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Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

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Chatham Island temperate forests

Biome

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

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Biogeographic realm

Australasia

Coastal vegetation and temperate forest mosaic at Kahuitara Point on the Chatham Islands.

Region photo - Touriste / Wikimedia Commons - Public domain.

Chatham Island temperate forests

The Chatham Island temperate forests cover the remote Chatham Islands archipelago, which lies roughly 800 kilometers east of New Zealand's South Island in the Pacific Ocean and includes the two largest islands, Chatham and Pitt. Isolated for well over a million years, the islands were originally cloaked in relatively low-stature forest interwoven with scrubby heathland and rush swamp, where tree ferns, orchids, and Nikau palms (Rhopalostylis sapida) thrive in a humid, peaty understory; conspicuously, the podocarps and southern beeches typical of mainland New Zealand are absent. The climate is oceanic and windswept, with a narrow temperature range, frequent rain, and constant exposure to Southern Ocean storms. The flora is strikingly distinct, with around fifty endemic plant species, and the ecoregion's flagship is the Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi), famously brought back from just a handful of surviving birds, though invasive mammals and past habitat clearance keep much of the native vegetation under pressure. For gardeners, the islands are the wild home of several prized ornamentals, including the Chatham Islands forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia) and tree daisies of the genus Olearia.

RESOLVE 167

Australasia

310 sq mi

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Landscape type

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Plant region

Australasia

Region footprint

310 sq mi

Habitat pressure

Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)

Source & care

Plants that can handle this region

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Temperate forest and escarpment vegetation in New England National Park, eastern Australia.

RESOLVE 168 - Australasia

Eastern Australian temperate forests

The Eastern Australian temperate forests cover the southeastern Australian wet-eucalypt forest belt - from coastal southeast Queensland through New South Wales (the Great Dividing Range east slopes), eastern Victoria, and the immediately adjacent inland tablelands. Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), messmate, manna gum, and brown stringybark anchor the wet-forest canopies, with tree ferns, sassafras, and southern beech in the understory of the wettest gullies. Sydney + Newcastle + Wollongong + Melbourne all sit at or near the coastal edge of this ecoregion.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

RESOLVE 169 - Australasia

Fiordland temperate forests

The Fiordland temperate forests occupy the rugged southwest corner of New Zealand's South Island, a remote landscape largely protected within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. Southern beeches (Nothofagus) dominate much of the forest, with silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) clothing the fiords and red beech (Nothofagus fusca) filling inland valleys, alongside tall podocarps such as rimu, totara, and miro and an understory rich in tree ferns, mosses, and shrubs. The climate is wet and cool-summered, with rainfall that climbs steeply from drier eastern areas to extraordinarily high totals near the western fiords, holding the treeline below about 1,000 meters despite the region's mid-latitude position. Isolation has produced some of the highest levels of endemism of any temperate or alpine area on Earth, with nearly 700 higher plants largely unique to the ecoregion and emblematic birds including the takahe, the alpine kea, the kakapo, and the southern brown kiwi. Gardeners may recognize natives of this region's open alpine zones, where Chionochloa snow tussocks form extensive herbfields above the beech line.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

RESOLVE 170 - Australasia

Nelson Coast temperate forests

The Nelson Coast temperate forests cover the top of New Zealand's South Island, spanning the Tasman and West Coast regions across the flanks of the Paparoa Range and neighbouring mountains. Southern beech (Nothofagus) dominates the drier eastern ridges, while podocarp rainforests in the wetter west carry northern rata (Metrosideros robusta), karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus), and the nikau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida). The climate is temperate and maritime, with high rainfall on the west-facing slopes giving way to a more sheltered, drier eastern side fringed by golden sand beaches. Despite its modest size, the region holds about half of New Zealand's roughly 2,450 plant species and shelters the great spotted kiwi, with much of it protected within Kahurangi, Paparoa, and Abel Tasman national parks. For gardeners, several signature natives here, including the nikau palm, northern rata, and karaka, are valued ornamentals in suitably mild, moist climates.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

RESOLVE 171 - Australasia

New Zealand North Island temperate forests

The New Zealand North Island temperate forests cover the warm-temperate to subtropical native forest of the North Island - historically dominated by kauri in the northern half, podocarp-broadleaf forest (rimu, totara, kahikatea, with broadleaf rata and tawa) across the central and southern reaches. Less than 25% of the original native forest remains; surviving fragments are heavily managed against introduced mammalian browsers (possum, deer, goat).

