Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington’s Growing our Future project is regenerating native forest on a 26-hectare site on the edge of Wellington, creating a restoration area larger than all the University’s campuses combined. Developed in partnership with Wellington City Council, the project responds to the limited space available for large-scale biodiversity enhancement on the University’s urban campuses by restoring nearby public land within the city’s Outer Green Belt.

Since 2021, the project has planted more than 28,000 native trees, helping to close a gap in a corridor of native habitat along Wellington’s western ridge. The restored site provides a stepping stone for native fauna, including kiwi, while contributing to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, soil stabilisation, water filtration and community access to nature.

The project also builds strong social and educational value. Volunteer planting days have engaged 1,050 students, staff and alumni, while the site supports teaching, research and biodiversity monitoring through the University’s Ecology and Biodiversity programme and Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology.