A French project team has travelled to New Zealand this week to research work for an indigenous Maori garden to be opened in Moselle Conseil General Fruit Gardens in Laquenexy, Lorraine, north eastern France.

Te Putake - A Maori Garden in France will open at the Fruit Gardens at Laquenexy next June and will be inspired by the culture and traditions of the Nga Tahu tribe of New Zealand's South Island.

The Fruit Gardens consist of 14 areas including edible flowers, herbs, small fruits, kitchen gardens and a squash tunnel, as well as a restaurant that sources food from the garden.

The addition of a Maori garden is expected to attract an additional 20,000 visitors to the garden attraction from France and Europe, boosting annual attendance to 60,000.

It will consist of native New Zealand plants, carvings from rock and wood sourced from buildings destroyed in the Christchurch earthquakes, a 50,000 year old tree stump and greenstone sourced from the West Coast.

New Zealand project team leader Tutehounuku Korako says the project will promote Maori culture overseas and support cultural, artistic and creative exchange.

The opening in June next year is in line with Matariki - the Maori New Year.