The Ngāti Kuri Taiao Team on a recent knowledge exchange in Australia with the traditional owners of Girringun National Park. Ngāti Kuri has just received $6.6 million to scale up land restoration and save threatened species.
The Ngāti Kuri Taiao Team on a recent knowledge exchange in Australia with the traditional owners of Girringun National Park. Ngāti Kuri has just received $6.6 million to scale up land restoration and save threatened species.
Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri has received $6.6 million to scale up land restoration and save threatened taonga species across its rohe.
Foundation North has given the iwi a grant for $6.6m to increase and sustain the restorative work within its region.
The funding will be provided over three years and will employ 16 people to maintain the restorative work the iwi has been ramping up through relationships with Auckland Museum, Manaaki Whenua and others, as well as a Department of Conservation Jobs for Nature fund. The Foundation North grant will enable work to continue and activities to be scaled up.
Sheridan Waitai, Ngāti Kuri Trust Board executive director and Te Haumihi programme sponsor, said the key to the work ahead is uplifting traditional knowledge and transforming their Taiao.
She said Ngāti Kuri was already a ‘go to’ body for environmental restoration after generations dedicated to such work and it wanted to be able to provide such help and advice across the globe.
Some of the Ngāti Kuri Taiao team at work in the forest.
In March representatives from nine Australian tribes will be visiting Ngāti Kuri to learn about its work and how they can apply it to their lands across the tasman.
Ngāti Kuri representatives visited the traditional owners of Girringun National Park, in Queensland, to learn about how they used fire to control there forests to prevent wildfires.
“We have wildfires in our area and we were looking to see if we could use some of those traditional techniques with fire to manage our area and prevent them happening here.’’
Ngāti Kuri Taiao team member Justice Hetaraka out in the field.
Waitai said the funding from Foundation North was exciting and would provide long-term employment and help save the environment.
“We want to transform our environment into a place that has sustainable thrivability. Static conservation practices have left Ngāti Kuri with around 42 of our precious taonga species on the brink of extinction locally. It is time for a reset and it has to be done at pace,’’ Waitai said.
“Through the Foundation North funding, our people will continue to invest in building a resilient ecosystem by working with as many partners as we can so we can share the benefits.
“Without a healthy and thriving environment our current business, future economic opportunities and the prosperity of our people are threatened.’’
One taonga species particularly under threat was the flax snail, with only around 300 of breeding age at several individual spots across the iwi’s rohe.
“There are about 1000 of them in total, but only 300 left of breeding age, in several small sites that are not close to each other, so a big issue is that it will be hard getting that diverse, genetic profile back.’’
There are only around 300 flax snails of breeding age in the Ngāti Kuri rohe, but new funding will be used to help them, and other threatened taonga species, survive and thrive.
The work is part of the Ngāti Kuri Te Karanga o Te Taiao project, which is under the Te Haumihi programme of work.
Te Haumihi is made up of an ambitious portfolio of projects that focus on creating a resilient environment that can sustain higher levels of economic activity and create a fit-for-purpose workforce that has sustainable employment.
Toka Maaka, Ngāti Kuri biodiversity manager, said the funding will pay for fencing, trapping, weeding, planting and monitoring taonga species that are threatened or at risk of extinction here and on offshore islands, as well as complete a freshwater plan and attend to the health of the foreshore.
“Historically there has been massive under-investment in environmental work on the land with most work being done irregularly which has undermined any previous successful gains we have made. The Foundation North funding will enable us to continue and sustain the critical work we have started,’’ Maaka said.
“We’ll also look to bring in contract teams to ramp up work and provide job continuity for our people that work in the seasonal tourism and horticulture sectors.”
Ngāti Kuri plans to establish a team of local multi-skilled talent, experienced in ecological restoration whose services can be offered here and overseas.
“In recent years we have been laying the foundation, building up our knowledge and skills so that we can take action,’’ Waitai said.
“This work is urgent for our people and our environment. We have seen through climate change drier summers and the emergence of a cyclone season which has added extra importance to the work we are doing. We need to bolster the existing environment with the necessary biodiversity to ensure its survival.’’
The environmental work is informed by research undertaken by Ngāti Kuri through its own research institute Te Ara Whānui with partner groups playing a key role in enabling further progress.
Foundation North head of funding Audry McLaren said this represents an iconic grant in the foundation’s history.
“Not only given our focus on regenerative environments but also our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to climate action. The regeneration and revitalisation plans for Te Karanga o te Taiao are of national significance, due to the unique taonga species and whenua which will be restored to this rohe. Furthermore, through Ngāti Kuri sharing their mātauranga and mōhiotanga from this mahi, others doing similar work will benefit - not just in Te Tai Tokerau but beyond.”
