A store with a conscience

For the environmentally conscious gardener, or large-scale contractor who understands the importance of restoring ecology and increasing biodiversity across the north – you are in the right place! Mangawhai Natives is an online plant store with a conscience. We’re on a mission to bring as many native species as possible to rural and coastal addresses across the north.

Home-based biz

Mangawhai Natives is located in rural Mangawhai. We are a home-based nursery caring for the environment with sensitive business practices, including eco-sourcing our plants – which of course leads to healthier and more resilient results for customers.

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"We have been using plants from Jess and Ricky of Mangawhai Natives for some time on a range of indigenous revegetation projects.  This has required the collection of local seeds from wild plant populations located close to the planting site (ecosourcing).  Ricky and Jess’s passion for and knowledge of native plants shows in their willingness to ensure seeds are sourced appropriately, the right plants are used suited to the site conditions, and by the constant high quality and good health of their plants."

~ David Wright (ecologist): Ecology North

Latest Tech

We’re also proud to be using an online portal for recording our seed collecting practices. This customized App allows us to build insightful data at our end and be more efficient with our time and efforts in seed collecting. The more intelligent we become at collecting native seed we can continue to avoid outside genetics – and promote locally sourced, healthy plants.

Want to return your pots?

If you live locally we would love you to return your pots and trays. Please enquire if you would like to know more.

  • Members of NZPPI

    We’re members of the NZPPI – the industry body for plant producers, which helps with our learning and keeping customers up to date with advice from the best in our field.

  • Ditching Soft Plastics!

    By 2023 we will have moved to 100% reusable stackable plastic pots – so we'll have no more soft or single use plastics used in our process.

  • More than an online store

    Mangawhai Natives is more than an online plant store – we’re sensitive growers with an opportunity to be innovators and champion the environment through the supply of healthy native plants.

The seed-sourcing process in pictures:

Layne foraging

Knowing where to find seed is one thing, handling them, preserving them and growing them quite another!

Nīkau Grove

Established natives at one of the seed sourcing sites.

Foraged Seed

The art of foraging in the bush for precious and rare seeds can take years to refine.

Handing on the skill

During his childhood, Ricky was shown the intricate skill of seed collection, and this is a strong point of difference in their business today.

Native bush view

One of the stunning local vistas from a site Ricky collects seed from.

Seed collection

Seeds are collected locally from sites that Ricky has discovered over a lifetime of experience.