Motu Community Nursery

09/04/2026

Come visit us tomorrow, Friday, in Medlands from 9-2 and get your coffee fix too!

(We will be closed this Saturday in prep for Vaianu)

Planting is climate change mitigation 🌫️

09/04/2026

31/03/2026

🍃Planting season is once again upon us! We've been growing up a heap of beautiful natives that are ready for their new homes.
🕰️Come see us this Easter weekend in Medlands on Friday (9-2) and Saturday (9-12:30) and check out the new, fresh, lovely stock
☕️Grab a fresh brewed coffee and some delicious brekky while you're at it

Can't make it down just yet? Email us for orders and enquiries
([email protected])

20/03/2026

🌿☕️Fresh stock just arrived! Come see us this morning in Medlands and grab a delicious coffee & some brekky while you're at it. See you there!

24/02/2026

🫶 New Propagation House🌱

We love our new prop house in Okiwi - where we do all our growing and sowing for the community nursery. This prop house was designed for the site and built for purpose. A bit of an experimental design with different types of windows, angled roof for drawing the heat upwards, lots of airflow, dappled light, great benches that fit over 80 seed trays and our new irrigation system that is working so well. Seeds are very happy in their new home and lots of little ones popping up all the time.

Big thanks to our Aotea Local Board for supporting this project, seeing the vision and many thanks to the wonderful community for all their continued support. Almost planting season again! 💚

18/09/2025

🌸Spring Sales on this Weekend!🌼

Come visit us this Friday or Saturday morning on Mason Road. We still have plenty of beautiful natives ready to go in the ground this season and as we near the end of planting season, we've also got some great sales on offer!

☕And to sweeten the deal, Aotea Roast is open and Ryan Daly is on the machine! ☕

Friday 9:00 - 2:00
Saturday 8:30 - 12:30

11/09/2025

Arohanui for Ōkiwi Reserve! Fantastic mahi from OCEP and the amazing community. We all share, enjoy and love this space. Stoked to be part of this planting and growing 🫶

03/09/2025

🕰 Going back to two days a week for springtime! Come down and see us this weekend 🌱

28/08/2025

🦎 Come down and see us tomorrow during our opening hours in Medlands on Mason Rd

🕰 Saturday 9am - 12:30pm

🌱 Ready and keen to talk trees, give some guidance and suggestions on your planting needs.

📨 Can't make it in? Email us at [email protected] for all enquiries

📸 Whau (Entelea arborescens) is a member of Malvaceae (mallow family — same as hibiscus and cotton). Not to be overlooked! A pioneer species — one of the first to grow back after land disturbance. They grow quickly, but don’t live long (a few decades at most). They help prepare the land for more permanent ngāhere, by stabilising soil and providing shelter. Also - fun fact - they are one of the lightest weight woods in the world and floats better than cork! 🍾

22/08/2025

💛 We are open today! Come down and see us from 9am-12:30pm at The Village on Mason road. Plenty of beautiful, eco-sourced natives ready to go in the ground this season 💛

20/08/2025

🌿 Kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile) is a unique and iconic native tree. She is a member of Meliaceae (mahogany family) and flowers in late autumn to early winter, unusual for NZ native trees. This makes them important food sources for insects and birds during the colder months.

🌸 Have you seen or smelled the sweet blooms? Her flowers are small, creamy white to greenish, fragrant, and grow directly from the trunk and branches — a trait known as cauliflory.

🧡 Once formed and ripened, the seed pod splits open to reveal bright orange seeds surrounded by a fleshy red aril, which birds like kererū eat. In other parts of Aotearoa, these flowers and seeds are often lost to possum whom also love them! And of course, the rats do too - just another reason to keep trapping!

📸 We captured this series of photos throughout the last year, as we awaited seed to collect and sow. Last year, kohekohe put on quite a show with tons of blooms and ripe seeds - we are happy to report plenty of seedlings are now potted up and growing away!

🫶 We have some beautiful kohekohe seedlings ready to go in the ground this year too - come down and check them out! She loves moist, fertile soils and grows well in sheltered sites and is often found in mixed native forests alongside species like tawa, nīkau, and pūriri.