Efforts to transform 900 hectares of land along the Waipoua River have been given a boost, with a $100,000 grant.
Te Roroa Development Charitable Trust in Northland was awarded $100,000 from Foundation North. The grant goes towards Te Toa Whenua, an initiative designed to restore and transform 900ha along the Waipoua River, which flows through Waipoua Forest and into the Tasman Sea.
The restoration project, which will initially involve pest and noxious plant control and then re-forestation of native plants, will protect important cultural and archaeological sites while establishing sustainable land uses for current and future generations of Te Iwi o Te Roroa.
"This is an intergenerational project; one that won't be completed in just five or 10 years," Courtney Davis, project manager of Te Toa Whenua said.
"It's going to require hundreds of years and we will have to be patient and work through the challenges that arise over time."