New Zealand supports rich temperate forests believed to have occupied up to 80% of its land area below climatic tree line prior to human arrival in the 11th century, but deforestation, particularly motivated by conversion to agricultural systems in the last 150 years, has decreased today’s forest cover to less than 30% of the original estimate. There is currently interest in relatively large-scale afforestation of degraded lands, and this has initiated research and development to improve seeding of native forest species. We provide a synthesis of available literature, ongoing research, and practical experience to identify critical aspects of candidate afforestation sites, summarize practices and techniques used in current seeding research and operations, and recognize factors that affect success or failure of seeding native species. The main challenges are that pastoral farming has dramatically altered the soil microbiome, non-native mammalian herbivores and weeds reduce seedling establishment success, and many native trees are mast seeding or have recalcitrant seeds. Selection of sites with predictably adequate rainfall, deployment of fast germinating pioneer species, procurement of high-quality seed, availability of appropriate soil symbionts, and post-establishment weed and animal control are all important components of success when seeding native forest species in New Zealand.