Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and DOC set to restore the mauri (life essence) on Motutapu a Taikehu. Photo / Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and DOC set to restore the mauri (life essence) on Motutapu a Taikehu. Photo / Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Auckland iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki have joined Te Papa Atawhai (the Department of Conservation) and Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to restore the mauri and life force of Motutapu Island.
The trio are set to team up in their reforestation kaupapa for Te Motutapu a Taikehu (Motutapu Island) under the New Zealand government's and MPI lead, One Billion Trees programme.
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki spokesperson Tama Potaka said: "The island has gone through a period of illness" and has a "significant degree of waste just sitting on the island".
"We're giving it the medicine that it needs which is energised by people with a passion for health and wellbeing, and a love for nature.
Originally known as "Motutapu-a-Taikehu", The 178-million-year-old island was home to the ancestors of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki iwi, who are the mana whenua.
The work includes growing and planting rākau and plants on the island alongside Te Uru Rākau and the One Billion Trees programme. Currently, 40 Kiwi are reported to be living among the existing trees.
"This is the future of the planet and the future of the iwi, restoring and re-energising our islands and the whenua."
It is the oldest archaeological site in Auckland, which DOC says is a "fine place to see native birds", including the rare tieke.
DOC said its involvement has been one of administrative and logistical support.
"Our collaboration with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki is part and parcel of our treaty relationship.
"We hope that this initiative will see an acceleration of reforestation across the island and will support Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki aspirations to restore the Mauri ora of the motu."
The partnership is looking to improve infrastructure and public access to the island, as well as reviewing the existing conservation plans to ensure they are fit for purpose and well aligned to iwi, hapū and whānau aspirations.
"We acknowledge and respect Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and their work as tangata whenua of Te Motutapu a Taikehu.
"DOC's goals for Motutapu is to see the island become an exemplar of conservation management practices, a place for conservation and cultural education, and a destination enjoyed by all New Zealanders."
Te Tauroa nursery on Motutapa a Taikehu. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Council's involvement has been vital in providing employment opportunities, following a Manaaki Fund of $60,000. This has helped the establishment of the island's Te Tauroa nursery which is set to grow and prepare seedlings for planting.
For the past 40 to 50 years, Motutapu had been used for farming, but Potaka says Ngāi Tai and DOC are beginning to explore different avenues in which the land could be best used for.
There are hopes to establish horticulture, viticulture, eco-tourism, reincarnating existing infrastructure and mass food production.
"We imagine something diverse in the offerings where people can expect to engage in the island's restoration," Potaka said.
"It's currently under a land-use assessment," he says, but the island's growth in wellbeing at the moment is paramount.
"We can't do business if the land is falling apart.
"We have to set it up for success."
After winning a Supreme Court case in 2018, Ngāi Tai, who are the mana whenua of Motutapu, were able to re-apply for exclusive rights to conduct commercial operations on Rangitoto and Motutapu.
The Ngāi Tai Trust argued in court that, as Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki has mana whenua of the island, it has the right and responsibility to exercise manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga in its traditional rohe.
