The holiday season is fast approaching and we have some fantastic gift ideas that our native species will enjoy too!
Essential gifts for the backyard
Buy a bird feeder
Attract native birds to your garden with this New Zealand designed bird feeder kit.
Nectar-eating birds such as tūī, bellbird, silvereye, kākā and hihi can drink sugar water from the bottle and you can hang the wire basket and energy truffles under the feeding platform.
The PekaPeka Bird Feeder is the outcome of a citizen science project, which aimed to design a feeder that was resistant to introduced predators and could feed multiple species of birds from the same station.
Order one now in time for Christmas for $80 (including shipping).
Rat trap
Most people, whether they like it or not, have rats in their backyard and the holidays are a perfect time to set a trap in the backyard.
The Victor rat trap comes in a tunnel that helps to protect curious kids and pets. Complete the gift with an effective lure such as top quality peanut butter and some information on trapping from our website.
Buy a Victor rat trap and tunnel from our store for $40 (including shipping). Purchase before 17 December to make sure it arrives before Christmas. You’ll need to buy the peanut butter from your local supermarket.
Plant a native tree
Many of our native trees and plants attract native birds by providing them with food, shade and nesting spots. Native grasses and shrubs, such as mingimingi, offer great hiding spots for our native skinks and materials for nesting birds. Check with your local nursery or plant store, for the best options for attracting native species.
Trees that Count have a region-specific native planting guide to help find suitable plants for your local area.
If you are looking for an online gift, visit Trees that Count. Your gift will enable community-based planting projects around New Zealand.
A bee hotel
Did you know we have ngaro huruhuru or native bees in New Zealand? We have 28 species of native bees that help to pollinate our gardens.
Unlike honey bees, our native bees are solitary. They don’t make honey, don’t live in hives and rarely sting. Many of them are endangered and have trouble finding nesting spots. A bee hotel may offer a place for solitary bees to make their nests.
BeeGap Beehome provides suitable nesting habitats for many of the important wild solitary bees found in your garden.
Essential gifts for the home
Beautifully illustrated posters
We’ve collaborated with New Zealand artist Erin Forsyth to produce two beautifully illustrated posters showcasing Aotearoa’s treasured species:
- Taonga o Aotearoa poster primarily focuses on our manu
- He mokomoko nō Aotearoa which features our native geckos and skinks
These posters will help foster conversations about protecting our native wildlife. It’s perfect for the home or office.
Get both posters for $50 (incl. shipping) or purchase them separately, lizard poster $30 (incl. shipping) and the bird poster $30 (incl. shipping). Order by 17 December to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas.
Artworks
Some of the most talented New Zealand artists and photographers use our native manu (birds) as their muse. By gifting one of their works – a book, calendar or print – you’re supporting a local artist and celebrating our native species too.
Birds of New Zealand is Melissa Boardman’s debut book. This book is full of Melissa’s colourful illustrations of 90 bird species and it covers facts about each bird’s conservation status.
Artist, Hannah Shand, has a beautiful range of limited edition prints. One of our recent favourites is ‘A Lost Harmony’ that showcases a beautiful pair of our endemic huia. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907 and they are considered extinct. Introduced predators, habitat loss and hunting decimated their population. This print is a timely reminder of New Zealand’s incredible biodiversity and how we must protect it.
Photographer Holly Neill’s Birds of New Zealand 2022 calendar has a stunning range of photographs including a ruru with an intense gaze and a fluffed-up South Island robin. The calendar includes te Reo Māori and English names of each bird and brief information about them.
For the kids
Books and games
New Zealand Nature Heroes is an activity book designed by Gillian Candler to encourage kids to be naturalists and conservationists. It features stories of 15 nature heroes – past and present – who have worked to protect and understand New Zealand’s natural world. Each hero is matched with an activity that kids can do to make a difference.
Gillian’s other works explore different environments, from the garden to our rivers, seashores and native bush.
The Tree Snap card game is great for family holidays and encourages everyone to become familiar with our native tree species. In each pack, you can discover fun facts about 14 trees unique to Aotearoa, including the iconic pōhutukawa, nīkau palm, mānuka, and more. It is also available in te Reo Māori – Taukapu Rākau.
Every pack of Tree Snap sold gets another native tree planted.
Note: most of these gifts ship within New Zealand only.
