Across the world, seagrass meadows are under threat from anthropogenic pressures and our changing climate. Restoring these important ecosystems could increase the ability of our oceans to enhance biodiversity, support fisheries, improve water quality and store carbon. Sowing seagrass seeds into the wild is a promising approach for restoring seagrass meadows at scale with minimal environmental impact. Until recently seed-based restoration was not thought to be viable in Aotearoa New Zealand because there was a misconception that our species of seagrass very rarely flowers and produces seeds. However, following the discovery that flowers were widespread in New Zealand estuaries, our research project, ‘Restore the Meadows’ has been developing seed-based restoration techniques appropriate for our environmental conditions. This presentation will overview our journey towards large-scale seagrass restoration, including how collaboration with Australian researchers fast-tracked this process and the benefits of partnering with industry to achieve environmental outcomes. It will also overview a guide to seed-based seagrass restoration for Aotearoa New Zealand that we recently published.