“Herbarium specimens attest to its presence near Waiinu and numerous places between Bulls and Paekakariki. Today, we know of just one natural plant remaining between Taranaki and Paekakariki and it’s not far from Whanganui airport. We have been unsuccessful in propagating from this plant.
“Few nurseries grow matagouri but, after some dozens of emails, I was guided to the Forest and Bird Protection Society’s nursery in Wellington. They were growing a few plants for the restoration of matagouri on the coastal cliffs above Moa Point near Wellington airport.
“I persuaded the nursery to donate four plants to Whanganui for the new Sarjeant, explaining that this building is of national significance and sits on dunes that might once have had matagouri.
“Matagouri is a low, thorny, endemic, native shrub. Its thorns deter browsing animals and they protect lizards and also birds for nesting or roosting. They would have survived moa browsing and protected other plants that grew among them.
“Even now, thickets in farmland encourage the growth of more palatable species, like native brooms, especially in the eastern South Island. Although matagouri is not a legume, its roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules.
“Culturally, the thorns were used for tattooing. I envisage our new matagouri shrubs will be useful in education about Whanganui’s past vegetation, plant species conservation, and cultural uses and they can be linked with the nationally important moa collection in the museum.
“The NZ Plant Conservation network’s website says ‘Although abundant and probably stable in much of its South Island range, Discaria toumatou [matagouri] has become very uncommon and is under threat throughout the North Island, where it is now known from very few sites and viable populations ...”
“I thank the council officers for adopting these four special plants for a prominent place in Pukenamu/Queen’s Park. May the plants grow and justify my faith and trouble in getting them here,” said Ogle.
