News article

2026 Favourite Native Plant Winner

Pygmy sundew (Drosera pygmaea) - 2026 Favourite Native Plant winner. Photo: Marley FordIts official, pygmy sundew has taken out the top spot in the 2026 NZPCN Favourite Native Plant Vote! It was a tight race with ardent campaigning happening around the motu resulting in several different plants occupying the leading position over the month-long voting period.

Maire tawake | swamp maire (Syzigium maire, Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable) was in the lead for a significant portion of the vote, trailed by the diminutive but magnificent herbs, tarn speedwell (Veronica lilliputiana, At Risk – Declining) and pygmy sundew (Drosera pygmaea, At Risk – Naturally Uncommon). Jostling over second place continued until the last week of the vote, when the National Wetland Trust came out strongly backing pygmy sundew and it raced into the winning spot.

The purpose of the annual plant vote is to celebrate our weird and wonderful flora as we as highlight their fascinating stories and raise awareness of their vulnerabilities. The vote has been run for over twenty years and has turned up some interesting winners at times, including a moss Archidium elatum (2025) and pua o te reinga (2017).

Maire tawake (Syzygium maire). Photo: Colin Ogle.This year’s candidates were a diverse selection of wetland plants – ranging from the iconic tī kōuka | cabbage tree (Cordyline australis), to the minute aquatic water-meal (Wolffia australiana). Around 30% of native vascular plants are found in wetlands and because over 90% of wetlands in Aotearoa New Zealand have been destroyed this means many wetland species are classified as At Risk or Threatened. There are many types of wetlands in Aotearoa New Zealand such as estuaries, bogs, fens, swamps and ephemeral wetlands, each of which support a suite of plants adapted to their specific conditions.

The candidates which came in the top three positions highlight some of the pressures facing our wetland flora. Maire tawake is threatened by historic clearance anddrainage around its habitat which affect the regeneration of young trees and Myrtle Rust, a fungus which attacks the trees’ leaves, flowers and fruit. Tarn speedwell is an ephemeral wetland herb from Canterbury and Otago which is under pressure from a range of factors such as livestock trampling, competition from weeds and very limited legal protection for the land tenure it typically occurs on. Tarn speedwell (Veronica lilliputiana). Photo: Melissa HutchisonPygmy sundew is a carnivorous herb found around Aotearoa New Zealand, but it is sparse and threatened by wetland drainage and competition from taller weeds. It is the first time a carnivorous native plant has featured in the top ten finalists. Many voters expressed their admiration for the adaptive features of this plant which can be described as ‘making its own blood and bone’, as well as their desire to see this diminutive and easily overlooked species in the wild.

Swamp helmet orchid (Corybas carsei). Photo: Catherine BeardNZPCN President Alex Fergus said, “personal favourites and unfunded micro-campaigns aside, the top 10 finalists of this year’s NZPCN Favourite Native Plant vote remind us of the significant challenges faced by our native wetland flora”. He noted that more than half of the 2026 top 10 plants have a conservation status of At Risk – Declining or worse. Dr Fergus said, ‘there are a multitude of pressures on native wetland plants including habitat lost, ongoing drainage, fire, weeds, ungulates and fungal pathogens which have led to significant reductions in distributions and population sizes and even regional extinctions. Dr Fergus went on to say “perhaps the most extreme example is the swamp helmet orchid (Corybas carsei), now known from a single population in Whangamarino Wetland, but thankfully, with an active restoration programme – thanks to all those involved! Our wetland flora and our wetlands need more protection and attention, hopefully this year’s vote has shone a light on them.”

Top 10 finalists for 2026 Favourite Plant Vote:

1. Pygmy sundew (Drosera pygmaea) At Risk – Naturally Uncommon (17%)
2. Maire tawake | swamp maire (Syzygium maire) Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable (15%)
3. Tarn speedwell (Veronica lilliputiana) At Risk - Declining (9%)
4. Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) Not Threatened (8%)
5. Swamp helmet orchid (Corybas carsei) Threatened – Nationally Critical (6%)
6. Swamp greenhood orchid (Pterostylis micromega) Threatened – Nationally Critical (4.5%)
7. Nana | eelgrass (Zostera muelleri subsp. novozelandica) At Risk – Declining (4%)
8. Manawa | mangrove (Avicennia marina subsp. australasica) Not Threatened (3.5%)
9. Swamp leek orchid (Prasophyllum hectorii) Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable (3%)
10. tī kōuka | cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) Not Threatened (2.5%)

Posted: 11/11/2026