A partnership between three organisations will result in $4 million environment centre being built in Inglewood.
The idea for the environment centre comes from a partnership between East Taranaki Environment Collective, Pukerangiora hapu of Te Atiawa iwi and New Plymouth District Council. It will be a centrally located shared space for organisations working in the conservation and pest management sectors, as well as serving as a place of learning.
The partnership announced today that the centre would be named te noninga o Hakuturi – the place where the Hakuturi, the guardians of the forest, reside.
“In Māori mythology, the Hakuturi have a collective responsibility to protect, regenerate and advocate for the natural environment. The environment centre will mirror this responsibility, as a place where organisations involved in environmental stewardship and the preservation and enhancement of biodiversity can work together and collaborate,” said the New Plymouth District Cocunil’s manager of strategic planning Renee Davies.
Davies said the Hakuturi partnership and other conservation groups have said they value the position of Inglewood, midway between Te Papakura o Taranaki/Egmont National Park and thousands of hectares of forest in rugged country to the east, and the town is easily accessible from other main centres in the region.