The Whanganui project is an intergenerational effort to care for the land. Photo / DoC
The Whanganui project is an intergenerational effort to care for the land. Photo / DoC
Restoring the whenua is a labour of love for the whānau behind Hiruhārama Jerusalem project Ngahere Manaaki.
The project is funded through the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai Jobs for Nature/Mahi mō te Taiao.
“The results are looking good for both land and people,” project manager Ron Hough said.
The intergenerational project was focused on restoring forest across hundreds of hectares of land bordering the Whanganui River, he said.
Where erosion from some land uses threatens the health of the river, Ngahere Manaaki is returning stability to the whenua with pest and weed control, fencing and planting.
“If there’s no life there, there’s no life for us as a people.”
After nearly three years of Jobs for Nature funding, Ngahere Manaaki has become an intergenerational mission.
“We try to introduce all the whānau into it when we’re doing the planting, so there’s collectively mokopuna of 36 doing the mahi.”
Together, whānau have planted tens of thousands of plants from their native nursery and conducted 200ha of weed control.
For the Hough whānau, it is an investment in the future.
“Passing those skills down, it’s intergenerational.
“It’s understanding the true value of it all, and what our old people had as a means of survival.”
Ron Hough, project manager of Ngahere Manaaki. Photo / DoC
Jobs for Nature (JFN) is a $1.19 billion government programme that aims to benefit New Zealand’s environment, people and regional communities.
JFN funding is administered across five government agencies: Department of Conservation, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, and Land Information New Zealand.
