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Ka tangi te Weka i runga i te Raukūmara
Ka tangi hoki te Kiwi i te take o Hikurangi
Mōhou Te Kiingi o Te Kotahitanga,
Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero te VII
Moe mai i roto i te mārie nui o Ihoa o ngā mano
Rire Rire Hau! Paimārire
Haramai ki a au, ki Hikurangi, ki te maunga e tauria ana e te huka!
Come hither to me to Hikurangi, to the mountain cloaked in snow!
Tēnā koe!
Winter has been a massive season for us - with the launch of the Raukūmara Roadshow we connected with near 1,000 rangatahi across 12 kura from Ūawanui ā Ruamatua to Pōtikirua.
Our boots and hands are covered in soil after successfully supporting the plantation of native rākau from Maraenui to Potaka. We featured in the NZ Geo Magazine spreading our vision of a healthy and thriving Raukūmara with all of Aotearoa and our team has continued to engage and celebrate taonga protection across Te Tairāwhiti with the implementation of the Trapping In Schools Programme.
E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū!
We began receiving an overflow of Kākā sightings across the East Coast and were able to confirm this as one of our kaimahi sighted a cheeky Kākā on her back doorstep.
As Winter drew closer to an ending we had 12 members of E Tipu E Rea graduate after a 6 week rākau identification programme and now were moving into their next stage of learning which is
Ka Tō, Ka Tipu - A home nursery network.
With many highs over Winter we also traversed through some challenging times as our Kaimahi discovered a rare neonate Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale in Te Kaha.
Its all happening here e te iwi, find out more below about all of these amazing kaupapa and get the latest updates on our Deer and Goat Management programme, the biggest of its kind here in Aotearoa.
Mauri ora!
Raukūmara Pae Maunga Roadshow
Igniting the passion for kaitiakitanga our team hosted near 1,000 rangatahi in June spanning across 12 kura from Ūawanui a Ruamatua to Pōtikirua.
We were fortunate to have other taiao based projects accompany us over this time, a huge mihi to you all for making this possible!
Tairāwhiti Ngutukākā - East Coast Kākābeak
Department of Conservation - Te Tairāwhiti
Te Whakapae Ururoa
Taniwha Connections
Te Ara Tipuna
Mātaiao
Te Mana o Te Waipu
The Roadshow was aimed to educate our rangatahi about the pressing challenges our natrual world is facing, such as: over populated pest numbers, intense browsing by Deer and Goats, climate change and the harmful effects that disconnection of people and place causes.
Over 10 interactive stations were set up bringing the heart of the Raukūmara directly to the eyes, fingertips and minds of our people.
Follow this link to learn more about the Roadshow:
Native planting
During this season we planted 5,000+ native tipu in kura, community and around marae. This experience has been positive for all those involved as we lean more into giving back to our taiao instead of taking from it.
Why plant native? there any many benefits to planting native tipu and rākau. Some of these include their natural ability to filter and restore habitats like water ways and eroded landscapes.
Native plantations also provide habitat and food sources for our manu. But what we love the most about planting native is the connection of people to whenua.
We were fortunate to support planting at:
Te Kura Mana Māori o Maraenui
Te Kura Mana Māori o Whangaparaoa
Te Kaha Marae
Maungaroa Marae
Maraehako Camp Ground
Trapping In Schools
In September our team launched the
Trapping in Schools Programme which aims to empower our tamariki to practice kaitiakitanga over their whenua by controlling the population of ngangara that threaten our precious taonga.
Through this engaging programme, our tamariki have been privileged to hands on experience highlighting the unique flora and fauna of Te Raukūmara.
They have also been introduced to the practical skills required to control predators while out in the field.
Through the use of our very own Trapping in Schools app our rangatahi have been studying pest behaviours under the maramataka and have been competing in catch rates with other kura around the rohe.
We aim to visit 13 kura throughout the duration of this programme and connect as many of our rangatahi to their Raukūmara as possible.
Watch this video here to see our team at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Waiu o Ngati Porou
E Tipu E Rea
Gathered together by the shared love for our native rākau E Tipu E Rea was launched. We would like to acknowledge our roopu for the commitment, enthusiasm and passion they contributed to this kaupapa.
We spent 6 weeks observing, studying and sharing our research on multiple different rākau species and in-turn a magnitude of knowledge was acquired as a group.
Some of these learnings included:
Whanaungatanga
Rākau identification
Kōrero tuku iho
Kaitiakitanga
Plant disease such as: Myrtle rust
The numerous challenges our rākau are facing
Now that our roopu is confident in identifying different types of rākau we are looking at furthering our knowledge by introducing the next step for E Tipu E Rea which is establishing a home nursery network called Ka Tō, Ka Tipu.
Confirmed Kākā Sighting
Unconfirmed sightings of Kākā had been reported over the last couple of months by members of the public along the East Coast. However, we were able to confirm those sightings in August as one of our kaimahi captured this image of a Kākā feeding on her back doorstep.
