Rare Plant Project

otuihe isn’t just home to rare native animals, the island is also a safe haven for a number of threatened plants, including Clianthus puniceus, better known as kākābeak or kōwhai-ngutu-kākā. This beautiful plant is now extinct in the wild and is listed as Critically Endangered. Motuihe Trust has been working to grow and conserve kākābeak for a number of years and  we  have  recently been awarded a three-year grant from the Department of Conservation to focus and extend this work.

This is a very exciting project for us and will involve work to grow and establish more areas of kākābeak on Motuihe with the aim of ‘cracking the code’ to achieve natural regeneration. We will also be working with other threatened plant species, many of which share similar habitats to kākābeak. 

If you would like to be part of this project please contact operations@motuihe.org.nz

Find out more about kākābeak and our other threatened plants below.

Kakabeak - Clianthus Puniceus 

A real national treasure, kākābeak are bushy shrubs that produce large bunches of red flowers through spring. The flowers are bird-pollinated and their name reflects the curved beak-like shape of the flowers. Kākābeak are extremely vulnerable to browsing from pest animals and loss of habitat. 

Ozothamnus leptophyllus - Tauhinu

Tauhinu belongs to the daisy family and the plants' small white flowers turn into fluffy bunches of seed that give the plants their second common name - cottonwood. Tauhinu leaves and flowers have a pleasant scent. This plant is in decline in the Auckland region due to loss of habitat.

Scandia rosifolia - Koheriki

Koheriki is a glossy, lush plant that grows in coastal habitats in the upper half of the north island. Koheriki belong to the carrot family and their white umbrellas of flowers look quite similar to Queen Anne's lace (which are part of the same family). The species is threatened by browsing from pest animals and loss of habitat.