Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa

29/05/2026

Volunteer Day May 2026--Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa

17/05/2026

Please join us on Wednesday, 27 May for a rewarding day in the Pā Harakeke. Become part of the care and preservation of a nationally significant plant collection while enjoying friendship, connection with nature, and learning about kaitiakitanga within a living pā harakeke.

We welcome anyone who enjoys being outdoors, working alongside others, and contributing to something meaningful. Volunteers will help with caring for harakeke bushes, weeding, and planting. Weavers will also have the opportunity to harvest harakeke leaves to take home.

As a thank you, we’ll share a warm pot of homemade soup and fresh buns for lunch.

Places are limited to 8 people, so enrolment is essential. This opportunity is offered only once a month and is weather dependent.

Enroll via email: [email protected]

13/05/2026

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/594914/centuries-old-maori-warrior-s-cloak-returned-to-aotearoa

The return of the cloak, a pauku, has brought surprise, intrigue, and an ancestral connection for the traditional Māori weaving experts studying it.

29/04/2026

Awhi Mai -- Awhi Atu
New volunteer programme at Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa.
🌿 Connecting with like-minded people
🌿 Harvesting harakeke
🌿 Learning to be a good kaitiaki
🌿 Sharing kindness and inclusivity

03/04/2026

Another aspect of why pā harakeke are so important.

It grows everywhere and now testing at Auckland university has found its fibres can pull forever chemicals from water.

29/03/2026

26/03/2026

🌿🍁🪺🍄🌿Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa is closed from 3 April -- 19 April and opens again on 20 April. Happy Easter to you all 🌿🍄🪺🍁🌿

12/03/2026

🪴IT IS TIME TO PLANT YOUR OWN PĀ HARAKEKE🪴
We had a summer with lots of rain. The humans didn't like it, but the harakeke plants were very happy 😀
The open-ground nursery at Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa in Lincoln, Canterbury is full of harakeke plants which are ready for new homes.
If you are interested, book in a visit with Katarina at https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/collections/new-zealand-flax-collections.
🚛 Sorry, we cannot ship plants to people 🚛

03/03/2026

The Lincoln pā harakeke recently welcomed a group of seventeen high school students from Lincoln. Among them were six students from Brazil, one from Thailand, and the remainder tangata whenua and Pākehā — a wonderful reflection of the diverse community we serve.

As the pā harakeke operates with limited funding — sufficient only for essential maintenance and brief tours — we have developed a reciprocal model that allows us to continue hosting school and community groups for longer, more meaningful visits. We offer a guided tour that weaves together horticultural knowledge and mātauranga Māori, and in return, groups volunteer their time working in the pā harakeke for an equivalent period.

The students were first given a short tour, after which they learned how to extract muka, the fibre of harakeke, and how to either miro (twist) it or plait it into a bracelet. In return for this learning experience, they assisted us by removing all the kōrari from one of our smaller harakeke collections — a task that required focus, teamwork, and care.

They worked beautifully together, supporting one another and proudly admiring each other’s bracelets at the end of the session. It was a day marked by shared learning, contribution, and genuine connection — an all-round success for everyone involved.

12/02/2026

Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa – the National NZ Flax Collection in Lincoln – is more than just a collection of plants. It is a place of sharing, deep whakaaro, new ideas, friendship, and scientific excellence.

On Monday we were delighted to welcome the Tāhuna Toi weaving group, lovingly called The Mountain Māori, for their first visit. These beautiful wāhine were students of the late Roka Cameron, carrying forward her knowledge and spirit. We filled their waka (and cars!) with top-quality muka harakeke, cultivars originally growing in the great swamps of the Manawatū.

Thank you, wāhine mā, for your warmth and enthusiasm – it was truly a fantastic day!