Planting dates for the 2026 season🌱

🌱 It’s time to mark your calendars and pull out your gumboots! Greening Taupō’s 2026 planting season is nearly here. We know it’s a challenge to fit all events in with so many awesome activities happening around Taupō, but each planting day offers the chance to connect, have fun, and see our community make a lasting difference in Taupō’s green spaces.

This year, we’re kicking off the season with a community planting on Tauhara Maunga, celebrating the opening of the upgraded Hīkoi Track, hosted by Te Manana o Tauhara. From April, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved: Karetoto Rd with the Taupō Trail Festival, Wairakei Drive with Upflow and Shawn Vennell, and the gully restoration project at Owen Delany Park, made possible with the support of long-time friends, Contact Energy.

After a July break for school holidays, we return in August with Unison at Centennial Drive and a special planting along the Waikato River with Huka Jet and Bike Taupō. We finish the season with community favourites at Hipapatua and Whakaipō Bay, thanks to the ongoing support of DOC and John Nankervis Estate.

Kids Greening Taupō also play a key role, with student leaders helping events run smoothly by assisting with registration, refreshments, demonstrating correct planting techniques, and supporting setup and pack-up.

Community support extends beyond volunteers. Local businesses and organisations help feed the planting crews: the whānau from Taupō Credit Union run the BBQ at Hipapatua, the Girl Guides support Whakaipō Bay, and MBC Century recently joined to provide sausages for hungry planters. These contributions make each planting day a celebration of community and teamwork.

Greening Taupō’s plantings are made possible through a combination of long-standing partnerships, some dating back 13 years and newer collaborators who share the organisation’s vision for restoring and enriching Taupō’s green spaces.

We look forward to seeing you out there!