Community stories: Taking action for natureNgā kōrero nā te hapori: Te whakamāui ake i te taiao

See communities around Aotearoa New Zealand taking care of their natural environment – climate crusaders, river cleaners, tree planters, possum trappers.

Volunteer for nature: Want to make a difference? Browse opportunities in your neighbourhood.

A black-gloved hand is holding a small pine tree with its roots showing in the air

Volunteer for nature

Get hands-on in nature in Aotearoa New Zealand and help make a difference in your community. Collaborate with your community and act for nature.

A hand holding a small part of a leafy tree

Preserving forest gems, Piako District, Waikato

They shelter so many species, including long-tailed bats, native passionfruit, and tree wētā, but Waikato’s kahikatea | Dacrycarpus dacrydioides forests have been so reduced that only a fragile 1% remains.

Men looking at something on the grassy ground. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Regenerative farming, Canterbury

Healthy soil helps the environment, so farmers in Canterbury are changing the way they farm, and sharing the knowledge with other farmers in the community, even old hands!

Grey sky over farmland. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

The loneliest tree: Kaikōmako manawatāwhi

Saving one of the world’s rarest trees, the kaikōmako manawatāwhi | Three Kings kaikōmako (Pennantia baylisiana): a story of species recovery work for ‘the loneliest tree’ undertaken by Ngāti Kurī and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.

Cows on a farm. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Restoring farm waterways, Mangakahia, Northland

Dairy farmer Andrew Booth replants and nurtures his family farm, restoring farm water waterways and creating new wetlands with volunteers from the Mangakahia community.

A drone shot of a suburban house and cars. There is someone standing in front of the house

Bringing back the birds, Predator Free Miramar

Predator Free Miramar is a volunteer, not-for-profit, community effort to rid the Peninsula of rats and mice, and bring back the birds and the bush to Wellington’s eastern suburbs.

A view of cows eating grass on a farm. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Dairy farmers bringing back kiwi, Northland

Lodore Farm has been producing dairy for 30 years – but that’s not the whole story. A quarter of the farm is native bush, with kauri, rimu, tōtara, and waterfalls, and home to around 50 pairs of North Island brown kiwi.

A windfarm on a grey day with a map of New Zealand overlaid in the top right-hand corner

Sports clubs aceing climate change, nationwide

Litefoot is a charity led by top New Zealand sportspeople. Their mission is to transform community sports infrastructure and culture so sports groups become electricity independent, water neutral, and zero waste by 2025.

A mountain of green glass from broken bottles

Glass recycling, nationwide

The Glass Packaging Forum is focused on the recovery of glass containers and jars from across Aotearoa New Zealand and returning them to the furnace to complete a ‘full circle’. On average, a glass bottle or jar made in Aotearoa New Zealand contains 69% recycled glass.

A person driving a red and yellow electric vehicle in front of a house

Using electric vehicles at NZ Post, nationwide

NZ Post are looking after their carbon emissions, and thinking about the future of our planet, by introducing electric-powered vehicles.

A waste management truck is in a shed with mounds of empty plastic milk bottles and a person standing in the background

Waste Management NZ, nationwide

Waste Management don't just take away your rubbish they turn it into reusable resources (like plastic and paper). They also turn landfill gases into electricity – enough to power 20,000 homes!

Children walking away from a building with a map overlaid in the top right corner

Tree planting, Tokelau

Children from Matuala School on Atafu Atoll in Tokelau, are planting and growing pandanus trees at their school to provide shade, grow fruit to eat, secure the ground, and fight climate change.

A view across an inlet with the sun shining low on it. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Saving seabirds, Great Barrier Island

Wildlife Management International are working with fishing company Moana New Zealand, to track and tag black petrels in the Hauraki Gulf. This fishing company is taking action to save species they sometimes catch in their nets/lines.

Three people standing around a table, one of them is holding a plant

Re-establishing flora and birds, Motuihe Island

Motuihe Island, near Auckland, used to be overrun by pest weeds and rabbits. But the hard work from volunteers at Motuihe Island Restoration Trust means the island is now pest-free.

Two people sorting plants and seed on a table.

Species recovery, Auckland

The ecology project team at Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust are committed to protecting their whenua (land). The team do lots of planting, clearing of scrub, pulling weeds from trees to give them a better chance at life, beekeeping, and trapping.