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

RESOLVE 172 - Australasia

New Zealand South Island temperate forests

The New Zealand South Island temperate forests (also mapped as the Southland temperate forests) cover the southernmost lowlands and adjacent highlands of New Zealand's South Island, spanning the Otago and Southland regions and including The Catlins, the Takitimu Mountains, and the Longwood Range. Original cover was a mix of broadleaf trees and ancient podocarp conifers, with kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) common in swampy ground and rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) and totara (Podocarpus totara) on drier sites, while southern beech (Nothofagus, including silver beech) dominated higher inland slopes; red tussock grass (Chionochloa rubra) prevailed in open ground and expanded as forest was cleared. These podocarp and beech communities are a living legacy of the Gondwana supercontinent, reflecting New Zealand's long isolation. Most of the original forest has been lost, and remaining blocks are now safeguarded by reserves such as Catlins Conservation Park, though introduced predators including ship rats, stoats, and possums continue to threaten native birds like the yellowhead (mohua) and the flagship tui.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

RESOLVE 173 - Australasia

Northland temperate kauri forests

The Northland temperate kauri forests cover the warm northern end of New Zealand's North Island, spanning the Northland, Auckland, and Waikato regions along with offshore islands such as the Three Kings and Poor Knights. The ecoregion takes its name from the towering southern kauri (Agathis australis), which rises above broadleaf and podocarp forest of rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), totara, miro, and tanekaha, and it also holds New Zealand's southernmost mangroves. These are the warmest forests in the country, with a warm and humid climate. The forests are notably endemic-rich but heavily reduced: most of the original kauri was removed through logging and gum-tapping for farmland, and introduced predators such as rats, stoats, and ferrets have pushed many plants, birds, and reptiles into offshore-island refuges. Gardeners may recognize several striking endemics from this region, including the Three Kings vine (Tecomanthe speciosa) and the genus Pennantia.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Where this ecoregion reaches

The countries, US states, and Canadian provinces this ecoregion touches, from a spatial join of its RESOLVE polygon against Natural Earth boundaries.

Countries

New Zealand

Educator packet

Region packet

Chatham Island temperate forests educator packet

The Chatham Island temperate forests cover the remote Chatham Islands archipelago, which lies roughly 800 kilometers east of New Zealand's South Island in the Pacific Ocean and includes the two largest islands, Chatham and Pitt. Isolated for well over a million years, the islands were originally cloaked in relatively low-stature forest interwoven with scrubby heathland and rush swamp, where tree ferns, orchids, and Nikau palms (Rhopalostylis sapida) thrive in a humid, peaty understory; conspicuously, the podocarps and southern beeches typical of mainland New Zealand are absent. The climate is oceanic and windswept, with a narrow temperature range, frequent rain, and constant exposure to Southern Ocean storms. The flora is strikingly distinct, with around fifty endemic plant species, and the ecoregion's flagship is the Chatham Island black robin (Petroica traversi), famously brought back from just a handful of surviving birds, though invasive mammals and past habitat clearance keep much of the native vegetation under pressure. For gardeners, the islands are the wild home of several prized ornamentals, including the Chatham Islands forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia) and tree daisies of the genus Olearia.

Realm

Australasia

Dominant biome

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Approximate area

310 square miles

States / provinces

Not recorded

Climate descriptor

Not recorded

Classroom prompts

- Which climate and biome facts explain why this region supports its characteristic plants?

- How do native-plant and wildlife-support claims differ from a species-presence claim?

- Which source-backed facts would you cite before using this region in a classroom map activity?

Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and region source links.

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or regional planting notes that use this Plotwright page. To cite the underlying ecoregion framework or a specific editorial profile, use the source cards below.

Plotwright. (n.d.). Chatham Island temperate forests (Chatham Island temperate forests). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/regions/resolve-167

Sources for this region

This page cites Plotwright first for the compiled view, then lists the upstream framework, climate, and editorial source pages so readers can cite the original material directly.

RESOLVE 2017 Terrestrial Ecoregions (Dinerstein et al.)

Primary ecoregion framework

One Earth

Wikipedia

Wikimedia Foundation

Open source

Source guide