This lemon at Rangihoua (Citrus x limon) is believed to be the oldest surviving lemon tree in the country! It stands on the site where Māori and Europeans first learned to live side by side and is a popular tourist attraction which is visited by thousands of people every year.

Taketakerau (Vitex lucens) is sacred to the Ūpokorehe Iwi (Tribe). It grows in the Hukutaia Domain, near Ōpōtiki, and is considered to be more than 2000 years old. The ancient tree was used 200 to 300 years ago by the people of Ūpokorehe to safeguard ancestral bones. The area is a wāhi tapu (a sacred site) and the tree is the reason this reserve survives today, surrounded by farmland.

Plimmer Oak (Quercus robur) is an important symbol of Wellington's history and identity. It is over 150 years old and the acorn from which this tree was grown was sent from South Africa to John Plimmer by Sir George Grey when he was Governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa.

Rākau momori are unique Moriori carvings (or dendroglyphs) into living kōpi trees (Corynocarpus laevigatus) and are now only found on Rēkohu (the main Chatham Island) and are becoming increasingly rare due to a range of environmental factors. This finalist is the largest remaining tree in the grove. Could this tree be the face of 2023?

Whilst this tree takes pride of place for all to see in Dove-Myer Robinson Park, the real attributes of this grand old pōhutukawa remain hidden by its own immense canopy until those curious enough step inside to take a closer look.

Also known as ANZAC Oak (Quercus hartwissiana), it was planted on August 4, 1924 and is an important symbol of remembrance, often included in ANZAC Day commemorations. It was grown from an acorn collected on the Gallipoli battlefield in Turkey (and sent home in a tobacco tin.