New role from partnership
A one-of-a-kind job has been created thanks to a blossoming partnership between the Department of Conservation and Taranaki Iwi.
Puna Wano-Bryant, Te Ka¯ hui o Taranaki’s environmental manager, said the Kaitiaki Whenua Ranger position was the first of its kind in Aotearoa and the result of 12 months of talks between the organisation and the Government agency.
Yesterday, Wayne Capper began his first day in the job after a po¯ whiri at the New Plymouth DOC office.
Capper, employed by Te Ka¯ hui o Taranaki, will be based at DOC’s Rimu St branch for the next 24 months, where he will learn about the ranger role. He will take that knowledge back to the iwi and use it to look after the 30 cultural sites returned to the group as part of its 2015 Treaty of Waitangi settlement, including Te Koru Pa¯ , Tataraimaka and Omata.
Wano-Bryant said the ‘‘transfer of knowledge’’ during Capper’s time at DOC would be of long-term benefit to the iwi and the agency.
Capper, who has whakapapa to Taranaki Iwi and Te A¯ tiawa, had more than 20 years’ experience in the petrochemical industry before a role as operations manager for Taranaki Rugby League.
He said he was looking forward to the challenges ahead, which included ‘‘being on the whenua, learning the history of the land and getting an understanding of how DOC maintains their sites.
For Capper, the role was much more than just a job. ‘‘It’s a honour and a privilege, really, for myself and my family to have an opportunity to work on my land and for my people,’’ he said.
Te Ka¯hui o Taranaki chairwoman Leanne Horo said the creation of the role was an exciting development. ‘‘A partnership of this nature is a first between Iwi and DOC so we look forward to the opportunities that will develop,’’ she said.
Te Ka¯ hui o Taranaki is the iwi’s postsettlement governance entity.