Children walking on a tree-lined path. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Bat tracking, Waitākere Ranges

Auckland Council are funding community projects to track native bats in Auckland's Waitākere ranges in an effort to understand the threats the unique animals are facing.

A lake with a man-made channel in the middle of it with water flowing down both sides

Saving whitebait and eels, Auckland

Watercare Services test water quality for native fish and elvers (baby eels) and relocate them from the lower dam, to the upper dam, where they’ll be safe from fishing. They also catch eels that are migrating back to Tonga in the higher dam and relocate them downstream so they can make their way to sea.

Two small birds on the beach with a map of New Zealand in the top-right corner

Protecting beach birds, Piha

Dotterels (tūturiwhatu) have only started nesting in Piha in the last two years. This community are building nest covers for the dotterel nests. Vehicles and dogs can destroy nests, so these covers make the public more aware of nest locations.

A steel structure with blue sky behind and a map of New Zealand overlaid on the right-hand corner

Saving longfin eels, Bay of Plenty

Bill Kerrison is a true kaitiaki of tuna (eels) in New Zealand.

The mast of a boat with sails and map overlaid with a map of New Zealand on the top-right

Waka plastics trawl, Hawke’s Bay

Te Karu o Te Ika Voyaging Trust and 5 Gyres Institute are using the waka (boat) Te Matau a Māui to help measure the amount of microplastics in the ocean. This is the first microplastics trawl in Aotearoa New Zealand’s waters.

A woman in safety gear chainsawing weeds around the base of a tree

Tackling invasive weeds, Tongariro

Project Tongariro is committed to restoring the mauri of their unique central North Island landscape. Tackling invasive weeds like honeysuckle, blackberry, and willow is just one of the ongoing tasks that helps native plants and birds thrive again.

A bank of trees with a map of New Zealand overlaid on the top right corner

Culling invasive trees, Manawatū

The Palmy Pine Pulling Posse are devoted environmentalists who cull invasive pines that stop native bush from growing.

Protecting native lizards, Kāpiti coast

Ngā Uruora Kāpiti Project is a community-based conservation project. Their aim is to create bird-safe native forest running from Pukerua Bay to Paekākāriki, but also to increase the population of native lizards.

People walking through bush with a map of New Zealand overlaid on the right-hand side

Stream clean-up, Porirua

Cleaning rubbish from local awa (rivers) plays an integral role in protecting our ika (fish) and other living things in our water.

People planting plants along a small waterway with houses in the background and a map of New Zealand overlaid on the right-hand side

Stream planting project, Lower Hutt

As well as removing rubbish, Rata Street School are planting trees by their local awa (river).

A map of New Zealand overlaid on an interior shot of a hairdresser

Cutting back on waste, Wellington

Scout Hair Salon are doing their bit for the environment – from recycling their tin foil and composting gathered hair, to using ethically conscious product ranges.

Clearing plastic, Wellington

Scots College are kaitiaki (guardians) of their local awa (stream). They want to stop pollution in the river and stop plastics getting out to the ocean.

Four people planting and weeding plants on the side of a sand dune

Planting Harakeke, Westport

Buller High School have been revegetating the Cape Foulwind Walkway with harakeke. They’ve planted over 9,000 plants!

A sunny day with a large rock covered in plants in the foreground. There's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the image on the top right-hand side.

Mena the penguin detective, Kaikōura

Mena is a DOC conservation dog who’s trained to sniff out little penguin nests so conservation groups can protect them.

A girl in a pink tshirt is walking off screen and there's a map of New Zealand overlaid on the top right

Possum trapping, Banks Peninsula

Little River Ruru Rescue are protecting their native birds (including ruru) by catching possums, stoats, and rats.

People in boats on a lake with a map of New Zealand overlaid on the right-hand side

Helping lake birds breed, Lake Wānaka

Members of the Glebe Recovery Project provide floating nests for grebes to breed and raise chicks. Their efforts have meant 200 chicks have hatched.

A photo of a beach with a map of New Zealand overlayed on it

Beach life survey, Dunedin

How much life is there in one square metre of sand?

Children bending over a bucket in the bush, there's a map of New Zealand overlaid in the top right-hand corner

Counting moths, Invercargill

Ahi Pepe MothNet is a citizen science project that aims to engage teachers, students, and whānau with moths – and through moths with nature and science. Here, Te Wharekura Arowhenua School show is how it’s done.