Plantago novae-zelandiae is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae that is endemic to New Zealand.

[5][3] Compared to P. unibracteata and P. triandra, P. novae-zelandiae and P. lanigera (and other mainland New Zealand species) have leaves that are widest at or above the middle, and usually longer scapes, more flowers per spike, and fewer seeds per capsule.

[3] Plantago novae-zelandiae can be distinguished from P. lanigera by ovule and seed characters, especially fewer ovules (4 vs. 8–13), fewer seeds (1–4 vs. 4–13) that are larger (1.3–2.1 mm long vs. 0.6–1.5) as well as rounded and ellipsoid (vs. angular or rounded and of various shapes).

[3] Plantago novae-zelandiae plants are small rosettes with a primary root up to 15 mm thick, with up to 40 usually narrowly angular-ovate or angular-ovate leaves, and with visible, short (<10 mm long), rust-coloured leaf axillary hairs in the basal rosette.

The leaves have 1–3 veins, are 23–88 mm long (including petiole) and up to 19 mm wide, usually punctate, with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy on the upper surface, usually glabrous or with isolated hairs on the lower surface.

[6] Plantago novae-zelandiae is a plantain that is endemic to the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

[3] It grows in subalpine to alpine herbfields, grasslands and scrub, in bogs, tarns, flushes, on rocks or outcrops, in damp to very wet areas, from 900 to 1700 m m above sea level.