicol