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

Meet the Assessors

Guide to the star ratings


  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

Our supporters…              

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