Tree of the year / Rākau o te tau | New Zealand

Welcome to our fourth annual Tree of the Year New Zealand campaign! The competition takes place each year and seeks to track down New Zealand’s most interesting trees and their stories.
 

The objective of the campaign is to celebrate the trees that are part of our lives and communities and acknowledge the stories that connect us. The Tree of the Year competition is an interactive celebration of our trees, run by New Zealanders for New Zealanders.
 

Stage 1. Tree nominations for 2025 (15-May – 31-May)
 

In the first part of the Tree of the Year competition, people are invited to nominate a tree they consider special. Not a whole species …just one very special tree. We ask you to tell its story and share the reasons you think your tree should be Tree of the Year.
 

Stage 2. Selecting the finalists (early June)
 

In stage 2, your Tree of the Year expert panel* meet and look at all your special tree nominations. As you can imagine this is a big job whittling hundreds of nominations down to just six trees that represent all the major regions of the country.
 

Stage 3. Voting is open (May)
 

Voting opens this season on 5 June. New Zealanders are invited to vote from the six finalist and have your say on which tree you think should be New Zealand’s Tree of the Year! Voting closes at midnight on 30 June.
 

Winner announced!
 

​Winners are announced on Saturday 5 July.
 

​​Tree of the Year is not about the biggest or most beautiful tree, but about the stories and heritage that connects us to our trees. It’s about celebrating the trees that play an important part in our lives, our history and our future.