There is fantastic range of workshops to choose from - please note many workshops are running concurrently so check times and realistic ability to get between venues if you are registering for more than one workshop.
Interactive tools for new weed records in your area
Facilitator: Kate Mcalpine (Senior Science Advisor Biosecurity Department of Conservation)
When: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Where: Ōtari Native Botanic Garden & Wilton’s Bush Reserve
Cost: Free
Description: Join DOC weed ecologist Kate McAlpine for an interactive workshop on the newly released Smart Weed Alert Tool (SWAT).
Discover how SWAT can help you detect invasive weeds early—before they become a problem in your area of interest or responsibility. Kate will demonstrate the tool’s features and share stories about new records of weeds—both nationally and regionally—that SWAT has already detected. She will also show you how anyone can contribute weed observations through iNaturalist, making it easy for everyone to help fight weeds in New Zealand and play a vital role in protecting our ecosystems.
Learn your ferns
Facilitator: Leon Perrie
When: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Where: Ōtari Native Botanic Garden & Wilton’s Bush Reserve
Cost: $10
Description: Ferns are ecologically prominent in Aotearoa New Zealand. This workshop will introduce the key characteristics for distinguishing ferns. It will include using microscopes to understand the differences among fern reproductive structures, and what makes fern scales different from fern hairs. We will use the impressive species diversity in the Ōtari fernery to test ourselves. Expect to learn several of the principal groups of ferns in New Zealand, and tips for separating some of the tricky species. Bring a hand-lens or magnifying glass if available.
Bryophyte identification (field)
Facilitator: Marley Ford
When: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Where: Ōtari Native Botanic Garden & Wilton’s Bush Reserve
Cost: $10
Description: Bryophytes are small, non-vascular plants and include liverworts, mosses, and hornworts. This workshop introduces participants to distinguishing between these groups and working towards identification at the family, genus, and species level.
This session will be field-based, focusing on observing bryophytes in situ, practising identification, and collecting specimens for closer examination. While this workshop can be attended on its own, it also forms the first part of a linked two-part bryophyte identification workshop, with an optional afternoon laboratory session at Victoria University.
Bryophyte identification (laboratory)
Facilitator: Paul Bell-Butler
When: 1:30 pm–4:00 pm
Where: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
Cost: $10
Description: This workshop focuses on laboratory-based techniques for bryophyte identification, including the use of microscopes and examination of key diagnostic features. Participants will work towards refining identifications at the family, genus, and species level.
This session can be attended as a stand-alone workshop; however, it also builds on material covered in the morning field session based at Ōtari Native Botanic Garden & Wilton’s Bush Reserve. Participants who attend both sessions will gain experience from field collection through to laboratory identification.
Coastal Dune Restoration at Whitireia Park
Facilitators: Robyn Smith (Whitireia Park Restoration Group) and Tom Mayo (Wellington City Council)
When: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Cost: $30 to cover van hire.
Where: Meet outside Te Papa
Description: In this half-day workshop, we will travel to Whitireia Park on the Porirua coast and learn the basics of coastal dune restoration including coastal processes, site preparation, planting and maintenance of a full coastal dune sequence. We will also demonstrate monitoring, measuring changes in vegetation cover and species composition and the profile of the dune over time, using the Coastal Restoration Trust of New Zealand’s community based monitoring model. This workshop will be interactive so there will be opportunities to ask questions and learn from each other and have a go at monitoring. In the instance of bad weather the location will be altered to Berhampore Nursery for a presentation of the above, followed by a shorter field trip to Te Kopahou; a quarry restoration site.
Wiki skills for Plant Conservation
Facilitators: Heidi Meudt (Curator Botany at Te Papa) and Siobhan Leachman (Wikimedian in Residence at Bioeconomy Science Institute)
When: 9:30 am–12:00 pm
Where: Wellington Botanic Gardens
Cost: Free
Description: In this half-day workshop, you will learn how to upload openly-licensed ResearchGrade images from iNaturalist and the NZPCN website into Wikimedia Commons and add them to Wikipedia articles. This will be a hands-on learning opportunity taught by experienced Wikipedians, where you will gain practical digital outreach skills. This workshop is for anyone wanting to make a bigger impact with their iNaturalist images, and will be offered free of charge thanks to sponsorship by Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand (WANZ). Learning and using these new skills will significantly increase the accessibility and visibility of our native biodiversity online and support conservation efforts. Bring your laptop and charging cable, and be a part of this fun and practical workshop!
Please note, we will also be holding our third annual New Zealand species Wikipedia edit-a-thon on Saturday 17 Oct from 9am - 4pm! We have chosen this date to coincide with the NZPCN conference to offer additional training to the botanical community. The edit-a-thon will be another hands-on learning opportunity focused on improving Wikipedia articles for our native biodiversity including citing and linking to the NZPCN website. Remember the date when making your plans to attend NZPCN 2026! This event will also be sponsored by WANZ, and will include morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, and likely cost around $5 to attend.
Coastal Species Propagation Workshop
Facilitator: Jo Bonner (Coastlands Plant Nursery)
When: 1:30 pm–4:00 pm
Where: Berhampmore Nursery
Cost: $10
Description: Learn practical techniques for propagating coastal species to support restoration projects. This hands-on workshop will cover seed collection, preparation, seed sowing and looking after coastal species in a nursery environment before planting. Giving participants the skills to grow resilient native plants for coastal environments.
Introduction to making herbarium specimens
Facilitator: Leon Perrie
When: 1:30 pm–4:00 pm
Where: Te Papa (Leon will meet you inside the main entrance)
Cost: $10
Description: Herbaria are collections of preserved plant specimens. Herbarium specimens are a key means of documenting plant diversity, and this workshop will cover what is involved in making a good herbarium specimen that will still be useful in hundreds of years. We will begin by visiting the herbarium collection at Te Papa, so we understand the end goal. We will then go through the steps of making a herbarium specimen. We will collect plant specimens from around Te Papa, and discuss the field data that should accompany a specimen. We will add our specimens to a herbarium press for drying, and see how subsamples are nowadays often specially preserved for later genetic analyses. We will then mount some specimens onto archival card, which will give us a hands-on appreciation of what makes a good herbarium specimen.
Botanical Illustrations
Facilitator: Eleanor Burton and Jane Humble
When: 9:30 am–4 pm
Where: Venue to be confirmed
Cost: $10 (limited capacity)
Description: This practical, hands-on workshop will begin with a brief overview of botanical illustration, followed by guidance on basic techniques and conventions. Participants will focus on graphite and pen-and-ink line drawing, with no colour techniques covered. Suitable for beginners and those looking to refine foundational skills.