A Day on Tīriti Matangi

Just over three kilometres off the Whangaparāoa Peninsula sits one of New Zealand's most extraordinary conservation success stories. Tīriti Matangi, translating as "looking to the wind," was once stripped bare for farming. By the 1970s, it was largely a barren wasteland.

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Then something remarkable happened. From 1984 to 1994, boatloads of volunteers replanted 280,000 trees and shrubs, piece by piece, restoring an ecosystem that had been all but erased. Today, 87 species of birds have been observed on or near the island, including takahē, kōkako, and little spotted kiwi, birds that exist nowhere else at this scale so close to a major city.

Recently, the team from Reddy Group had the privilege of spending a day on the island, trimming bush and harakeke along the fire break. It's proper physical work. The kind that asks nothing of you except to show up and get stuck in.

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None of it is possible without the people who make Tīriti Matangi what it is. The rangers who know every corner of the island. The Supporters of Tīriti Matangi, a volunteer community group who have given countless hours to protect and grow this place. The dedicated volunteers who show up, week after week, season after season, because they understand that ecosystems are maintained by consistency. Tīriti Matangi is one of the few projects globally recognised under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a distinction that speaks to the scale of what has been achieved here.

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That spirit is also an open invitation. If you lead a team and you're looking for a volunteering experience that is grounding, meaningful, and genuinely good for the people who show up, reach out to the Supporters of Tīriti Matangi. Corporate volunteer days are available, and the island will give your team far more than they give it.

For the Reddy team, days like this keep us honest about what we stand for. We're already looking forward to returning.

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