We are also excited to share that as a result of our Community Engagement Native Plantings, manu such as Kererū and Tūī have returned to our Marae - an aspiration come true for Project Pou, Wiremu Wharepapa.
Multiple sightings of threatened taonga species such as Whio have been recorded in the Raukokore, Haparapara and Mangatutara.
We are hopeful now with the successful application of 1080 over 115,825 hectares of Te Raukūmara Ngahere, that all of these taonga species have a chance to breed and return in volumes without the continuous predation of pests such as rats, mustelids and possums.
The Largest Deer and Goat
Management Programme in Aotearoa
For more than a century, the introduction of deer and goats has profoundly effected the native ecosystem of the Raukūmara.
Introduced in the 1950’s for sport, Deer have flourished in the absence of natural predators. This unchecked growth has led to rapidly increasing deer populations across the Raukūmara.
Their consumption of native plants on the forest floor and ring barking is causing severe damage to rākau such as Tōtara, Rimu and Tawa, diminishing food sources for taonga species, and disrupting the entire ecosystem.
Combining Aerial and Ground Strategies to Manage Deer and Goat Populations
Our Deer and Goat Management Programme uses a combination of aerial and ground control methods to manage populations effectively. For challenging terrain where ground hunting is unsafe, we rely on aerial shooting supported by advanced technologies such as thermal imagery. Our helicopter operators, who are locals with many years of experience flying in the Raukūmara rugged landscape, use high-tech equipment and firearms to ensure precise control from the air.
On the ground, highly skilled Deer and Goat Ground Hunters, accompanied by trained wild animal detection dogs, carry out targeted hunts. This approach is supported by local knowledge and expertise, enhancing the effectiveness of the control efforts.
Read more about this extensive programme here: https://www.raukumara.org.nz/post/the-largest-deer-and-goat-management-programme-in-aotearoa
New Zealand Geographic
Our team featured in the latest NZ Geo magazine spreading our important message of restoring the mana and mauri of Te Raukūmara ngahere.
“Ngāti Porou rely on nature for food, but also for emotional and mental wellbeing. When the land and the waterways are broken and dying, the people suffer” - Ario Rewi
Check out the article by following the link below:
Seedling Ratio Index (SRI) Training
In August our operations team met with Greg Moorcroft from Mamaku Environmental Ltd to undergo SRI training. This will strengthen our capabilities and will allow our team the skills necessary to perform seedling ration index monitoring in Te Raukūmara ngahere.
SRI plots are implemented to measure the recovery of the understory after Deer and Goat control has been carried out.
The first SRI training was to familiarise themselves with the protocols, this was a lot of theory work. And the second training was to transfer book learning into a field setting, the hands on mahi!
East Coast Careers Expo
At the recent East Coast Careers Expo hosted by Ngata College, Raukumara Pae Maunga proudly joined more than two dozen local organizations and businesses to offer children from across Tairāwhiti a glimpse into the world of conservation and restoration.
The event created a vibrant space for tamariki to engage with passionate professionals, asking questions and exploring potential career pathways.
As part of our mission to inspire and educate the next generation, we embraced the opportunity to network, share our kaupapa, and empower future kaitiaki of Te Raukumara.
Weka found near Waingakia Station
Weka were once prolific in Te Tairāwhiti, however its been 35 years since Weka were last readily sighted in Ngāti Porou. Recently a Weka was reported by whānau near the Waingakia Station but had been stunned by a dog.
Our team responded immediately, but unfortunately, the Weka had passed upon our arrival. Nevertheless, this event is a significant and celebratory moment for Ngāti Porou,
symbolizing resilience in our environment despite the numerous challenges our taonga face.
Our kaimahi take taonga protection very seriously, especially our Deer and Goat Ground hunters.
Our Kuri are regularly trained by certified avian avoidance trainers and have just recently updated their Kiwi Avoidance certificates under the guidance of Jesse Emery, a certified avoidance trainer in the Bay of Plenty.
KAT is a joint partnership between Department of Conservation and Save the Kiwi which aims to give Kuri and their owners the tools necessary to be responsible and respectful manuhiri when out in the ngahere.
Wharekura - Rare Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale
On May the 18th, 2024 a rare Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked neonate whale was found on the shoreline in Te Kaha by our Kaimahi and other members of the community. There is little known about this particular whale as they are classed as a 'shy species' often keeping their distance from people and unknown activity within the ocean.
Most of what is known about the Ginkgo-Toothed Beaked Whale is from a handful of stranding's and to our knowledge there has only been one other sighting of a live Ginkgo-toothed whale in New Zealand.
This taonga was cared for by mana whenua and given the name Wharekura. Wharekura was initially buried, however upon realising the rarity of an event like this it was later unearthed and taken to the Cetacean Ecology Research Group in Auckland where Professor Karen Stockin led a formal examination process.
We would like to acknowledge everyone who was involved with Wharekura from trying to refloat her, leading karakia, helping with the burial process, our hapu for giving their advice and to our whanau who came and were present during this time.
Read more about this story here:
And just like that Winter has come to an end!
Anei ngā tohu o te taiao, kua tae mai a kōanga!
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