The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Could someone please identify this tree for me and whether it is native to New Zealand or not. Thanks.

Yes - that is karo (Pittosporum crassifolium) it is an endemic tree. See http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1133

Great, Thank you.

Hi Reghan, Pittosporum huttonianum also occurs in Coromandel area. It is very similar to P. crassifolium

I agree with Peter - Karo

Pittosporum huttonianum is not even remotely close vegetatively or otherwise to Pittospoerum crassifolium.

While I mostly agree with you Peter, the downy new growth of P. huttonianum could be confused with P. crassifolium. I know I've had to do a double take on a couple of occasions. I thought it was worth raising the profile of the species as P. huttonianum is probably under recorded throughout its range.

Maybe saying "very similar" was a bit too strong ...

It is Mike - they are not 'very similar' at all - if you had said similar to P. colensoi (or P. tenuifolium subsp. colensoi) I would agree with you. But P. crassifolium is a very different from P. huttonianum and its allies in indumentum, leaf shape and size, and seed morphology, it is more closely allied to P. fairchildii and P. serpentinum, the Norfolk P. bracteolatum and a new species on Raoul Island. Pittosporum huttonianum is common and widespread from Great Barrier Island south to the Karangahake Gorge thence disjunct to the western Waikato where it occurs sporadically down to about Mokau - in that area is grades into the P. colensoi 'mess' and that is where the problems taxonomically lie.

You are right Peter as far as morphology and taxonomy go. I was referring to the "jizz" of the plant (to borrow an ornithological term) particularly when there is flush of downy new growth. if I have to do a double take, then it is possible someone else could make the error of confusing the two unless they examine it more closely.