Rhabdothamnus solandri , the New Zealand gloxinia which goes by a number of Maori names: taurepo, kaikaiatua, mata, matata, waiuatua
It is the only member of the genus Rhabdothamnus, and the only plant from the Gesneriaceae family native to New Zealand. It is endemic to the North Island and adjacent offshore islands, from Te Paki (North Cape) south to Manawatu Gorge, thence disjunct to just north of Pauatahanui Inlet, Porirua Harbour and at Smiths Creek near Makara, Wellington. This small twiggy shrub, which grows up to 2 metres tall, is found in coastal to lowland forests, near streams, or on banks. It has distinctive trumpet shaped flowers that range in colour from brick-red through to orange and more rarely a pale yellow, that occur throughout the year but peaking between October and February.
It is thought that in the past Rhabdothamnus solandri needed the long beaks of stitchbirds and bellbirds for pollination. It is now recorded that the colonist silvereye are nectar robbers of the flower by going through the side of the flower tube leaving holes. While doing this they partly maintain pollination for this species. It is frost tender, so would require protection if grown in parts of Christchurch.