Hutt City Council is playing a key role in bringing two of Aotearoa’s rarest native plant species back from the brink of extinction.

Council has undertaken propagation work at Percy Scenic Reserve to help Myosotis petiolata and Celmisia aff. gracilenta ‘Mangaweka’ not only survive but thrive.

The leafy, white-flowered Myosotis petiolata - a native forget-me-not - once flourished in the limestone-rich soils of Hawke’s Bay. But it has dwindled to near-extinction. Thanks to a collaboration with Downer Greenspace, Council is helping make a small miracle unfold.

Last year, staff at Percy’s propagated 60 plants, and a further 440 cuttings are just beginning to root, each one a tiny green shoot of hope.

Downer’s Percy Scenic Reserve-based horticulturalist, Cliff Keilty, says the forget-me-not is easy enough to grow but can be tricky to keep healthy.

"They’re prone to fungal disease and need specific conditions. We mimic their natural limestone habitat by adding lime to their pots-it seems to make them happy."

To come off the endangered list, at least 2000 established, flowering plants need to be growing in the wild in Hawke’s Bay. Hutt City Council aims to contribute by propagating around 500 more plants each year for the next four years which will eventually be planted in Hawke’s Bay.

Alongside the forget-me-not, native daisy Celmisia aff. gracilenta ‘Mangaweka’ is also making a tentative return from extinction in the wild.

The last known specimens of this distinctive and delicate alpine plant were saved by the Department of Conservation around 1999.

Staff at Percy Scenic Reserve and Wellington City Council’s Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush are working to propagate this plant which is functionally extinct in the wild. They divided these into multiple smaller plants to reduce the risk of losing one individual plant. Only two genetically distinct parent plants remain in ex-situ collections, and one plant is known in the wild.

Hutt City Council Neighbourhoods and Communities Director Andrea Blackshaw says the Rautaki Kanorau Koiora Taketake Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy 2023 provides a focus for this sort of work.

"Council is motivated to safeguard ecosystems, species, and habitats so they can be treasured for future generations. Helping save these two endangered plants is a part of that valuable work."

Downer Greenspace Contract Manager Justin Arthur says the collaborative efforts of Downer Greenspace, Hutt City Council, and Wellington City Council are a testament to what can be achieved when organisations work together for the greater good of our environment.

"This initiative highlights the value of long-term partnerships. By combining resources and expertise, we’re making a tangible impact - one that benefits communities and ecosystems alike.

"The Hutt City community can be proud to know the important role their council is playing in the conservation of our nationally critical and endangered plant species."

© Scoop Media