Motukārara Wholesale Conservation Nursery

Motukārara Wholesale Conservation Nursery and resource centre has established itself as a 'centre of excellence' for restoration in Canterbury. It grows Canterbury plants exclusively, with an emphasis on provenance.

The nursery propagates between 120,000 and 160,000 plants each year, most of which are pre-sold for restoration projects. The nursery aims to increase understanding of eco-sourcing, ecological restoration and protection. 

• Eco sourced plants from Canterbury, for Canterbury – this ensures you get a better survival rate as plants have adapted to local conditions.
• A plant that has been hardened off – Our plants are exposed to the elements and have their irrigation dialled back to make sure they can survive everything Canterbury has to offer.
• Plants are selected for strength, health, resilience and survivability – we want your planting to succeed so only provide you with high quality plants.
• We have a wide range of species available to order from.
• Our team of experts can help you choose the right plant, from the right place for the right purpose (whether that is for fire/flood mitigation, erosion control, increasing biodiversity, habitat creation, forestry, riparian management or carbon sequestration).
• Any plants bought through the Nursery directly support protecting and propagating threatened species in Canterbury and other local conservation work.
• You will receive a 5% discount if you order before 30 September the year before you would like to collect plants. For example, if you order plants for 2026 before 30 September 2025, you will receive a 5% discount.

Plant lists and order forms

Plant availability is based on seed collected. If you would like something uncommon please get in touch with us early to ensure we have time to collect the best seed for your location.

These price lists and order forms list the plants available for sale, prices and containers they are available in. 

Plant lists

• Motukarara Nursery standard species list (PDF, 42K)
• Motukarara Nursery specialist species list (PDF, 366K)
• Motukarara Nursery two year grow species list (PDF, 449K)

Order form

• Order form (DOCX, 881K)

Conditions of sale 

The plants for sale have been selected to be of merchantable quality and true to name and description, but any expressed or implied conditions, statement or warranty in this respect is hereby excluded.

All plants were propagated at our nursery. They are sold as long as stocks last. They are subject to shortages caused by circumstances beyond our control. We will confirm their availability.

No cancellations can be accepted after receipt and confirmation of your order. Plants can also be bought directly from our nursery (Eftpos and credit card facilities available).

Propagation

The nursery grows Canterbury plants exclusively. Seed is collected from native plants natural to different ecological areas. The seed harvest (from January to the end of June) is done in relation to restoration projects, threatened plant programmes and sales demand. Over 120 different species are collected from some 20 ecological sites.

Seeds are sown until September and propagated until the end of December. From January to April the seedlings are conditioned for the autumn or spring planting. Most of the production is on a yearly cycle, but some will take two to three years. Most of the plants produced are grown in small pots or RX pots.

Nursery gardens 

There is a nursery, display garden, ethno-botanical garden, and a resource centre. 

The display garden in front of the nursery is open 24 hours and is planted with representative plantings of local plant associations found in wetlands, coastal areas and Banks Peninsula. It also has a collection of threatened plants and plants of cultural significance.

The ethno-botanical garden Nga Tipu Whakaoranga o Tutekawa has been developed as a living learning toolkit. From the time they first arrived in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Māori people depended on native plants for the necessities of life - food, firewood, shelter, clothing, and medicine. Nga Tipu Whakaoranga o Tutekawa celebrates the bonds between people and plants.

The Motukarara Nursery Display Gardens are currently under renovation to revitalise the garden beds representing indigenous habitats of Canterbury.

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