Trust works to restore taonga
Returning a ‘sustainable life force’ to 240,000ha park
TWe can all play a part however big or small to make sure the sun never sets completely on the forest and the fauna that call the ranges home.
he foundation of stunning sunsets aside, it’s easy to take the Kaimai-Mamaku range for granted. But one group who can’t be accused of taking no notice is the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust (MKMT).
The passionate trust members are determined to restore this taonga to its former glory as a “sustainable life force from the mountains to the sea”.
Since 2009 when the original Kaimai Catchment Forum was created, Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) has been behind the mission to restore the 240,000-hectare conservation park.
Over a decade later RWNZ has announced that $19.4 million is being distributed to approved projects throughout the five districts the range covers.
The financial boost is the result of a successful application to the Jobs for Nature funds by local iwi and hapu with the Department of Conservation.
In 2019 MKMT was formed after the Kaimai Mamaku Catchment Forum identified the need for a unified entity of Kaimai kaitiaki under one umbrella organisation in order to apply for funding for restoration projects.
Stakeholders include community conservation groups, iwi, hapu, farmers, landowners, recreation groups, Department of Conservation, Waikato and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils as well as the five districts councils. Considering the rugged volcanic range stretches 70km from the Karangahake Gorge to the Mamaku Plateau near Lake Rotorua this was no mean feat.
The new MKMT website has the latest technology, allowing live updates from stakeholders who can record the removal of pests as it happens.
The organisation has a new chief executive, Louise Saunders, who has 25 years of experience in ecological restoration.
“This founding role is an opportunity to make a significant difference to conservation on a scale rarely seen,” says Louise.
The range is the natural home of endangered natives such as whio, kaka, kokako, kiwi, karearea/New Zealand falcon, whitehead, bats, skinks, the Hochstetter’s frog and the Mount Te Aroha stag beetle.
Except in the areas where intensive pest control is being undertaken, predators such as stoats, cats and rats
Louise Saunders
are decimating this wildlife.
The park marks the northern limit of trees such as kamahi, red and silver beech and the southern limit of the kauri.
This unusual meeting of northern and southern species as well as the combination of semi-coastal and montane plants make the forest composition unique.
Goats, deer, pigs and possums are eating so many native plants on the forest floor that canopy trees are not being replaced, plant pests are taking over and the mauri of the forest is dying. The exception to this is where intensive pest control is occurring.
The Kaimai-Mamaku range is the local forest-ngahere for locals to go on multi-day tramps or short walks and to be at one with nature.
‘‘We can all play a part however big or small to make sure the sun never sets completely on the forest and the fauna that call the ranges home.’’
The opportunities to be a part of this vision are varied and numerous.
The Bay Conservation Alliance (BCA) is accepting applications for Jobs for Nature cadets for those wanting to be environmental guardians, MKMT is calling for volunteers to sit and listen for kiwi calls for an upcoming kiwi survey, Predator Free BOP is offering rat traps to set in backyards, the O¯ tanewainuku Kiwi Trust needs help to protect kiwi and kokako in the area and the Kokako Ecosystem Expansion Programme is on the exciting mission to create a pest-free corridor between the O¯ tanewainuku and the Kaharoa forest enabling these birds to connect.