The New Zealand Gardens Trust brings together people who believe gardens matter — as places of culture, heritage, and inspiration.
Our members share a wide range of garden experiences, from historic landscapes to bold contemporary design, united by a vision to protect and celebrate gardens for generations to come.
About Us
Our strategy
Gardens shape us. They connect us — to places, to history, to each other. They speak of care, creativity, and the changing seasons. They help us make sense of who we are and the land we belong to. And they offer something timeless in a world that feels anything but.
As we look ahead to the next ten years, the New Zealand Gardens Trust is proud to share our new strategy — a renewed vision and set of priorities for how we support and celebrate the role of gardens across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our strategy is grounded in the voices of our members, our partners, and the thousands of people who visit our gardens every year. It reflects what people have told us: that gardens matter more than ever. That they should be open, inclusive, and enriching. That they should be recognised as places of culture and heritage — not just recreation. And that we must do more to protect them for the generations to come.
This strategy is our response to that call.
We’ve shaped our work into four strategic directions that will guide our work through 2035. Each responds to what we’ve heard, seen, and learned — and each sets out how we’ll grow a future for gardens that includes everyone.
Who we are
Established as a Trust in 2004 to promote the best in New Zealand gardens and horticulture, the NZ Gardens Trust has built a national network of gardens, collections, and supporters.
Our Gardens – Assessed by highly qualified horticulturists and landscape architects, our member gardens — both private and public — open their gates to share outstanding plants, landscapes, and stories with visitors.
Our Collections – Collection members hold and share significant plant collections, helping to preserve plant diversity, deepen horticultural knowledge, and inspire future generations.
Our Friends – Friend members help us champion the role of gardens across New Zealand, supporting initiatives, advocacy, and events.
Our Earth Star Award – Through our Earth Star programme, we celebrate and support members who are leading the way in sustainability, kaitiakitanga, and climate-conscious gardening.
The Trust was established through the generosity of our Founding Gardens, to whom we and the wider gardening fraternity remain indebted.
Who’s who in the NZ Gardens Trust
Meet the Board
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![Hamish Saxton Chair of the NZ Gardens Trust Board.]()
Hamish Saxton
Chair
Hawkes Bay -
![Wolfgang Bopp, Deputy Chair of NZ Gardens Trust.]()
Wolfgang Bopp
Deputy Chair
Christchurch Botanic Gardens -
![Mel Haskell, Trustee NZ Gardens Trust]()
Mel Haskell
Trustee
Casa Rossa, Canterbury -
Sue Gifford
Trustee
Wellington -
![Shannon Boden, Trustee, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Shannon Boden
Trustee
Hollard Garden -
![Pippa Lucas, Trustee, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Pippa Lucas
Trustee
Auckland Botanic Gardens -
![Jen Nolan, Trustee, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Jen Nolan
Trustee
Wellington -
Danny Todd
Trustee
Wairarapa -
![Victoria Read, Trust Manager, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Victoria Read
Manager
New Zealand
Meet the Assessors
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![Paul Roper-Gee, Lead Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Paul Roper-Gee
Lead Assessor
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![Dylan Norfield, Deputy Lead Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Dylan Norfield
Deputy Lead Assessor
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![Jan Woodhouse, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Jan Woodhouse
Assessor
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![Geoffrey Marshall, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Geoffrey Marshall
Assessor
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![Rob Watson, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Rob Watson
Assessor
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![Tony Barnes, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Tony Barnes
Assessor
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![Ben Conway, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Ben Conway
Assessor
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![Chris Paul, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Chris Paul
Assessor
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![Sue McLean, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Sue McLean
Assessor
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![Tracey Ower, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Tracey Ower
Assessor
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![Penny Cliffin, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Penny Cliffin
Shadow Assessor
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![Ross Palmer, Assessor, NZ Gardens Trust]()
Ross Palmer
Shadow Assessor
Guide to the star ratings
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Six star - Garden of International Significance
These gardens provide New Zealand’s top garden experiences. These gardens achieve and maintain the highest levels of presentation, design and plant interest throughout the year. They are the complete package which inspire garden lovers and deliver an experience above all other gardens
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Five star - Garden of National Significance
These are highly recommended gardens for their presentation, design and plant interest throughout the year. They have a distinctive identity of their own and a character that gives them an edge. They may have special features that may appeal to those with special interests.
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Four star - Garden of Significance
These gardens display a good degree of design and plantsmanship. They have some special attributes that distinguishes them from our Three Star category – perhaps design or an important plant collection.
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Three star - Notable Garden
Each garden in this category has been inspected to ensure that the information published describes each garden accurately. They are of reasonable standard and especially maintained during their identified optimum season.
Testimonials
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![Larnach Castle Dunedin. A pathway through yellow flowering archway with a castle-like building in the background, flanked by tall green cypress trees.]()
“Botanica organises garden tours and cruises all over the world, visiting private and public gardens. The NZ Garden Trust website and system for grading is an incredible tool to help us research the best gardens to take our guests to visit. We have not come across another tool as valuable as this one, in any other country we visit."
Keith Quek
Botanica World Discoveries
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![A smiling couple standing in a garden with lush green plants, holding freshly harvested vegetables, with a house in the background.]()
"Thanks to the NZ Gardens Trust for a fantastic website to give us a ‘heads up’ on what gardens should be included in any garden tour. It’s incredibly helpful to know that these gardens have been assessed by experts, and only the very best selected for inclusion. And of course, it covers the whole country. Kiwi gardens are the best anywhere … we love them!"
Sandra Ross
Director Ross Garden Tours
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![Michael McCoy, Testimonial for NZ Gardens Trust.]()
"The NZ Gardens Trust site is an incredible resource. As a committed garden visitor and tour operator, it’s my first port-of-call for navigating the amazing quality and diversity of gardens accessible to visitors in NZ. I just wish every other country would follow suit!"
Michael McCoy
The Gardenist
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As an Australian I am rather envious of the New Zealand Gardens Trust. The Trust is such an excellent resource which has made my job both planning and leading garden trips to New Zealand so much easier. As an example, research for sculpture-focused gardens around Auckland was made easier using the NZGT website. I have great confidence in their selection criteria, ongoing assessment, and grading. Tours I’ve led to both the North and South Islands have been tremendously popular. The Trust is an invaluable asset to showcase the range of New Zealand's superb gardens.
Kim Woods Rabbidge
Opulent Journeys
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![Testimonial for NZ Gardens Trust.]()
"The New Zealand Gardens Trust provides wonderful insights into the ever changing garden scene and is an essential guide in designing Garden Themed tours throughout NZ. Since 1992, our Gardens, Wine and Wilderness Tour has continued to seek unique garden experiences for our travelers and always the NZGT website is my first choice. Thank you for all you do."
Richard Lyon
Garden Adventures Ltd, USA
