Te pua o te Rēinga, the only parasitic plant endemic to Aotearoa, has been rediscovered in the Wainuiomata water collection area after wild populations of the species were thought to be extinct from the region for more than a century.

Also known as wood rose or Dactylanthus taylorii, Te pua o te Rēinga is regarded as regionally Threatened - Critical. While Te pua o te Rēinga seeds from the King Country were translocated to the Wellington region in 2020, the last documented observation of a wild Te pua o te Rēinga population was in the Kaitoke area in 1914.

Greater Wellington ecosystems and community manager and Rōpū Tiaki co-chair, David Boone, says a bird specialist working on behalf of Greater Wellington was not looking for the plant, but stumbled across several clusters in an area closed off from the public.

“In a remarkable and unexpected discovery, our contractor spotted the plants close to a bird count station we have been surveying annually for the last two decades,” Boone says.

“The plants were not found in a healthy condition – more like relics of a remnant population – further monitoring is needed to understand the size and health of the population, and what we can do to preserve it.

“The forest in the Wainuiomata water collection area is largely unchanged since Europeans arrived in New Zealand and includes the largest and most pristine lowland forest in the lower North Island. It is a habitat for native bird species like tītipounamu (rifleman) and kiwi, and now one of New Zealand’s rarest plants.”

Department of Conservation operations manager and an expert on Te pua o te Rēinga, Avi Holzapfel, says this is the southernmost known population of the plant in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Individual plants can be long-lived, for decades or even more. Initial indications are this is a remnant population of mature plants which may have been at the site for a long time – right under our noses. Protecting the plants from predators like possums and rats will hopefully allow the plants to seed, which may be replanted to rejuvenate the population," Holzapfel says.

“The parasitic nature of Te pua o te Rēinga means the plant is fully dependent on host trees; therefore, all conservation efforts need to take the wider forest into account as well; regular pest control carried out by Greater Wellington helped the population survive.”

Short-tailed bats, pekapeka, are a known pollinator of Te pua o te Rēinga. Greater Wellington’s acoustic monitoring along the nearby Pākuratahi River in early 2024 detected a new population of central lesser short-tailed bats. The only short-tailed bat populations known to the regional council prior to this were in the Tararua Range and northern Wairarapa, both of which had not been seen in recent years.

"As short-tailed bats can range over 40km during a single night’s feeding, it is quite possible that bats have visited, fed on, and pollinated the newly discovered population in the past, and hopefully will do so again,” Holzapfel adds.

The working group responsible for translocating Te pua o te Rēinga seeds to Zealandia and Ōtari-Wilton’s bush in 2020 has reconvened to work with Greater Wellington, Wellington City Council, and the Department of Conservation to develop a co-management plan for the re-discovered wild population; made up of representatives from the region’s six iwi: Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai and Raukawa.

Rangitāne o Wairarapa Pou Rautaki Whenua Amber Craig, a member of the working group, emphasises the significance of Te pua o te Rēinga in te ao Māori and the discovery of the collection of rākau.

“This rediscovery is very exciting for us as a collective mana whenua rōpū,” Craig says.

“Leading this project with mātauranga Māori, in collaboration with Greater Wellington, Department of Conservation, and communities, will ensure that we can not only protect Te pua o te Rēinga but ensure they thrive.

“Preserving the whakapapa of these plants is important, and we can only do that by listening to our pūrākau, looking at the intrinsic relationships Te pua o te Rēinga has with other species, and working together holistically to support the entire ecosystem.”

The ‘Protection and Recovery Plan’ is a living document outlining next steps, including protecting the site, conducting a broader survey of the surrounding area, and identifying any additional plant individuals. Educational resources for Greater Wellington field staff and knowledge exchange with iwi and national experts is also underway.

“Te pua o te Rēinga is a spiritual plant that has brought us all together and shown us what kotahitanga looks like,” Craig adds.

The Wainuiomata water collection area is a Key Native Ecosystem site due to its high natural values and vulnerability to predators, and would become part of the proposed Puketahā eco-sanctuary. Pest control efforts in the area are managed under the Greater Wellington Key Native Ecosystems programme.

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