Otawa Waitaha a Hei project led by Te Kapu o Waitaha.
Otawa Waitaha a Hei project led by Te Kapu o Waitaha.
Two local pest control initiatives will be among the beneficiaries of a $2.5 million windfall from TECT.
Te Wao Nui o Tapuika is led by Tapuika and includes pest animal control in 500ha of Te Mataī forest, a key part of the Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Project (KEEP) area.
KEEP is a collective of stakeholders establishing an ecological corridor to expand the habitat of kōkako.
Ōtawa Waitaha a Hei is led by Te Kapu o Waitaha. The project includes pest animal control in the 400ha at Ōtawa Scenic Reserve and contributes to an increase in pest control across a key habitat area for Hochstetter’s frogs and other taonga species.
The funding also covers two other Kaimai Mamaku restoration projects in the Omanawa and Aongatete areas.
The Kaimai-Mamaku Range is a taonga of New Zealand, but the forests and catchments are not thriving. The precious natural infrastructure is under threat.
Working to restore the mauri of the forest is the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust (MKMT).
A co-governed organisation, MKMT brings together iwi-hapū, agencies and stakeholders to improve the health of the Kaimai Mamaku for present and future generations.
Last year, the Department of Conservation delegated authority to MKMT to deliver the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, which now consists of 12 iwi-hapū led restoration sub-projects funded by the Government’s Mahi o te Taiao-Jobs for Nature programme.
Local community trust TECT recently approved $2.5 million of funding to support the expansion of the four Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Projects in the TECT district.
“TECT is committed to investing in the protection and regeneration of our region’s natural environment and biodiversity,” says chairman Bill Holland. “The need for resilient solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change is urgent and requires collective action.
“Significant cultural and social outcomes include re-engagement of iwi-hapū with the land and increased community understanding of the essential role the Kaimai Mamaku ecosystems play in community wellbeing and economic prosperity.
“We applaud the enabling work of MKMT and all the iwi and hapū-led projects to restore the whenua, which will ensure a long-standing legacy of conservation and connection in the Kaimai Mamaku.”
The Kaimai Mamaku extends from mountains to sea and is home to a diverse and unique range of ecosystems.
MKMT chief executive Louise Saunders says the TECT funding will have a monumental impact on people, forests and the future.
“By supporting sustainable, conservation-based employment alongside the community volunteer groups, this funding will contribute to transformational change.”
