The Motutapu Restoration Trust (the Trust) was officially incorporated as a charitable trust on 16 February 1994, and since that time has spearheaded a major restoration project intended to restore and enhance the natural, historic and recreation values of Motutapu Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The project was conceived in 1990 as a programme to establish a fully functioning forest ecosystem for the New Zealand bicentennial in 2040. Since becoming pest free in 2011, rare and endangered species are being reintroduced to the island. The Trust has planted almost 100 ha of forest and 500,000 plants. Volunteers are involved in working in the nursery, as well as weed control and planting.