Mauri tū! Mauri ora!

New Zealand Garden Trust gardens are the pinnacle of New Zealand horticultural expertise. The gardens pioneer designs and ideas which filter through to create trends in private gardens both within New Zealand and beyond. The species we showcase and the plant communities we create others aspire to. Our gardens are role-models. As we increasingly focus on climate resilience and environmental sustainability, we encompass Beth Chatto’s right plant, right place, reducing inputs of water and chemicals while improving plant health. On the surface this is positive; but herein lies a dichotomy: exotic species which thrive in Aotearoa without human intervention have a higher risk of invading wild ecosystems. Our good faith efforts to increase garden resilience may result in the obverse for the wider environment. This leads me to question whether the English phrase which has guided our gardening for over sixty years is still appropriate for New Zealand. I would like to suggest a more nuanced kaupapa; one which recognises the impact our garden plant choices can have on fragile endemic ecosystems.