Join The Search For The 2023 Rākau O Te Tau / Tree Of The Year

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is encouraging people to join the search for Aotearoa’s most interesting tree.

The national heritage agency is joining forces with the New Zealand Arboricultural Association and other partners to find this year’s Rākau o Te Tau / Tree of the Year Aotearoa.

Inspired by the ‘European tree of the year’, organisers want Kiwis to nominate and vote for the greatest, most fascinating trees in the country – and for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, it’s all about the stories.

“Rākau o Te Tau / Tree of the Year isn’t about the oldest or the biggest tree – it’s about trees that play a part in our lives and which capture the stories that are part of our shared histories,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Director Regional Services, Pam Bain.

“Trees are living links to the past which provide a different way for people to engage with their heritage. It’s that strong heritage component that makes this quest so important because it aims to capture the stories behind some of our well known and not so well known trees.”

The potentially thousands of woody contenders have been whittled down to five ‘finalists’ that people are able to vote for this year – a shortlist that reflects the diversity of the arborial heritage of Aotearoa.

In no particular order they include:

• The Christchurch Gallipoli Oak – planted on August 1924, this mighty oak was grown from an acorn collected on the Gallipoli battlefield in Turkey and sent home in a tobacco tin.
• The Hansen Lemon Tree (Rangihoua, Northland) – Believed to be the oldest surviving lemon tree in the country, the Hansen Lemon Tree stands on the site in the Bay of Islands where Māori and Europeans first learned to live side by side.
• Plimmer Oak – Over 150 years old, the Plimmer Oak is an important symbol of Wellington’s history and identity. The tree was grown from an acorn sent from South Africa to John Plimmer by Sir George Grey when he was the Governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa.
• Rākau Momori (Rēkohu / Chatham Island) – Rākau Momori are unique and increasingly rare Moriori carvings (or dendroglyphs) into living Kōpi trees and are now only found on Rēkohu (the main Chatham Island). The finalist is the largest remaining tree in the grove.
• Taketakerau (Bay of Plenty) – Sacred to the Ūpokorehe iwi, Taketakerau grows in the Hukutaia Domain near Ōpōtiki and is said to be more than 2000 years old. The tree was used by the people of Ūpokorehe to safeguard ancestral bones, and as such is a wāhi tapu (sacred site). The tree is the reason this reserve survives today.

“The stories behind the five finalists of 2023 provide a wonderful snapshot illustrating the amazing heritage that many trees carry, and the stories and communities they represent,” says Pam.

“That’s a huge part of Rākau o Te Tau / Tree of the Year – and this year people are being encouraged to gather more stories about other trees from hapū, iwi, family, kura or community members in preparation for next year’s competition.”

Voting is open until May 31. The Rākau o Te Tau / Tree of the Year Aotearoa winner will be announced on June 5 (NZ Arbor Day). To learn more about the trees – and to vote – follow the link: https://www.treeoftheyear.co.nz/

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