# Resurrecting Wellington's Flowers of the Underworld

An episode of [Our Changing World](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/208013620), 10 Nov 2025, 26 min.

Audio: https://flex.acast.com/media.rnztools.nz/rnz-kete-oro-prod/video/private/ac_mp3,af_48000,br_192k,f_mp3,fl_attachment/v1762460930/audio/ocw/ocw-20251111-0500-resurrecting_wellingtons_flowers_of_the_underworld.mp3

Until late 2024, nobody had seen te pua o Te Rēinga “the flower of the underworld” in the Wellington region for more than a hundred years. A chance discovery of a small struggling population has kick started a race to protect the plants and help them return. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more. Learn more: • First Up interviewed Avi Holzapfel about Te Pua o Te Rēinga in 2024 • In 2020, OCW looked at efforts to resurrect a transplanted population of Te Pua o Te Rēinga at Zealandia. • Graeme Atkins is also one of the driving forces behind an effort to help the ngutukākā plant return to the wild, plus the 1769 Garden – a living library of rare local East Coast native plant species. Guests: • Graeme Atkins (Ngāti Purou, Rongomawahine) • Barrett Pistoll – Greater Wellington Regional Council • Avi Holzapfel – Department of Conservation • Rhys Mills - Ngā Manu Nature Reserve • Bart Cox – Wellington City Council Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

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