Restoring ecosystems: Recloaking Papatūānuku

There are multiple projects and people supporting ecosystem health in parks. This includes extensive pest plant and animal management, restoration plantings, supporting mana whenua and community conservation work, science programme monitoring and much more.

Recloaking Papatūānuku (recloaking Mother Earth) 

Park ecosystems are in different states of health. A significant programme called Recloaking Papatūānuku, or the Parks Restoration Programme, is focused on restoring the formerly grazed areas of parks which are in the poorest states of health. Recloaking Papatūānuku includes wetland and forest restoration plantings in Queen Elizabeth Park, Belmont, Kaitoke and Baring Head/Ōrua-pouanui (East Harbour Regional Park).  

In the winter of 2026, Greater Wellington will have planted over one million native plants across nearly 500 hectares of formerly grazed areas in the regional parks. We will continue planting at a rate of about 50-70 hectares, and 200,000 native plants per year.  

The vision for restoring healthy ecosystems in parks is long term, and the aim is full recovery. It takes many years for native forests to reach maturity, but the good news is that benefits start being delivered as replanting and habitat restoration begins.  

The restoration programme is not just about planting trees. Most of the region’s bushland has regenerated through natural processes. The restoration programme is supporting natural processes of regeneration with extensive pest plant and animal management work. Fire threat management plans, new fire break trails and removal of redundant fencing are also included.    

The programme has been funded initially through Greater Wellington's Low Carbon Acceleration Fund (LCAF) and then the Long-Term Plan. The LCAF was established in 2020 by borrowing against a free allocation of carbon credits received for pre-existing forests on Greater Wellington land.  

The benefits of restoration 

Through stock retirements and licence variations, overall emissions attributed to grazing in regional parks have almost halved (reduced by 49% from 2018/19 to 2026). This reduction is making a significant contribution towards helping Greater Wellington meet our carbon reduction goals.  

Restoring parkland previously grazed by stock increases the health and quality of freshwater streams, wetlands, rivers and inlets. A lack of vegetation, particularly streamside (riparian) reduces fish spawning habitat and causes streambank erosion. Riparian planting is an effective method to mitigate sediment, pathogens, and excess nutrients.   

Farming activities increase the sediment load in water catchments, especially on steeper slopes. Stock access to waterways and overland water flow through grazed paddocks is one of the main routes for E. coli (from stock dung) to enter waterways. Macroalgae blooms can also occur when there is excess phosphorus and nitrogen (from fertiliser or dung) in waterways. These have a range of adverse effects like reducing light for desirable species, smothering shellfish beds, and depleting oxygen.  

Recloaking Papatūānuku is deeply interrelated with other programmes of work related to freshwater and biodiversity.