A unique record of the Notable Trees of New Zealand
Welcome to the New Zealand Notable Trees Trust website
Some of New Zealand's greatest treasures are its trees. From our iconic native species to the colourful exotic trees that grace our parks and gardens, New Zealand's trees are as spectacular as they are varied.
This website celebrates this rich arboreal heritage, both edemic and introduced. Documented here are our finest trees on current record.
Pioneering work on documenting the notable tree heritage of New Zealand was carried out by Dr. H. H. Allan (1940), and later, by Bob Burstall, who for more than 30 years surveyed the country to locate and catalogue many of our fine trees (Burstall 1970–1974, Burstall and Sale, 1984).
In 1977/1978 the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH) established a national register of notable trees for the purpose of cataloguing and registering New Zealand’s tree heritage. For more than 25 years, the late Ron Flook of Nelson played a significant role in managing this scheme.
In 2004, in conjunction with website developer Kieren Simon, the first Notable Trees New Zealand database was launched online to allow public access and wider recognition of New Zealand’s tree heritage. Unfortunately, Ron passed away in 2006 and the associated database became unavailable soon afterwards.
In 2007/2008, the RNZIH in association with the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA) established a new charitable trust called the New Zealand Notable Trees Trust (NZNTT). This trust was established to continue this important work and David Glenn is the first and current Chairman.
A database of this nature is never complete or up-to-date. Some trees on record may have grown considerably since they were last measured or, indeed, may not exist anymore. Many fine trees may still await discovery, hidden away in back yards, national parks, gardens and countryside.
NZNTT is constantly updating its tree records. In addition to our hope that you will enjoy this unique collection, we also invite you to make a contribution to the database by submitting your own local trees. That tree you pass everyday just might be a national champion or may even attract international attention.